Area, The

The Area is the seabed, ocean floor, and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. UNCLOS Article 136 declares it and its resources the common heritage of mankind, meaning no state may claim sovereignty over any part of it and its mineral resources are vested in mankind as a whole, administered by the International Seabed Authority. The 1994 Implementing Agreement recast Part XI to make the regime acceptable to industrial states, and the ISA is finalizing the exploitation regulations that would govern commercial deep-seabed mining.