Coastal State

A coastal state is a state bordering the sea that holds sovereignty over its internal waters and territorial sea and functional rights and jurisdiction in adjacent zones under UNCLOS. Sovereignty extends through the territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles (Article 2), subject to innocent passage. In the contiguous zone it exercises control to prevent and punish breaches of customs, fiscal, immigration, and sanitary laws (Article 33). In the EEZ it holds sovereign rights over resources and jurisdiction over installations, marine scientific research, and environmental protection (Article 56), and it has sovereign rights over the continental shelf for resource exploitation (Article 77).