Continental Shelf

The continental shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil beyond the territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of the land to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to 200 nautical miles where the margin does not extend that far. The coastal state holds inherent, exclusive sovereign rights to explore and exploit it, which exist independently of occupation or proclamation. Claims beyond 200 miles must be submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, whose recommendations make the outer limits final and binding.