Extended continental shelf

The extended continental shelf,[1][2] scientific continental shelf,[1][2] or outer continental shelf,[3] refers to a type of maritime area, established as a geo-legal paradigm by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Through the process known as the extension of the outer limit of the continental shelf or establishment of the outer edge of the continental margin, every coastal state has the privilege, granted by the international community of nations, to acquire exclusive and perpetual rights to exploit the biotic and abiotic resources found on the seabed and subsoil of these maritime areas. These areas are located beyond the 200 nautical miles that make up the state's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and would otherwise be considered international waters.[4][5]

In these deep-water areas, resource exploitation was either technically impossible with available methods or economically unfeasible. Thanks to sustained scientific and industrial progress, these oceanic waters have become increasingly accessible through new technologies, which gives these areas extraordinary geopolitical and geoeconomic importance.[4]

  1. ^ a b Jorge G. Guzmán (2016). "Introduction to the problem of the extended continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles: The case of Chile and Argentina in the Southern Ocean and South American Antarctica" (PDF). pp. 14 pages.
  2. ^ a b Jorge G. Guzmán (2017). "The extended continental shelf: The case of Chile and Argentina in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica". Revista de Marina (957): 12–17. ISSN 0034-8511.
  3. ^ Roberto Antonio Punte (December 2017). "A Political-Institutional Proposal for the Argentine Maritime Territory". Revista de la Escuela de Guerra Naval (63). Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Argentine Navy: 13.
  4. ^ a b Á. J. García-Carriazo (2017). "The extension of the continental shelf in the South Atlantic: the maritime conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom". Revista de Estudios Jurídicos (17). University of Jaén, Spain. ISSN 2340-5066.
  5. ^ Frida M. Armas Pfirter & Marcelo Ancarola (2017). "The outer limit of the Argentine continental shelf: success of a state policy sustained for almost 20 years". El Ojo del Cóndor (8). IGN: 44–47.