Sector principle

The Antarctic territorial claims are divided into sectors, in accordance to the sector principle.
Boundary in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia, settled in 2010.

The sector principle, also known as the sector theory,[1] is a principle in international law which asserts that territorial claims in the polar regions should be determined by longitude lines. The territories are thus divided into wedge-shaped sectors, each one having their apex at the geographical pole with their base extending down to an arbitrary latitude. The sector principle has historically constituted the basis on which territorial claims in the Arctic have been made,[2] although its usage has failed to gain international consensus.[3]

The principle is today more or less abandoned;[4] Canada stopped referring to it in 2006 and the 2010 boundary negotiation in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia contains no mention of the sector principle.[5] It has arguably seen a broader implementation in Antarctica, whose territorial claims are divided into sectors. This division is, however, not seen as an extension of any particular state's territory due to the large bodies of water separating the continent from other land masses.[4]

  1. ^ Head, Ivan L. (1963). "Canadian Claims to Territorial Sovereignty in the Arctic Regions" (PDF). McGill Law Journal. 9 (3): 203.
  2. ^ Mayhew, Susan (1997). A Dictionary of Geography (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280034-5.
  3. ^ Barr, Susan (1995). Franz Josef Land. Oslo: Norsk Polarinstitutt. p. 95. doi:10.1017/S0032247400067607. ISBN 82-7666-095-9.
  4. ^ a b "Sektorsprincipen". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish).
  5. ^ Henriksen, Tore. "Sektorprinsippet". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian).