METAREAs are geographical sea regions for the purpose of coordinating the transmission of meteorological information to mariners on international voyages through international and territorial waters. These regions are part of the

Global Maritime Distress Safety System The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Convent ...

. The regions are identical to

NAVAREA NAVAREAs are the maritime geographic areas in which various governments are responsible for navigation and weather warnings. NAVAREAs are mentioned in International Maritime Organization Assembly Resolution A.706(17) adopted 6 November 1991. Th ...

s which are used to coordinate the transmission of navigational hazards to the same mariners. Mariners receive the meteorological and navigational information via

NAVTEX NAVTEX (NAVigational TEleX), sometimes styled Navtex or NavTex, is an international automated medium frequency direct-printing service for delivery of navigational and meteorological warnings and forecasts, as well as urgent maritime safety inf ...

. The Worldwide Met-Ocean Information and Warning Service Sub Committee of the WMO Services Commission is responsible for the coordination of the dissemination of this information for METAREAs. NavareasUSCGMap

METAREA Descriptions

Countries responsible for the issuance of the final METAREA bulletins are known as the "Issuing Services". Since METAREAs often straddle the territorial waters of more than one country, more than one nation may contribute to the content of the METAREAs bulletins. Countries contributing to the METAREAs bulletins are known as "Preparation Services". The current METAREA Coordinator list is updated by WMO. {, class="wikitable" , - ! METAREA !! ISSUING SERVICE !! PREPARATION SERVICE !! COVERAGE , - , METAREA I, ,

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, ,

, , The

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

east of 35°W, from 48°27'N to 75°N including the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

and

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

sub-area , - , METAREA II, , France , , France , , Atlantic waters east of 35°W, from 7°N to 48°27'N, and east of 20°W from 7°N to 6°S, including the Straits of Gibraltar , - , METAREA III, , Greece (Hellas) , , France (western

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

) , , Atlantic waters east of 35°W, from 7°N to 48°27'N, and east of 20°W from 7°N to 6°S, including the Straits of Gibraltar - The Mediterranean and Black Seas, east of the Straits of Gibraltar , - , METAREA IV, , United States - North-West , , United States - North-West , , The western part of the North Atlantic Ocean eastwards of the North American coast to 35°W, from 7°N to 67°N, including the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

and

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. Hudson Bay portion now produced by Environment Canada , - , METAREA V, ,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, ,

, , Atlantic waters west of 20°W from 35°50'S to 7°N, narrowing in the coastal strips at the extremities to the

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

/Brazil frontier in 33°45'S and the

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

/Brazil frontier in 4°30'N , - , METAREA VI, ,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, ,

, , The South Atlantic and Southern Oceans south of 35°50'S, from 20°W to the longitude of

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

, 67°16'W , - , METAREA VII, , METAREA VII west of 20°E -

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

- eastern Atlantic Ocean region, METAREA VII east of 20°E - South Africa (2) - Indian Ocean region , , , , The South Atlantic and Southern Oceans south of 6°S from 20°W to the coast of Africa, then south to the Cape of Good Hope; the South Indian and Southern Oceans south of 10°30'S from the Cape to 55°E, then south of 30°S to 80°E , - , METAREA VIII, , India (North of the Equator) and

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

/ Réunion (via France) (south of the Equator) , , India (North of the Equator) and Réunion (via France) (south of the Equator) , , For the north of the equator forecasts, the area of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

enclosed by lines from the Indo-Pakistan frontier at 23°45'N 68°E to 12°N 63°E, then to

Cape Guardafui Cape Guardafui ( so, Gees Gardafuul, or Raas Caseyr, or Ras Asir, it, Capo Guardafui) is a headland in the autonomous Puntland region in Somalia. Coextensive with Puntland's Gardafuul administrative province, it forms the geographical apex of th ...

; the east African coast south to the Equator, then to 95°E, to 6°N, then northeastwards to the

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

frontier at 10°N 98°30'E. For the south of the equator forecasts, the East African coast from the equator south to 10°30'S, then to 55°E, to 30°S, to 95°E, to the Equator, to the east African coast , - , METAREA IX, ,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, ,

, , The

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

, Gulf of Aden,

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

and

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

, north of METAREA VIII , - , METAREA X, , , , Pacific Ocean region - Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Indian Ocean region - Australia,

/ Réunion , , The South Indian and Southern Oceans east of 80°E and south of 30°S to 95°E, to 12°S, to 127°E; then the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs ...

, South Pacific and Southern Oceans south of 10°S to 141°E to the equator, to 170°E, to 29°S, then southwestwards to 45°S 160°E, then the 160°E meridian , - , METAREA XI, ,

portion - China,

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

portion - Japan (however, scheduled bulletins and warnings for south of the equator are prepared by Australia) , ,

portion - China,

portion - Australia (south of the equator) , , North Western Pacific: The

China Seas The China Seas consist of a series of marginal seas in the Western Pacific Ocean, around China. They are the major components signifying the transition from the continent of Asia to the Pacific Ocean.Pinxian Wang, Qianyu Li, Chun-Feng Li, ''Geolog ...

and

North Pacific Ocean North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

northward of METAREA X and on the equator to longitude 180°, eastward of METAREA VIII and the Asian continent to the

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

frontier at 42°30'N 130°E, then to 135°E, northeastwards to 45°N 138°E, to 45°N 180° , - , METAREA XII, , United States , , United States , , The eastern part of the

, west of the North and South American coast and east of 120°W, from 3°24'S to the equator, then to 180°, to 50°N then northwestwards to 53°N 172°E, northeastwards following the marine frontier between United States and

waters to 67°N , - , METAREA XIII, ,

, , , , Sea areas enclosed north of METAREA XI and west of METAREA XII; also all

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

waters from 170°W westwards to 20°E , - , METAREA XIV, , New Zealand , , Fiji (for area north of latitude 25°S) , , The South Pacific and Southern Oceans south of the equator, bounded by METAREA X to the west, the equator to the north and 120°W to the east , - , METAREA XV, ,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, ,

, , The South Pacific and Southern Oceans south of 18°21'S following the coast of

to the longitude of

at 67°16'W, and 120°W , - , METAREA XVI, , Peru , , Peru , , The South Pacific Ocean between 18°21'S and 3°24'S bounded by the coast of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

and 120°W , - , METAREA XVII, , Canada , , Canada Note: the United States issues marine forecasts for its jurisdictional coastal and offshore waters north of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, , The

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

bounded by 67°00'N 168°58'W, 90°00'N 168°58'W, 90°00'N 120°00'W, to south to the Canadian coastline along the 120°W meridian. The

from south-west corner 67°00'N 44°00'E to north-east corner 80°00'N 165°00'W , - , METAREA XVIII, , Canada , , Canada and Denmark , , The

, bounded by a position on the Canadian coastline at the 120°W meridian to 90°N 120°W, 90°N 35°W, 67°N 35°W , - , METAREA XIX, , Norway , , Norway , , The

from a position on the Norwegian coastline at 65°N to 65°N 5°W, 75°N 5°W, West to a position on the

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

coastline. From the border between Norway and Russia (Inland) to: 69°47'68"N 30°49'16"E, 69°58'48"N 31°06'24"E, 70°22'00"N 31°43'00"E, 71°00'00"N 30°00'00"E. From this geographical position, farther north along the 30°00'00"E meridian to: 90°00'00"N 30°00'00"E, 90°00'00"N 35°00'00"W, South to the

coastline along the 35°00'00W meridian. , - , METAREA XX, ,

, , , , The

from the border between Norway and Russia (Inland) to: 69°47'68"N 30°49'16"E, 69°58'48"N 031°06'24"E, 70°22'00"N 031°43'00"E, 71°00'00"N 030°00'00"E. From this geographical position, further north along the 30°00'00"E meridian to: 90°00'00"N 30°00'00"E, 90°00'00"N 125°00'00"E, then south to the

coastline along the 125°00'00"E meridian , - , METAREA XXI, ,

, ,

, , The

from a geographical position on the

coastline at the 125°E meridian to: 90°00'00"N 125°00'00"E, 90°00'00"N 168°58'00"W, 67°00'00"N 168°58'00"W, West to a geographical position on the

coastline along the 67°N parallel

References

Marine meteorology Maritime safety Nautical terminology