Convention on the Continental Shelf on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Convention on the Continental Shelf was an
Ratifications
at depositary
Anna Cavnar, ''Accountability and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf: Deciding Who Owns the Ocean Floor''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Continental Shelf Convention 1964 in the environment Law of the sea treaties United Nations treaties Treaties concluded in 1958 Treaties entered into force in 1964 Convention Treaties of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania Treaties of Australia Treaties of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of the People's Republic of Bulgaria Treaties of the Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970) Treaties of Canada Treaties of Colombia Treaties of Costa Rica Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of Czechoslovakia Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Denmark Treaties of the Dominican Republic Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of the Kingdom of Greece Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Haiti Treaties of Israel Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Kenya Treaties of Latvia Treaties of Lesotho Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Malaysia Treaties of Malta Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Mexico Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of New Zealand Treaties of Nigeria Treaties of Norway Treaties of the Polish People's Republic Treaties of the Estado Novo (Portugal) Treaties of the Socialist Republic of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Senegal Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of Slovakia Treaties of the Solomon Islands Treaties of South Africa Treaties of Francoist Spain Treaties of Eswatini Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of Thailand Treaties of Tonga Treaties of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Uganda Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States Treaties of Venezuela Treaties of Yugoslavia Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro 1958 in Switzerland Treaties extended to the Netherlands Antilles Treaties extended to Aruba Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Greenland
The Convention on the Continental Shelf was an international treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
created to codify the rules of international law relating to continental shelves
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...
. The treaty, after entering into force 10 June 1964, established the rights of a sovereign state over the continental shelf surrounding it, if there be any. The treaty was one of three agreed upon at the first United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 167 ...
(UNCLOS I). It has since been superseded by a new agreement reached in 1982 at UNCLOS III.
The treaty dealt with seven topics: the regime governing the superjacent waters and airspace; laying or maintenance of submarine cables or pipelines; the regime governing navigation, fishing, scientific research and the coastal state's competence in these areas; delimitation; tunneling.
Historical background
The Convention on the Continental Shelf replaced the earlier practice of nations having sovereignty over only a very narrow strip of the sea surrounding them, with anything beyond that strip considered International Waters. This policy was used until President of the United States Harry S Truman proclaimed that the resources on the continental shelf contiguous to the United States belonged to the United States through an Executive Order on 28 September 1945. Many other nations quickly adapted similar policies, most stating that their portion of the sea extended either 12 or 200 nautical miles from its coast.Rights of states
Article 1 of the convention defined the term shelf in terms of exploitability rather than relying upon the geological definition. It defined a shelf "to the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas adjacent to the coast but outside the area of the territorial sea, to a depth of 200 meters or, beyond that limit, to where the depth of the superjacent waters admits of the exploitation of the natural resources of the said areas" or "to the seabed and subsoil of similar submarine areas adjacent to the coasts of islands". Besides outlining what is legal in continental shelf areas, it also dictated what could not be done in Article 5.Participants
UNCLOS II and III
In 1960, the United Nations held another conference regarding the Laws of the Sea, UNCLOS II, but no agreements were reached. However, another conference was called in 1973 to address the issues. UNCLOS III, which lasted until 1982 due to a required consensus, adjusted and redefined many principles stated in the first UNCLOS. The new definition of the Continental shelf in the new Convention rendered the 1958 Convention on the Continental Shelf obsolete. The principal reason for this was technological advancements.References
External links
Ratifications
at depositary
Anna Cavnar, ''Accountability and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf: Deciding Who Owns the Ocean Floor''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Continental Shelf Convention 1964 in the environment Law of the sea treaties United Nations treaties Treaties concluded in 1958 Treaties entered into force in 1964 Convention Treaties of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania Treaties of Australia Treaties of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of the People's Republic of Bulgaria Treaties of the Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970) Treaties of Canada Treaties of Colombia Treaties of Costa Rica Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of Czechoslovakia Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Denmark Treaties of the Dominican Republic Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of the Kingdom of Greece Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Haiti Treaties of Israel Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Kenya Treaties of Latvia Treaties of Lesotho Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Malaysia Treaties of Malta Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Mexico Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of New Zealand Treaties of Nigeria Treaties of Norway Treaties of the Polish People's Republic Treaties of the Estado Novo (Portugal) Treaties of the Socialist Republic of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Senegal Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of Slovakia Treaties of the Solomon Islands Treaties of South Africa Treaties of Francoist Spain Treaties of Eswatini Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of Thailand Treaties of Tonga Treaties of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Uganda Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States Treaties of Venezuela Treaties of Yugoslavia Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro 1958 in Switzerland Treaties extended to the Netherlands Antilles Treaties extended to Aruba Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Greenland