The Cuba–United States Maritime Boundary Agreement is a 1977

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 pe ...

between

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

that

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the international

maritime boundary A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of the Earth's water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources,VLIZ Maritime Boun ...

between the two states. Maritime boundary delimitation was necessary to facilitate law enforcement and resource management, and to avoid conflict, within the countries' overlapping two-hundred mile maritime zones. The treaty was signed in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on December 16, 1977. Mark B. Feldman, Deputy Legal Adviser, U.S. Departmenty of State, signed for the United States. Olga Miranda, Legal Adviser, Cuban Foreign Ministry, signed for Cuba. The treaty stated that the

boundary Boundary or Boundaries may refer to: * Border, in political geography Entertainment * ''Boundaries'' (2016 film), a 2016 Canadian film * ''Boundaries'' (2018 film), a 2018 American-Canadian road trip film *Boundary (cricket), the edge of the pla ...

agreement was provisional for two years and would become permanent when both states had

ratified Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inten ...

the treaty. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

transmitted the treaty to the United States Senate for advice and consent on January 19, 1978, and hearings were held by the Foreign Relations Committee on June 30, 1980. However, the Senate never voted on the treaty, so it has not yet entered into force. Pending treaty approval, Cuba and the U.S. have maintained the boundary line agreed to in the treaty provisionally by a series of executive agreements renewed every two years. Mark Feldman Oral History at p. 96, https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Feldman.Mark.pdf

Notes

References

*Feldman and Colson, "The Maritime Boundaries of the United States," 75 AJIL 729 (1981). * Prescott, J. R. V. (1985). ''The Maritime Political Boundaries of the World'' (London: Methuen, ) p. 341. *R. W. Smith (1981), "The Maritime Boundaries of the United States", ''

Geographical Review The ''Geographical Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Routledge on behalf of the American Geographical Society. It covers all aspects of geography. The editor-in-chief is David H. Kaplan (Kent State University). H ...

'' 71:395–410. Mark Feldman Oral History at p. 96, https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Feldman.Mark.pdf

External links

Maritime Boundary Agreement
full text {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuba-United States Maritime Boundary Agreement 1977 in Cuba 1977 in the United States Treaties concluded in 1977 Treaties of Cuba Treaties of the United States Cuba–United States border Boundary treaties Cuba–United States relations Unratified treaties