Month: December 2013

There are 3 main types of baselines: normal, straight and straight archipelagic baselines.

The normal baseline is the basic element from which the territorial sea and other maritime zones
are determined. It is defined as the low water line along the coast, as marked on large-scale
charts of the coastal state.

Straight baselines are defined by straight lines that join points on the coastline which have been selected according to the criteria. They delineate internal waters from territorial seas and other maritime zones.

Straight Archipelagic baselines define the periphery on an island group by joining the outermost islands with a succession of straight lines.

This convention pertains to coastal states rights to explore and utilize resources of the continental shelf. It was one of four treaties agreed to at the first United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It was signed on April 29, 1958 and entered into force on June 10, 1964; it was superseded by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.