Portugal's Exclusive Economic Zone

Portugal has the 3rd largest Exclusive Economic Zone of the EU and the 11th in the world. The seazone over which the Portuguese have special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, has 1,727,408 km².

[edit] Portugal's Exclusive Economic Zone

• Continental Portugal 327,667 km²
• Azores Islands 953,633 km²
• Madeira Islands 446,108 km²
• Total: 1,727,408 km²

[edit] Dispute with Spain

Spain defends that the southernmost EEZ border between Spain and Portugal should consist on an equidistant line drawn halfway between Madeira and the Canary Islands. But Portugal exercises sovereignty over the Savage Islands (a small archipelago north of the Canaries) thus pushing the EEZ border further south.

Spain objects on the basis that the Savage Islands do not have a separate continental shelf^[1], according to the article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea:

"Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf."^[2]

The status of the Savage Islands as islands or rocks is thus at the core of the current dispute. Today the Savage Islands constitute a natural reserve whose only year-round inhabitants are two wardens of Madeira's Natural Park. Over the years the Portuguese authorities have seized some Spanish fishing boats around the area for illegal fishing.^[3]

[edit] EEZ's World table

List of countries' EEZ by area Country EEZ + Terr. Waters  United States 11,351,000 km²  France 11,035,000 km²  Australia 8 148 250 km²  Russia 7,566,673 km²  Canada 5,599,077 km²  Japan 4,479,358 km²  New Zealand 4,083,744 km²  United Kingdom 3,973,760 km²  Brazil 3,660,955 km²  Chile 2,017,717 km²  Portugal 1,727,408 km²  India 1,641,514 km²  South Africa 1,535,538 km²  Mauritius 1,284,997 km²  Madagascar 1,225,259 km²  Argentina 1,159,063 km²  China 877,019 km² [edit] See also Fishing in Portugal Territorial waters Continental shelf International waters [edit] References ^ Lacleta Muñoz, José Manuel: "Las fronteras de España en el mar". Documentos de trabajo 34-2004, Real Instituto Elcano ^ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part VIII, Article 121 ^ Carvalho, Luis and Leitão, Nuno, A Noção "Estratégica" das Ilhas Selvagens (in Portuguese) [edit] External links United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Part V Sea Around Us Project - View the EEZ of all nations (Note that this site does not distinguish between territorial waters and the EEZ, and so tends to overstate EEZ areas.) GIS data at VLIZ Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase This Portugal location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e This article about a specific oceanic location or ocean current is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e