How far do US waters extend?

The U.S.
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territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from the baseline. The contiguous zone of the United States is a zone contiguous to the territorial sea.
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How far off US shore is international waters?

A 1982 United Nations treaty, which was ratified by most members of the United Nations but not by the United States, permits nations to claim territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles from shore, and a contiguous zone up to 24 nautical miles from shore.
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What is the 200 nautical mile limit?

An “exclusive economic zone,” or “EEZ” is an area of the ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) beyond a nation's territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources.
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How far does the US go into the ocean?

The NOAA shoreline length calculation of 95,471 miles includes measurements taken in 1930-1940 and 1970. The 1939-40 measurements were determined with a recording instrument on the largest-scale charts and maps available at that time.
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Why is international waters 12 miles?

That was linked to the distance of a cannon shot fired from shore. This was considered to be about 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometers). With the negotiation of the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, the allowed breadth of a territorial sea claim was extended to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers).
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How Do Countries' Sea Borders Work?



Can you drill for oil in international waters?

In this territory, a country has full rights to all resources below the ocean's surface-think fishing, oil drilling, etc. Ships are allowed to pass through the EEZ, but cannot extract any natural resources from the sea. Outside of this, you get into international waters.
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Can human swim in deepest part of ocean?

It's been a record-breaking expedition in more ways than one. Vescovo's trip to the Challenger Deep, at the southern end of the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, back in May, was said to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded, at 10,927 meters (35,853 feet).
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How far offshore is international waters in Florida?

Federal Waters. State waters extend to 3 nautical miles off the state's coastline. (In Texas, Puerto Rico, and on Florida's Gulf Coast, state waters extend to 9 nautical miles off the coastline). Federal waters extend from the state water boundary out to about 200 nautical miles.
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How deep is the deepest part of the ocean?

The deepest part of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep and is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench, which runs several hundred kilometers southwest of the U.S. territorial island of Guam. Challenger Deep is approximately 10,935 meters (35,876 feet) deep.
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How much ocean does a country own?

The foundation is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982). It says that a country may claim an area extending 12 nautical miles from its coast as its own territorial sea. Additionally it can exploit 200 nautical miles of the water column beyond its coast as its exclusive economic zone.
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Which country has the largest territorial waters?

Due to its numerous overseas departments and territories scattered on all oceans of the planet, France possesses the largest EEZ in the world, covering 11.7 million km2.
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Where do international waters start for the United States?

The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the U.S. extends 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and is adjacent to the 12 nm territorial sea of the U.S., overlapping the 12-24nm contiguous zone.
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Do laws apply in international waters?

Generally speaking, the law of the sea stipulates that maritime countries essentially control their territorial waters from the shore out to a distance of 12 miles (19.3 km), the “12-mile limit.” Within this zone, all laws of that country apply: the country can build, extract natural resources, and either encourage or ...
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Can the US Coast Guard board you in international waters?

The Coast Guard may board any vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, whether on the high seas, or on waters over which the United States has jurisdiction, to make inquiries, examinations, inspections, searches, seizures, and arrests for the prevention, detection, and suppression of violations of U.S. ...
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Who owns the ocean floor?

All of us own the oceans, and yet none of us do. It's a conundrum. For centuries, beginning with the Age of Exploration when ships were developed that could convey humans across the globe, the governments that represent people like you, the oceans' owner, agreed that no one owned the oceans.
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How far can you travel in the Gulf of Mexico before you enter federal waters?

In general, federal waters begin three to nine nautical miles offshore to the 200 mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico. From Texas and Florida, federal waters begin nine nautical miles out, and from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, federal waters begin three nautical miles out. However, nothing is that clear cut.
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Can you claim an island in international waters?

Islands In International Waters

If I'm correct, if a piece of land is unclaimed, or you build your own artificial island in international waters, you can claim it as your own - if its outside a countries borders, you can even found your own nation.
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Can you live in international waters?

You Can Live On A Yacht In International Waters

It is entirely possible for you to live on a yacht in international waters, free of many of the restrictions and requirements of an individual country.
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At what depth will water crush you?

This means we'd have to dive to about 35.5 km depth before bone crushes. This is three times as deep as the deepest point in our ocean. The 40% of non-water non-gaseous minerals and tissues such as salts, proteins, fats and lipids are virtually impossible to compress similar to water.
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How deep are submarines in the ocean?

A nuclear submarine can dive to a depth of about 300m. This one is larger than the research vessel Atlantis and has a crew of 134. The average depth of the Caribbean Sea is 2,200 meters, or about 1.3 miles.
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Has anyone been to bottom of Mariana Trench?

The first and only time humans descended into the Challenger Deep was more than 50 years ago. In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Navy Lt. Don Walsh reached this goal in a U.S. Navy submersible, a bathyscaphe called the Trieste.
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What happens if you commit a crime in international waters?

The laws of a port in which a vessel is visiting or had visited will be applied to the said vessel. Moreover, if a crime is committed in international waters, the next port in which the vessel will dock will then also have jurisdiction. The Master of the Ship may alert any incident to the next-port state.
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Who owns oil in the Arctic?

Canada, Russia and Greenland all claim it as their own. Whoever eventually succeeds can also claim the 55,000 square miles of sea around the North Pole.
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Who owns the resources in international waters?

As mentioned above a nation has the right to use the resources of the ocean up to 200 nautical miles, but outside of this zone is considered international waters and the innocent passage of ships hailing from other nations is guaranteed.
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