Can you own a part of the ocean?

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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The law of the sea is a body of customs, treaties, and international agreements by which governments maintain order, productivity, and peaceful relations on the sea. NOAA's nautical charts provide the baseline that marks the inner limit of the territorial sea and the outer limit of internal waters.

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A number of undeveloped islands have been bought by conservation groups and land preservation groups, so “you pretty much have to buy an island that has a home on it,” Davis said.

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