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From: olsen@ll-xn.ARPA (Jim Olsen)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Three mile limit for the USA?
Message-ID: <328@ll-xn.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 14-May-86 12:51:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: ll-xn.328
Posted: Wed May 14 12:51:02 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 16-May-86 03:08:47 EDT
References: <1953@sequent.UUCP> <278@cad.UUCP> <537@looking.UUCP>
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA
Lines: 22
Summary: territorial limits, Northwest passage

In article <537@looking.UUCP>, brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes:
>>By the way, the US claims only a three-mile territorial limit for
>>itself, but recognises a 12-mile limit for nations asserting one...
>
>I don't know exactly what you mean by "territorial limit", but the USA had
>been involved in fishing disputes with Canada ...  We're talking 200 mile
>limits here ... Also, last summer the "Polar Sea" from the USA sailed
>through the Northwest passage - a Canadian archipelago - and deliberately
>did not ask permission in spite of repeated protests from Canadian
>officials.

Territorial waters are considered legally the same as the land territory of
a country.  Beyond territorial waters (up to 200 miles offshore) countries
have certain rights to control fishing, drilling, etc., but not full
territorial control.

Any vessel has a right to traverse certain ocean passages, such as the
straits of Gibraltar, even though they lie completely within territorial
waters of one or more countries.  The U.S. claims that this rule applies to
the Northwest Passage.  Canada claims that it doesn't.
-- 
Jim Olsen   ARPA:olsen@ll-xn   UUCP:{decvax,lll-crg,seismo}!ll-xn!olsen