Australia–France Marine Delimitation Agreement
Encyclopedia
The Australia–France Marine Delimitation Agreement is a 1982 treaty
between Australia
and France
which establishes
ocean
border
s between Australian territories and French territories.
The treaty was signed in Melbourne
on 4 January 1982. The treaty sets out two separate maritime boundaries
. The first is the boundary between Australia and New Caledonia
in the Coral Sea
(including the boundary between Australia's Norfolk Island
and New Caledonia). It consists of 21 straight-line segments defined by 22 individual coordinate points forming a modified equidistant line between the two territories. For purposes of drawing the treaty's equidistant lines, it was assumed that France has sovereignty over Matthew and Hunter Islands
, a territory that is also claimed by Vanuatu
. The northernmost point in the boundary is a tripoint
with the Solomon Islands
. The boundary runs in a roughly north–south direction and then turns and runs west–east until it almost reaches the 170th meridian east
.
The second boundary established by the treaty is that between Heard and McDonald Islands (Australia) and Kerguelen Island (France) in the southern Indian Ocean
. This boundary is also roughly equidistant and consists of seven straight-line segments defined by eight individual coordinate points.
The treaty came into force on 10 January 1983 after it was ratified
by both states. The full name of the treaty is Agreement on Marine Delimitation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic.
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
which establishes
Boundary delimitation
Boundary delimitation, or simply delimitation, is the term used to describe the drawing of boundaries, but is most often used to describe the drawing of electoral boundaries, specifically those of precincts, states, counties or other municipalities...
ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
s between Australian territories and French territories.
The treaty was signed in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 4 January 1982. The treaty sets out two separate maritime boundaries
Maritime boundary
Maritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...
. The first is the boundary between Australia and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
in the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
(including the boundary between Australia's Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
and New Caledonia). It consists of 21 straight-line segments defined by 22 individual coordinate points forming a modified equidistant line between the two territories. For purposes of drawing the treaty's equidistant lines, it was assumed that France has sovereignty over Matthew and Hunter Islands
Matthew and Hunter Islands
The Matthew and Hunter Islands are a group of two small and uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Pacific, located 300 km east of New Caledonia and south-east of Vanuatu archipelago...
, a territory that is also claimed by Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
. The northernmost point in the boundary is a tripoint
Tripoint
A tripoint, or trijunction , is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet....
with the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The boundary runs in a roughly north–south direction and then turns and runs west–east until it almost reaches the 170th meridian east
170th meridian east
The meridian 170° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
.
The second boundary established by the treaty is that between Heard and McDonald Islands (Australia) and Kerguelen Island (France) in the southern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. This boundary is also roughly equidistant and consists of seven straight-line segments defined by eight individual coordinate points.
The treaty came into force on 10 January 1983 after it was ratified
Ratification
Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal. The term applies to private contract law, international treaties, and constitutionals in federations such as the United States and Canada.- Private law :In contract law, the...
by both states. The full name of the treaty is Agreement on Marine Delimitation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic.