Continental shelf of the United States
Encyclopedia
The term continental shelf of the United States has two related meanings. Geologically, it is the total of the continental shelves adjacent to the United States
. In the context of the international law
as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
, it is seabed
and subsoil
of the submarine areas over which the United States exercise sovereign rights.
The submerged part of the U.S. continental shelf that is seawards and outside of the jurisdictions of the individual U.S. states is called the Outer Continental Shelf
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the context of the international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982...
, it is seabed
Seabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
and subsoil
Subsoil
Subsoil, or substrata, is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. The subsoil may include substances such as clay and/or sand that has only been partially broken down by air, sunlight, water, wind etc., to produce true soil...
of the submarine areas over which the United States exercise sovereign rights.
The submerged part of the U.S. continental shelf that is seawards and outside of the jurisdictions of the individual U.S. states is called the Outer Continental Shelf
Outer Continental Shelf
The Outer Continental Shelf is a peculiarity of the political geography of the United States and is the part of the internationally recognized continental shelf of the United States which does not fall under the jurisdictions of the individual U.S...
.