Equidistance principle
Encyclopedia
The equidistance principle or principle of equidistance is a legal concept introduced in maritime boundary
claims.
The phrase denotes a concept of political geography
and international law
— that a nation's maritime boundaries
should conform to a median line equidistant
from the shores of neighboring nation-states. This concept was developed in the process of settling disputes where the border
s of adjacent nations were located on a contiguous continental shelf.
The principle of equidistance represents one aspect of customary international law, but its importance is evaluated in light of other factors, such as history:
stand on the same line."
International law refers to equidistance. For example, Article 6 of the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf explains:
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,...
claims.
The phrase denotes a concept of political geography
Political geography
Political geography is the field of human geography that is concerned with the study of both the spatially uneven outcomes of political processes and the ways in which political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures...
and 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...
— that a nation's 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,...
should conform to a median line equidistant
Equidistant
A point is said to be equidistant from a set of objects if the distances between that point and each object in the set are equal.In two-dimensional Euclidian geometry the locus of points equidistant from two given points is their perpendicular bisector...
from the shores of neighboring nation-states. This concept was developed in the process of settling disputes where the 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 of adjacent nations were located on a contiguous continental shelf.
The principle of equidistance represents one aspect of customary international law, but its importance is evaluated in light of other factors, such as history:
History
The United States used equidistance in the 1805 Act of Congress which divided public lands by measurements as close as possible to "equidistant from those two corners whichstand on the same line."
International law refers to equidistance. For example, Article 6 of the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf explains: