| The definition of the
continental shelf and the criteria by which a coastal
State may establish the outer limits of its continental
shelf are set out in article 76
of the Convention. In addition, the Third United
Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (the
"Conference") adopted on 29 August 1980 the "Statement of
Understanding" concerning a specific method applicable to
such special features as those in the southern part of the
Bay of Bengal. This Statement is contained in
Annex II to the Final Act
of the Conference. The term "continental shelf" is
used by geologists generally to mean that part of the
continental margin which is between the shoreline and the
shelf break or, where there is no noticeable slope,
between the shoreline and the point where the depth of the
superjacent water is approximately between 100 and 200
metres. However, this term is used in article 76 as a
juridical term. According to the Convention, the
continental shelf of a coastal State comprises the
submerged prolongation of the land territory of the
coastal State - the seabed and subsoil of the submarine
areas that extend beyond its territorial sea to the outer
edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200
nautical miles where the outer edge of the continental
margin does not extend up to that distance. The
continental margin consists of the seabed and subsoil of
the shelf, the slope and the rise. It does not include the
deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil
thereof.
According to article 76, the coastal State may
establish the outer limits of its juridical continental
shelf wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200
nautical miles by establishing the foot of the continental
slope, by meeting the requirements stated for the
thickness of sedimentary rocks, by satisfying
geomorphological requirements and by meeting distance and
depth criteria, or by any combination of these methods
(Article 76, paragraphs 4 - 7).
Source: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/continental_shelf_description.htm#definition
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