What is the maximum extent of the continental shelf?
The continental shelf may not extend beyond 350 nautical miles (648 km) from the baselines from which the territorial sea is measured or not more than 100 nautical miles (185 km) beyond the point at which the seabed lies at a depth of 2,500 metres. A coastal state may select which of these rules it wants to apply in any given area. As a result, shelves may, in certain cases, extend beyond 350 nautical miles.
