Exclusive economic zone of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone is the fifth largest in the world at 6,805,586 km² (2,627,651 sq mi).^[2] It comprises the exclusive economic zones surrounding the United Kingdom,^[3] the Crown Dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories. The figure does not include the EEZ of the British Antarctic Territory.

The exclusive economic zones of the United Kingdom in blue, including the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. The British claim in Antarctica is shown in shaded blue.^[1]

The UK was late to establish an EEZ, relying on overlapping maritime zones for fisheries, pollution control, and energy matters. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 gave the powers to establish an EEZ, with the zone defined by The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013 which came into force on 31 March 2014.^[4][5]

The United Kingdom has not claimed an EEZ extending from Gibraltar or Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Geography

 

While the outcrop of Rockall has territorial waters, it does not establish an EEZ by itself, instead falling within the EEZ of the rest of the UK.

The United Kingdom's EEZ in Europe is 773,676 km² (298,718 sq mi). When including all crown dependencies and overseas territories it is 6,805,586 km² (2,627,651 sq mi).^[2]

Areas of EEZs of the UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories^[2]

Territory	km^2	sq mi	Notes
United Kingdom	773,676	298,718	includes Rockall and the Isle of Man
Anguilla	92,178	35,590
Ascension Island†	441,658	170,525
Bermuda	450,370	173,890
British Indian Ocean Territory	638,568	246,552	disputed with Mauritius
British Virgin Islands	80,117	30,933
Cayman Islands	119,137	45,999
Channel Islands	11,658	4,501
Falkland Islands	550,872	212,693	disputed with Argentina
Gibraltar	426	164	disputed with Spain
Montserrat	7,582	2,927
Pitcairn Island	836,108	322,823
Saint Helena†	444,916	171,783
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	1,449,532	559,667	disputed with Argentina
Tristan da Cunha archipelago†	754,720	291,400
Turks and Caicos Islands	154,068	59,486
Total	6,805,586	2,627,651

†Part of the overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, which together has an EEZ of 1,641,294 square km.

Disputes

The exclusive economic zones associated with the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are disputed by Argentina. The EEZ of the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, is disputed by Mauritius, which considers the archipelago as a part of its territory. Gibraltar is disputed by Spain. Since the approval of Brexit in 2020 there have been disputes with the European Union about fishing rights in UK's territorial waters. The area around the uninhabitable island Rockall is also disputed.

See also

• Geography of the United Kingdom
• Exclusive economic zone of France

References

1. 10 Downing Street. . Archived from the original on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
2. "Sea Around Us – Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". Retrieved 1 April 2017.
3. "The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013" http://www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
4. Gibson, J. (January 2009). "The United Kingdom's elusive exclusive economic zone". Journal of Water Law. 20 (4). Retrieved 20 November 2018.
5. "The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013". legislation.gov.uk. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2018.