The Delimitation of Territorial Waters in the Mediterranean Sea

Only since 1950 has the issue of delimitation of the territorial sea been regarded separately by scholars. Before this time, attention centered (with a few worthy exceptions) around the question of determining the extension of the territorial sea. What brought this delicate issue to the notice of scholars was the rise of an international controversy over the delimitation of Norway's territorial waters. Norway broke away from the customary practice of the day, which was to use the low-water line as the base-line for measuring territorial waters. Instead, Norway established by Royal Decree of July 12, 1935 that the baseline for Norwegian territorial waters was to consist of baselines drawn between selected points along the coast. The Norwegian Decree was based on firmly established national entitlements, geographical conditions predominating on the Norwegian coast, and the protection of the vital interests of her inhabitants. The length of these lines differed according to the coast and, in several places, exceeded forty miles. The adoption of the Royal Decree produced violent protests, particularly from the United Kingdom. After several incidents, the United Kingdom brought the controversy before the International