India Expands Continental Shelf Claim in Arabian Sea
Why focus: GS2 IR / GS1 Geo. Tests UNCLOS maritime zones (EEZ vs Continental Shelf) and CLCS mandate in Assertion-Reason format.
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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Claim Structure: BEFORE, India maintained a single, sweeping continental shelf claim in the Arabian Sea submitted in 2009. NOW, India has split this submission into two partial claims to separate the uncontested Central Arabian Sea from the disputed Western offshore regions.
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Dispute Management: BEFORE, India's proposed boundary overlapped with Pakistan's maritime claims near the Sir Creek estuary, causing the UN to halt the review process. NOW, the revised boundaries intentionally bypass the disputed zone, effectively nullifying Pakistan's grounds for UN objection.
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Total Claimed Area: BEFORE, the seabed claim followed the original 2009 geological mapping calculations. NOW, utilizing updated scientific data and boundary adjustments, India has successfully increased its total claimed seabed in the Central Arabian Sea by approximately 10,000 square kilometers.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)With reference to India's maritime claims and the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS), which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. A coastal nation can claim an ECS beyond its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone by providing scientific proof of geological extension to the UN CLCS. 2. India's modified ECS claims in the Arabian Sea were split into two partial submissions primarily to resolve an overlapping boundary dispute with Oman.