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description:
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The territorial sea baseline is the line from which the seaward limits of Australia’s maritime zones are measured. These limits include the breadth of the territorial sea, the seaward limit of the contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and, in some cases, the continental shelf. The territorial sea baseline also constitutes the inner limit of the territorial sea of Australia, waters on the landward side of the baseline are internal waters of Australia for the purposes of international law. The territorial sea baseline does not represent the constitutional limits of Australia’s States or Territories.
The territorial sea baseline is composed of both normal and straight baselines. This dataset depicts the Normal Territorial Sea Baselines of Australia as proclaimed in the Seas and Submerged Lands (Territorial Sea Baseline) Proclamation 2016. This proclamation declares that the normal baseline is the low water line along the coast, including the coasts of islands. For the purposes of the proclamation the low water line is defined as the lowest astronomical tide (LAT). Normal baselines are also drawn around low tide elevations, which are defined as naturally formed areas of land surrounded by and above water at low tide but submerged at high tide, where they are wholly or partly within 12 nautical miles of the coast.
This release is the latest data for the Australian Maritime Boundaries (AMB) and is a component of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act (SSLA) 1973. |