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Maritime Limits and Boundaries of United States of America

Published by Office of Coast Survey | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 25, 2026 at 09:50 PM | Dataset Last Updated: January 01, 2013 at 12:00 AM
These limits and boundaries are measured from the official U.S. baseline, which is recognized as the low-water line along the coast as marked on NOAA nautical charts, in accordance with the articles of the Law of the Sea. NOAA is responsible for delineating the 12 nautical mile Territorial Sea, 24 nautical mile Contiguous Zone, and 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on its nautical charts. The outer limit of each zone is measured from the U.S. normal baseline, which is the low water line on NOAA charts and includes closing lines across legal bays and rivers, consistent with international law. The U.S. Baseline Committee, an interagency body chaired by the U.S. Department of State, reviews and approves the U.S. baseline and associated maritime limits. The Committee's purpose is to gain interagency consensus on the baseline's accurate placement, in adherence with the 1958 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone and ensure that the seaward extent of U.S. maritime zones remains within the breadth permitted by international law. In 2002, and in response to increasing requests for digital maritime zones, NOAA, in partnership with other federal agencies via the U.S. Baseline Committee, launched a project to re-evaluate the U.S. baseline. The baseline evaluation centered on NOAA's most detailed and current nautical charts, along with supplemental source materials used to verify specific charted features. This dataset is a direct result of this ongoing 2002 initiative. It reflects a multi-year, iterative project during which the baseline and associated maritime limits were re-evaluated on a state or regional basis. In addition to U.S. maritime limits, the dataset also includes U.S. maritime boundaries with opposite or adjacent countries and the U.S./Canada International Boundary (both on land and through the Great Lakes).

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6 resources available

  • https://maritimeboundaries.noaa.gov/downloads/USMaritimeLimitsAndBoundariesKML.kmz

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  • https://maritimeboundaries.noaa.gov/arcgis/services/MaritimeBoundaries/US_Maritime_Limits_Boundaries/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

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  • https://maritimeboundaries.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/MaritimeBoundaries/US_Maritime_Limits_Boundaries/MapServer/

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  • https://maritimeboundaries.noaa.gov/downloads/USMaritimeLimitsAndBoundariesSHP.zip

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  • GCMD Keyword Forum Page

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  • Full Metadata Record

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NGDA National Geospatial Data Asset Water Oceans and Coasts Theme NGDAID167 OceanCommunity Marine Boundaries Nautical Charting Alabama

Complete Metadata
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description These limits and boundaries are measured from the official U.S. baseline, which is recognized as the low-water line along the coast as marked on NOAA nautical charts, in accordance with the articles of the Law of the Sea. NOAA is responsible for delineating the 12 nautical mile Territorial Sea, 24 nautical mile Contiguous Zone, and 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on its nautical charts. The outer limit of each zone is measured from the U.S. normal baseline, which is the low water line on NOAA charts and includes closing lines across legal bays and rivers, consistent with international law. The U.S. Baseline Committee, an interagency body chaired by the U.S. Department of State, reviews and approves the U.S. baseline and associated maritime limits. The Committee's purpose is to gain interagency consensus on the baseline's accurate placement, in adherence with the 1958 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone and ensure that the seaward extent of U.S. maritime zones remains within the breadth permitted by international law. In 2002, and in response to increasing requests for digital maritime zones, NOAA, in partnership with other federal agencies via the U.S. Baseline Committee, launched a project to re-evaluate the U.S. baseline. The baseline evaluation centered on NOAA's most detailed and current nautical charts, along with supplemental source materials used to verify specific charted features. This dataset is a direct result of this ongoing 2002 initiative. It reflects a multi-year, iterative project during which the baseline and associated maritime limits were re-evaluated on a state or regional basis. In addition to U.S. maritime limits, the dataset also includes U.S. maritime boundaries with opposite or adjacent countries and the U.S./Canada International Boundary (both on land and through the Great Lakes).
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/nos/ocs/iso/xml/39963.xml
issued 2002-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
[
  "NGDA",
  "National Geospatial Data Asset",
  "Water Oceans and Coasts Theme",
  "NGDAID167",
  "OceanCommunity",
  "Marine Boundaries",
  "Nautical Charting",
  "Alabama",
  "Alaska",
  "American Samoa",
  "Baker Island",
  "California",
  "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands",
  "Delaware",
  "Florida",
  "Georgia",
  "Guam",
  "Hawaii",
  "Howland Island",
  "Jarvis Island",
  "Johnston Atoll",
  "Kingman Reef",
  "Louisiana",
  "Maine",
  "Maryland",
  "Massachusetts",
  "Mississippi",
  "New Hampshire",
  "New Jersey",
  "New York",
  "North Carolina",
  "Oregon",
  "Palmyra Atoll",
  "Puerto Rico",
  "Rhode Island",
  "South Carolina",
  "Texas",
  "U.S. Virgin Islands",
  "Virginia",
  "Wake Island",
  "Washington",
  "Boundary",
  "Contiguous Zone",
  "Exclusive Economic Zone",
  "Federal Register, Vol 60, No. 163, August 23, 1995",
  "GIS",
  "ICJ Judgment, Gulf of Maine, 1984",
  "International Boundary Commission",
  "Law of the Sea",
  "Limit",
  "Maritime",
  "Polyline",
  "Presidential Proclamation No. 5030, March 1983",
  "Presidential Proclamation No. 5928, December 1988",
  "Presidential Proclamation No. 7219, August 1999",
  "Territorial Sea",
  "US/Cook Islands Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1980",
  "US/Cuba Maritime Boundary Agreement, 1977",
  "US/Japan Exchange of Notes, 1994",
  "US/Mexico Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1970",
  "US/Mexico Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1978",
  "US/New Zealand (Tokelau) Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1980",
  "US/Niue Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1997",
  "US/Russia Maritime Boundary Agreement, 1990",
  "US/UK (Anguilla) Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1993",
  "US/UK (British Virgin Islands) Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1993",
  "US/Venezuela Maritime Boundary Treaty, 1978",
  "DOC/NOAA/NOS/OCS > Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "ocs"
]
landingPage https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39963
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2013-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
{
  "name": "Office of Coast Survey",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
rights otherRestrictions, unclassified
spatial -60.0,-17.555,140.0,74.70884
temporal 2002-01-01T00:00:00+00:00/2015-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title Maritime Limits and Boundaries of United States of America

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