Definition

A zone adjacent to a CONTINENT (or around an ISLAND), extending from the low water line to the DEPTH at which there is usually a marked increase of slope to greater DEPTH. See SHELF.- 2- In UNCLOS Article 76:- The continental SHELF of a coastal State comprises the SEA BED and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its TERRITORIAL SEA throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the CONTINENTAL MARGIN, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the BASELINEs from which the breadth of the TERRITORIAL SEA is measured where the outer edge of the CONTINENTAL MARGIN does not extend out to that distance.