BASELINES

Week 2
 WHAT ARE THE RULES INVOLVED IN DRAWING BASELINES?

Normal/Straight/Archipelagic?
Low water line
Low Tide Elevations- Yes/No
Bays- Yes/No
Mouth of a river- Yes/No
Fringing Islands and reefs – Yes/No
Other considerations?
 EXERCISE 1

DRAW BASELINES FOR CYPRUS

 EXERCISE 2

DRAW BASELINES FOR BANGLADESH

HTTPS://WWW.UN.ORG/DEPTS/LOS/LEGISLATIONANDTREAT
IES/PDFFILES/MAPS/CYP_MZN6_1996_00016.JPG
 TUTORIAL QUESTION 1

Imagine the state of Coriander is a developing island state.  Its north, east and south
coastlines have mild undulations, whereas the western coastline is highly jagged, with
many reefs and low tide elevations along the coast line. Coriander wishes to draw a
straight baseline around the island in its entirety, both to address its geographic
circumstances but also because the population is highly dependent on coastal fisheries for
both nutrition and to support an export business. As a legal advisor for Coriander what
arguments would you put forward to support the use of this straight baseline?  As a legal
advisor to Thyme, a nearby state that strongly adheres to UNCLOS and is opposed to
Coriander’s proposal, what arguments would you put forward against the use of the
baseline? Coriander and Thyme are both parties to UNCLOS. 
 TUTORIAL QUESTION 2

Judge Vukas of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has criticized Australia’s
claims of an Exclusive Economic Zone and extended continental shelf off Heard and
McDonald Islands. As an advisor to the Australian government, how would you defend
Australia’s position? Identify the key weaknesses in Australia’s position. What
recommendations, if any, would you make for Australia to strengthen its legal position?