With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements:
- 1.A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
- 2.Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
- 3.The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three statements follow directly from the text of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982): Article 3 fixes the 12-nautical-mile limit of the territorial sea, Article 17 gives every State's ships the right of innocent passage, and Article 57 caps the Exclusive Economic Zone at 200 nautical miles.
- ✓ 1. Article 3 lets a State set its territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines fixed under the Convention.
- ✓ 2. Article 17 gives ships of all States, coastal or land-locked, the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
- ✓ 3. Article 57 says the EEZ cannot go beyond 200 nautical miles from the same baselines used to measure the territorial sea.
Remember · UNCLOS 1982: territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles (Art. 3); innocent passage for all ships (Art. 17); EEZ up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines (Art. 57).
Sources
- United Nations, Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), Article 3 ↗ “Every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention. … Subject to this Convention, ships of all States, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. … The exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·