The Maritime Boundaries Of The Indian Ocean Region

Adopting an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to the political geography of the Indian Ocean, this study analyses the Law of the Sea, evaluates the national legislation of those Indian Ocean littoral states which have proclaimed their maritime limits over offshore waters, examines the numerous bilateral and trilateral agreements on continental shelf and seabed limits of the states in the region. It also previews the potential demarcations in the region of study. Apart from its well written text, perhaps the most important aspect of the work is the exceptional series of beautifully drawn maps and diagrams accompanied by detailed captions or commentaries, a unique collection worthy of publication on its own.

First published in 2004, this book is the inaugural volume of the Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) and is based on a selection of papers presented at the IORG launch in Chandigarh in November 2002. The volume emphasizes the complexity and historical and contemporary geopolitical significance of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It also propagates the necessity for increased intra-regional cooperation, especially in terms of economic and environmental security, maritime boundaries, sea lane security and ocean management, in the spirit of open regionalism, in order to ensure a more secure IOR. In addition, the volume initiates an agenda for future social science policy-orientated research. The book should be of particular interest to policy-makers, business people and academics, as well as citizens of the IOR.

This book examines the delimited maritime boundaries of Indonesia with its neighbours. It features carefully drawn maps based on the geographical coordinates of the defined maritime boundaries; the reproduction of a complete set of the primary documents with direct relation to the boundaries; and a comprehensive narrative on the geography and the historical development of the archipelagic State. Indonesia has an immense maritime domain that encompasses much of the sea between Australia and the Asian mainland. In addition, Indonesia is itself made up largely of water: in excess of 17,000 islands, Indonesia’s archipelagic and territorial waters together form about three-fifths of the country’s sovereign territory. This book offers readers clear, accessible information on the maritime boundaries of the world’s largest archipelagic state.

It is a privilege to introduce the reader to this book, as I believe that it will make a signi?cant contribution to, given the dif?culties in the knowledge of the Indian Ocean, developing cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. There have been numerous failed efforts at regional cooperation in different fora in the Indian Ocean. As a result of the land-based orientation of the people in the region, the importance for countries to develop the power to govern the sea has largely been ignored. The maritime approach taken by Manoj Gupta to the Indian Ocean as a region in international relations offers a timely and critical assessment of the potential for regional cooperation and ocean governance. The political leadership in the region can no longer ignore the need for coop- ation in maritime affairs in the Indian Ocean. This book enriches the literature on Indian Ocean issues as it argues convincingly that the security of nations, economic well-being of the people and health of the Indian Ocean cannot be divested from one another. All are fundamentally dependant on the ability of the countries in the region to individually and collectively exert the power to govern the sea.

First published in 2007, this book focuses on the security of sea lanes of communication. It was a joint publication between the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) and the Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) and is an important book for three particular reasons. First, it takes a step forward in identifying key policy themes that can be applied to interstate cooperation around the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Second, the particular theme discussed is not only central to the economic well-being of Indian Ocean countries, but also to many of the world’s most important trading states, and finally the various discussions within the book raise a host of issues to which regional as well as non-regional policy-makers should give serious consideration.

This is the ultimate guide to international maritime boundaries. Its unique practical features include - systematic examination of all international maritime boundaries worldwide; - comprehensive coverage, including the text of every modern boundary agreement; - descriptions of judicially-established boundaries; - maps and detailed analyses of those boundaries; - expert papers examining the status of maritime boundary delimitations in each of the ten regions of the world; - papers from a global perspective analyzing key issues in maritime boundary theory and practice; and - a cumulative index for volumes I - V. These features make "International Maritime Boundaries" an unmatched comprehensive, accessible resource in the field.