A Legal Analysis of the Maldives’ Claim for an Extended Continental Shelf

This book is an extensive analysis of Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), written while the Maldives was carrying out delineation work in order to submit their claim to the UN to extend their continental shelf. While Article 76 is a very interesting area of the UNCLOS, it enables coastal States to extend their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles for many developing countries, with significant economic benefits. Being one of the developing nations, Article 76 provides the Maldives with the opportunity to extend its continental shelf in order to exploit economic benefits. This book is based on a research project carried out by the author as part of her Master of Laws (LL.M.) at International Maritime Law Institute in Malta.