Question

the philippines and malaysia lay claim to resources under and around the spratly islands. which of the following best explains how the united nations convention on the law of the sea (unclos) influences claims to the islands by both countries?
a the claims to the spratly islands by both the philippines and malaysia overlap due to exclusive economic zones up to 200 nautical miles from their coasts.
b the philippines and malaysia both claim the islands lie within their territorial seas up to 12 nautical miles from their coasts.
c the claims to the islands by the philippines and malaysia overlap due to the median line principle.
d the philippines and malaysia both claim ownership to the resources based on a historic possession of the islands.
e the philippines and malaysia both claim the islands lie within their contiguous zones between 12 and 24 nautical miles from their coasts.

Explanation:

• Option A: UNCLOS defines exclusive economic zones (EEZs) as areas extending up to 200 nautical miles from a country's coast. In this case, the Spratly Islands' location relative to the Philippines and Malaysia means their EEZ claims overlap. This is a key aspect of how UNCLOS influences maritime resource claims.
• Option B: Territorial seas are only 12 nautical miles from the coast. The Spratly Islands are much farther than 12 nautical miles from either country's coast (as per the map's scale), so this claim is incorrect.
• Option C: The median - line principle is used for delimiting boundaries between states in certain maritime scenarios, but it's not the main reason for the overlapping claims here related to UNCLOS's EEZ provisions.
• Option D: Historic possession is not related to UNCLOS's influence on the claims in the context of EEZs. UNCLOS focuses more on maritime zones based on distance from the coast rather than historic ownership for this type of claim.
• Option E: Contiguous zones (12 - 24 nautical miles) are for specific law - enforcement and fiscal control purposes, not for major resource claims like those over the Spratly Islands area.

Answer:

A. The claims to the Spratly Islands by both the Philippines and Malaysia overlap due to exclusive economic zones up to 200 nautical miles from their coasts.