BAY CLOSING LINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF AND THE LAW OF THE SEA (CASE STUDY: KUWAIT BAY)

Baseline is a line in which coastal countries determine their maritime zones (such as the territorial sea, contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, the continental shelf and the exclusive fishing zone). In addition, the baseline separates the internal water from the waters of other maritime zones. In the case of the archipelagic countries, it is also considered between the archipelagic waters and the territorial sea. The internal waters and archipelagic waters extend from the baseline to the land and other maritime zones extend from thebaseline to the sea [1] According to the provisions of the Convention on the Law of the Sea, in a general category, the baselines can be divided into three categories: normal baselinesfollows the low-water line of a coastal state, the geometric or straight baseline divided into several types, and finally archipelagic baseline. The coastal countries did not have the same function in determining the baselines, some have set the normal baselines and some of the straight baseline, some of them including Iran and Kuwait, have combined the normal and the straight baseline along their shores [2]. This article seeks to investigate Kuwaiti s straight baseline and its compliance with the rules of the Convention on the lawof the Sea