The US grew by one million square kilometers just a couple of weeks ago. This is equivalent to nearly twice Spain's area.
US Grows By 1 Million Square Kilometers
This unexpected growth did not result from odd geological forces or foreign invasions. Rather, it comes as the US tries to claim over the ocean-floor terrain that surrounds it.
More specifically, the US Department of State (DOS) included the submerged offshore areas, or the extended continental shelf (ECS), of six regions to the overall landmass. The regions included the Atlantic (east coast), Arctic, Pacific (west coast), Bering Sea, Mariana Islands, and two areas within the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the DOS, the US has shifted the geological coordinates that define the continental shelf's outer limits. This goes beyond 200 nautical miles from the coasts.
In America's ECS, the largest area is in the Arctic, while all regions of the ECs stretch to roughly double California's size. The Arctic stretches north to 350 nautical miles in the east. It also stretches over 680 nautical miles in the west from the US' territorial sea baselines.
US Expansion
According to the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank, the announcement of the expansion comes with crucial implications when it comes to securing the territorial rites of the US in the Arctic.
The shift also does not conflict with an agreement with Russia made in 1990 regarding a maritime boundary that moves through the Bering Strait. According to the Wilson Center, a future negotiation with Russia is not necessary as each country has delineated the continental shelf's outer limit consistent with the boundary made in 1990 in the Agreement shared by the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics regarding the Maritime Boundary.
Brian Van Pay, the project director of the State Department, explains that Canada may have an overlapping claim that could see future negotiations.
According to the State Department, the claim pertaining to the extended continental shelf was made in line with the 182 United Nations Convention regarding the Law of the Sea provisions. This agreement has never undergone ratification by the US senate. However, after 40 years, the government has released the limits of its continental shelf.
The ECS efforts were led by the DOS through the ECS Task Force, which is an interagency body of the government comprising 14 agencies. Determining the outer limits of the EC required data regarding the seabed and the shape, depth, and geophysical characteristics of the subsoil. This data was collected and analyzed by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Data collection started in 2003 and constitutes the most massive offshore mapping effort that the US has ever conducted.
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