Border Problem

[Birchy]

Officially, does an island not have borders? The sea, not being another country makes this so, doesn't it?

[Pinotage]

The border is the limit of a country's sovereignity - where it enforces its power. So an island, like Britain, has its border which is the coast line. Anyone wanting to cross that border faces border control, i.e. HM Immigration and Customs & Excise

[Obo]

Doesn't British law cover the sea surrounding the Unitied Kingdom (and ditto other countrie with coastlines) to an extent of something like 3 miles before you pass into international waters? And following on from this does that mean that British sovereignity extends to the same limit and therefore you could argue that the border is at the point that you cross from Bitish water into international water?!

[Blender]

I thought the limit was 12 miles for international boundaries but somewhere I recall something about 200 miles [Britain claimed Rockall??] but that might have to do with oil and gas fields and be an economic limit

[Pinotage]

I didn't mention territorial waters deliberately :)

 

Countries with a coast used to claim 3 miles from their coast as their territorial waters, and reserved the right to police i.e. board and examine all ships within their waters. However foriegners could pass through territorial waters without having to present passports or observe that countries customs, unless to boarded.

 

Thus there is a difference between national borders and territorial waters. The 3 mile limit came about because that was the maximum range of a shore bound cannon. Nowadays countries can and do unilaterally claim much greater distances to preserve fishing stocks and to lay claim to oil and minerals under the sea bed.

 

So there is a difference between a countys borders, where those crossing are subject to inspection and control, and territorial waters which are generally open for all to pass through.

[Blender]

Getting into deep water now :)