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NATIONAL TERRITORY
The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.
ALL OTHER TERRITORIES OVER WHICH THE PHILIPPINES HAS SOVEREIGNTY OR JURISDICTIONincludes any territory that presently belongs or might in the future belong to the Philippines through any of the accepted international modes of acquiring territory.
ARCHIPELAGIC PRINCIPLE Two elements: 1. The definition of internal waters (supra); 2. The straight baseline method of delineating the territorial sea consists of drawing straight lines connecting the outermost points on the coast without departing to any appreciable extent from the general direction of the coast. Important distances with respect to the waters around the Philippines -Territorial Sea 12 nautical miles (n.m.) -Contiguous Zone 12 n.m. from the edge of the territorial sea -Exclusive Economic Zone 200 n.m. from the baseline [includes T.S. and C.Z.] NOTE: There can be a Continental Shelf without an EEZ, but not an EEZ without a Continental Shelf.
TERRITORIAL SEA
The belt of the sea located between the coast and internal waters of the coastal state on the one hand, and the high seas on the other, extending up to 12 nautical miles from the low water mark.
CONTIGUOUS ZONE
Extends up to 12 nautical miles from the territorial sea. Although not part of the territory, the coastal State may exercise jurisdiction to prevent infringement of customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws.