Creating borders in the Sea

A border is defined as a line separating two countries, administrative

divisions, or other areas. In theory, this may seem simple but in reality the
creation of borders is a technically challenging and sensitive matter. Often
these borders restrict the countries access to certain resources or the
countrys economic and social growth. The borders which are especially
hard to create and manage are, in my opinion, those that lie in the seas,
oceans or the poles, an example being the borders drawn up in the Arctic
Circle.
The majority of the Arctic Circle is owned by one of five countries Russia,
Canada, Norway, Denmark and the United States, but due to international
laws, the waters surrounding the North Pole are not owned by any
country, being classed as international waters. This, of course, leads to
disputes as there is a large amount of water unclaimed, or rather off-limits
to these 5 countries which could bring these countries wealth and boost
their economy due to the untapped natural resources that lie beneath the
seabed. Currently each Arctic country is limited to an exclusive economic
zone of 200 nautical miles from their coasts but they are allowed to claim
an extended continental shelf area, which, if it is in fact a valid claim,
gives the country exclusive rights to the resources on or below that area
of seabed. Historically Canada was the first country to extend its
boundaries northward towards the North Pole in 1925, with the USSR (now

Russia) declaring territory in the Arctic Circle in April the following year.
Even in the present day, these claims at sea exist, however they now
have motives behind them. The 5 Arctic nations are essentially racing
each other to gain extended areas in order to access oil, fish, diamonds
and possible shipping routes. The potential economic gain is not so much
from shipping routes or the money this shorter route may save, but in the
possibility that lucrative petroleum and natural gas reserves exist below
the sea floor.
Another issue regarding the extension of borders that has recently
emerged is that of land reclamation. This occurs when countries reclaim
land within a sea or ocean to create islands, which are often
uninhabitable, it an attempt to expand their territory to include under sea
recourses. Within the South China Sea there are areas owned by many
different countries, including China, who are reclaiming land within the
sea at a rapid rate in attempts to expand their territory within the South
China Sea, however not in a strictly fair way. This is occurring as China
create artificial islands by bring in materials to build the island up,
dredging existing areas or creating artificial bases to bring an island to
above sea level. With a new Pentagon report saying that Chinas
reclamation of landmass among a string of artificial islands in the South
China Sea has grown dramatically in recent months, there are worries
arising that these new islands will be used for military purposes. Although
these allegations may not be strictly true, perhaps bringing up past
international disagreements, this serves as a modern day example of how
unnerving countries illegal attempts to gain territory can be.