UNCLOS Philippine Territory Simulator
Work through the maritime zones of the Philippines under UNCLOS III and Philippine law. Measure a zone, test a passage, classify a feature, check a baseline, drop a pin on the map, and drill with bar-style problems.
| Zone | Breadth | Philippine rights | UNCLOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal waters | Landward of baselines; ports, bays, river mouths | Full sovereignty; no innocent passage | Arts. 8, 50 |
| Archipelagic waters | Inside the archipelagic baselines (RA 9522) | Sovereignty, subject to innocent and sea lanes passage | Arts. 46–54 |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm | Sovereignty, subject to innocent passage | Arts. 2–32 |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm | Customs, fiscal, immigration, sanitary control | Art. 33 |
| EEZ | 200 nm | Sovereign rights over resources; jurisdiction | Arts. 55–75 |
| Continental shelf | 200 nm, up to 350 nm on the margin | Sovereign rights over seabed and subsoil | Arts. 76–82 |
| High seas / the Area | Beyond national jurisdiction | Flag-State jurisdiction; common heritage | Arts. 86–120, 136 |
International
- UNCLOS III — signed 10 Dec 1982; ratified by the Philippines 8 May 1984; in force 16 Nov 1994.
- South China Sea Arbitration — PCA Case No. 2013-19, Award of 12 July 2016.
- Treaty of Paris (1898), with the 1900 Washington Treaty and the 1930 US–UK Convention.
Philippine
- 1987 Const., Art. I — the national territory.
- PD 1596 (1978) — Kalayaan Island Group; PD 1599 (1978) — 200-nm EEZ.
- RA 9522 (2009) — archipelagic baselines; upheld in Magallona v. Ermita, G.R. No. 187167, 16 Aug 2011.
- RA 12064 (Maritime Zones Act) and RA 12065 (Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act), both 2024.
01 · Zone Explorer
Drag seaward from the coast. Each position shows the airspace, water column and seabed separately.
02 · Passage & Activity Checker
Tap a cell: what may a foreign ship or aircraft do in each zone?
03 · Regime of Islands — Feature Classifier
Art. 121 as applied in the South China Sea Arbitration (PCA Case No. 2013-19, Award of 12 July 2016).
Classify any feature
04 · Archipelagic Baseline Tester
Set the variables and test them against Art. 47. Values are hypothetical unless a preset says otherwise.
05 · Situational Drill
Bar-style problems. Pick an answer to see the ruling and its basis.
06 · Philippine Maritime Zones Map
Tap anywhere at sea to drop a pin. The panel gives the zone, the distance from the baselines and the rules that apply.
No pin yet. Tap the map or try a location below.
Zone limits are approximations drawn from a generalized coastline and a convex hull standing in for the RA 9522 baselines, not the official basepoint coordinates. The 200-nm line is the full entitlement before delimitation; only the Philippines–Indonesia EEZ boundary (2014 agreement) has been agreed. Feature positions are approximate.