According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, does the contiguous zone belong to the territorial sea or the high seas?

The legal status of contiguous zone is a complicated issue. 1958 convention on the territorial sea and the contiguous zone defines the contiguous zone as "the high seas adjacent to the territorial sea" under the principle that "the high seas are outside the territorial sea".

1982 UNCLOS stipulates that the scope of the high seas is outside the internal waters, territorial seas, exclusive economic zones and archipelagic waters of coastal countries, so the contiguous zone is clearly defined as a specific water area adjacent to the territorial sea. Judging from the provisions of the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the contiguous zone is neither part of the national territorial sea nor part of the high seas. Therefore, the contiguous zone is an area specially controlled by coastal countries. ?

Extended data:

Article 33 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a coastal state shall exercise necessary control in the contiguous zone to prevent or punish violations of its customs, financial, immigration or health laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea. ?

Coastal States may exercise necessary jurisdiction over the following matters in the region:

(1) Prevent violations of customs, financial, immigration or health laws and regulations in its territory or territorial waters;

(2) Punishing domestic acts that violate the above-mentioned laws and regulations. Coastal countries exercise necessary jurisdiction over customs, finance, immigration, health and other matters within 24 nautical miles of the territorial sea baseline, and coastal countries exercise sovereign rights within their territorial waters. In order to prevent smuggling and border crossing, as well as the actual needs of health and quarantine, it is necessary to extend certain rights to a certain area outside the territorial sea, thus creating a contiguous zone.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-contiguous destitute areas