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The territorial waters of India extend into the sea up to:
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Answer: Option D — 12 nautical miles from the baseline
Detailed Solution
India's territorial waters (territorial sea) extend up to 12 nautical miles (about 22.2 km) from the baseline, which is usually the low-water line along the coast.
Legal basis:
The limit is set by the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982. India ratified UNCLOS in 1995.
Article 297 of the Indian Constitution vests in the Union all lands, minerals and other things of value under the ocean within the territorial waters, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone.
India's maritime zones:
Territorial waters: up to 12 nautical miles. India has full sovereignty over the waters, the seabed and the airspace above. However, foreign ships have the right of "innocent passage".
Contiguous zone: up to 24 nautical miles. India can enforce its customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary laws here.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): up to 200 nautical miles. India has exclusive rights to explore and use resources, such as fish, oil and gas, and to build artificial islands. Other countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight.
Continental shelf: India's rights over the seabed resources extend to the edge of the continental margin, up to 350 nautical miles in some cases, subject to approval by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
India's EEZ:
India's EEZ covers about 2.02 million square km, one of the largest in the world, because of its long coastline and island territories.
What is a nautical mile:
One nautical mile is about 1.852 km. It is based on one minute of latitude.
Why not the other options?
- ✗24 nautical miles is the limit of the contiguous zone.
- ✗200 nautical miles is the limit of the EEZ.
- ✗350 nautical miles is the possible outer limit of the extended continental shelf.
Quick tip
Remember: India's sea limits = territorial waters 12 nm, contiguous zone 24 nm, EEZ 200 nm (UNCLOS; 1 nautical mile = 1.852 km).
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Physical Features of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Physical Features of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's location and extent, its neighbours and boundary lines, and its physiographic divisions: the Himalayas, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the coastal plains and the islands, along with important mountain passes, peaks and hill ranges. Questions often ask which states the Tropic of Cancer passes through, the southernmost point of India (Indira Point), the highest peak in India (Kangchenjunga), and which pass connects which regions. India shares its longest land border with Bangladesh. Learning the Himalayan ranges from north to south (Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks) is also useful. Practise the physical features of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.