4. CONVENTION ON THE CONTINENTAL SHELF, APRIL 29, 



1958* 



Done at Geneva April 29, 1958; Ratification advised hy the Senate 

 May 26, 1960; RoMfied hy the President March 21^, 1961; Ratifica- 

 tion deposited loith the Secretary-General of the United Nations 

 April 12, 1961; Proclaimed hy the President May 25, 196 J^; Entered 

 into force June 10, 1961).. 



By the President of the United States or America 

 A PROCLAMATION 



Whereas the Convention on the Continental Shelf, adopted by the 

 United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, Geneva, Febru- 

 ary 24 to April 27, 1958, was open for signature from April 29 to 

 October 31, 1958, and during that period was signed in behalf of the 

 United States of America and forty-five other States ; 



Whereas a certified copy of the text of the Convention, in the 

 English, * * * languages, is word for word as follows : 



ANNEX IV [1] 



convention on the continental shelf 



The States Parties to this Convention 

 Have agreed as follows : 



Article 1 



For the purpose of these articles, the term "continental shelf" is 

 used as referring {a) to the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas 

 adjacent to the coast but outside the area of the territorial sea, to a 

 depth of 200 metres or, beyond that limit, to where the depth of the 

 superjacent waters admits of the exploitation of the natural re- 

 sources of the said areas ; {h) to the seabed and subsoil of similar sub- 

 marine areas adjacent to the coasts of islands. 



*Citation: 15 UST 471 : TIAS 557S. „ . ,. 



States which are parties: Albania. Australia, Bulgaria, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist 

 Rep.. Canada (with declaration), China (with reservation), Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, 

 Czechoslovakia. Denmark. Dominican Rep., Fiji, Finland, France (with reservation and 

 declaration), German Democratic Rep. (with declaration). Greece (with a statement), 

 Guatemala. Haiti. Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Khmer Rep., Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, 

 Malavsia, Malta. Mauritius. Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand. Nigeria, Norway (with a 

 statement). Poland. Portugal. Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain (with 

 a statement and a declaration), Swaziland. Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad 

 and Tobago. Uganda. Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Rep.. Union of Soviet Socialist Reps., 

 United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela (with reservation), Yugoslavia (with reser- 



1 The" text of the convention printed herein constituted Annex IV to the Final Act of 

 the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, which was certified by the Legal 

 Counsel, for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. [Footnote added by the Depart- 

 ment of State.] 



(322) 



