The Torres Strait

This is the twelfth book in the series International Straits of the World which describes the geography of a narrow waterway linking two seas and its relevance to shipping, economic development, and social welfare in the region, especially examining the legal status of the strait and its international relations. As a central focus, this study addresses the legal status of the Strait in the light of the 1982 U.N. Law of the Sea Convention. The Convention not only prescribes limits to the territorial sea, an exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf for coastal states, but also addresses rules for the transit of straits for international navigation. The book details the unusual demarcation of Australian territorial seas in certain islands and the unique fisheries - deep seabed lines of jurisdiction. Finally, this study turns sympathetically to the welfare of the Islanders, a small distinct ethnic group which has suffered losses in land, culture, and independence through the rush of western civilization. The author illuminates the importance of the Protected Zone established by the Torres Strait Treaty to Islander economic and environmental concerns. He also examines and takes a position on the feasibility of an independent state for the Islanders.