Archepelagic doctrine?

Question

Archepelagic doctrine?

Answer 1

The "Archipelagic Doctrine" goes back to March 7, 1955, when the Philippines government lodged a formal note with the United Nations, as follows:

"All waters around, between and connecting different islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago, irrespective of their width or dimension, are necessary appurtenances of its land territory, forming an integral part of the national or inland waters, subject to the exclusive sovereignty of the Philippines.”

What that means is that (according to the Philippines government) the Philippines OWNS all of the seas between the thousands of islands that are Philippine territory. In terms of ownership, it is as if the seas did not exist at all, and that the Philippines is not an archipelago at all, but instead is one huge connected land mass.

This is important, because the seas surrounding and connecting the islands of the Philippines are a resource of great wealth for the nation.