Maritime Zones are areas of the sea over which a coastal state exercises varying degrees of jurisdiction and sovereign rights, as defined primarily by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982. These zones extend outwards from a baseline, typically the low-water line along the coast.

1. Internal Waters: These are waters on the landward side of the baseline, such as bays, rivers, and lakes. A state has full sovereignty over its internal waters, similar to its land territory.

2. Territorial Sea: Extending up to 12 nautical miles (nm) from the baseline, the territorial sea is an area where the coastal state exercises full sovereignty, including over the airspace above and the seabed below. Foreign vessels have the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea, meaning they can traverse it peacefully without prejudice to the peace, good order, or security of the coastal state.

3. Contiguous Zone: This zone extends from the outer limit of the territorial sea up to 24 nm from the baseline. In this area, the coastal state can exercise control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea.

4. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): Stretching up to 200 nm from the baseline, the EEZ grants the coastal state sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, both living (e.g., fish) and non-living (e.g., oil, gas) in the waters, on the seabed, and in the subsoil. Other states retain freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the right to lay submarine cables and pipelines.

5. Continental Shelf: This comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond the territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nm from the baseline where the continental margin does not extend so far. Coastal states have sovereign rights over the exploration and exploitation of its natural resources (minerals and sedentary species).

Beyond these national jurisdiction zones lie the High Seas, which are open to all states, and the Area, which is the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, and its resources are considered the common heritage of mankind.