The straight baseline claim of The Netherlands conforms to both the
determination and delimitation rules of Article 4 (LOSC Article 7)
and, represents one possible configuration
of a coast fringed with islands in the immediate vicinity (see Fig. 5.8).
The entire northern coast of The Netherlands is enclosed by the large
islands of Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, and Schiermonnikoog,
and various smaller islands. Although they do not present the
complexity of a skjaergaard, these islands effectively screen the mainland
from the open sea. The baselines drawn connecting these islands
enclose waters which have always been considered and, semble, accepted as internal because they are so closely linked to the land
domain.
