Navigating NZ Maritime Law in the Law of the Seas and Security

New Zealand’s maritime law is governed by a combination of international law, regional conventions, national legislation, and policy. This set of regulations and conditions is constantly changing and evolving to ensure the security of the nation’s waters and the safety of its citizens. In this article, we will discuss the Law of the Seas and Security, NZ Maritime Regulations, NZ Maritime Doctrine, and the Jurisdiction in the NZ Maritime system.

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What Makes a Continent a Continent?

According to a 2017 paper published in the Geological Society of America’s journal, GSA Today, “The ‘Glossary of Geology’ defines a continent as ‘one of the Earth’s major landmasses, including both dry land and continental shelves.’ It is generally agreed that continents have all the following attributes: (1) high elevation relative to regions floored by oceanic crust; (2) a broad range of siliceous igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks; (3) thicker crust and lower seismic velocity structure than oceanic crustal regions; and (4) well-defined limits around a large enough area to be considered a continent rather than a microcontinent or continental fragment… To our knowledge, the last point — how ‘major’ a piece of continental crust has to be to be called a continent — is almost never discussed.”

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