The law of the sea is a body of public international
law governing the geographic jurisdictions of coastal
States and the rights and duties among States in the
use and conservation of the ocean environment and its
natural resources. The law of the sea is commonly
associated with an international treaty, the Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), negotiated
under the auspices of the United Nations, which was
signed in 1982 by 117 States and entered into force in
At present 133 States have signed and ratified
UNCLOS;
