'''Low-tide elevation''' is a naturally formed area of land which is above water and surrounded by water at low tide but submerged at high tide.<ref>United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Article 13 PART II</ref> It may be a mudflat or reef.
== Legal status == Low tide elevations may be used as basepoints for the calculation of maritime zones unless they lie at a distance exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea [{{cvt|12|nmi|km mi|}}] from the nearest mainland or island.
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "If an LTE (low-tide elevation) is located within maritime zones of a littoral state, such as territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf, it automatically belongs to that state."<ref name="secondThomasShoalLegalPerspective">{{cite web |last1=Trang |first1=Pham Ngoc Minh |title=Second Thomas Shoal: A Legal Perspective |url=https://amti.csis.org/second-thomas-shoal-a-legal-perspective/ |website=Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies |access-date=September 6, 2024}}</ref>
== References == <references/>
== Sources == * {{cite journal | last=Llanos | first=Hugo Ignacio | title=Low-Tide Elevations: Reassessing Their Impact on Maritime Delimination | journal=Pace International Law Review | volume=14 | issue=2 | date=2002-09-01 | issn=2331-3536 | doi=10.58948/2331-3536.1197 | page=255 | url = https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1197&context=pilr| url-access=subscription }}
==See also== * Territorial waters * Exclusive economic zone * Continental shelf * International waters * United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Category:Hydrography Category:Law of the sea