U.S. ECS Project Home U.S. ECS About the Project About ECS Data Collection International Cooperation FAQ Downloads HomeU.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project…The U.S. ECS hide The U.S. ECS U.S. Extended Continental Shelf The United States has ECS in seven offshore areas (Figure 1): the Arctic, Atlantic (east coast), Bering Sea, Pacific (west coast), Mariana Islands, and two areas in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. ECS area is approximately one million square kilometers – an area about twice the size of California. The United States may also have ECS in other areas, and the U.S. ECS Project continues to analyze available data and undertake analysis in a range of areas. Figure 1: U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Regions. U.S. ECS Regions Click on a region below for a map and a short description. Arctic U.S. Extended Continental Shelf: Arctic Region The Arctic Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located in the Arctic Ocean, north of the U.S. state of Alaska. This region is bounded by Canada to the east and the Russian Federation to the west. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region extends north to a distance of 350 nautical miles (in the east) and more than 680 nautical miles (in the west) from the territorial sea baselines of the United States. Atlantic U.S. Extended Continental Shelf: Atlantic Region The Atlantic Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the continental United States. This region is bounded by Canada to the north and The Bahamas to the south. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region extends to between 206 and 350 nautical miles from the territorial sea baselines of the United States. Bering Sea U.S. Extended Continental Shelf: Bering Sea Region The Bering Sea Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located in the northern Pacific Ocean. This region is bounded by the Alaska mainland to the northeast, the Aleutian Islands (U.S.) to the south, and mainland Russia to the northwest. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region is bounded by the 200 nautical mile limit of the United States and by the U.S.-Russia maritime boundary. It extends to a distance of approximately 340 nautical miles from the territorial sea baselines of the United States. Eastern and Western Gulf of Mexico U.S. Extended Continental Shelf: Eastern and Western Gulf of Mexico Regions The Eastern Gulf of Mexico Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located off the coast of the U.S. states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, a small ocean basin surrounded by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region is bounded by the 200 nautical mile limit of the United States and by the U.S. maritime boundaries with Cuba and Mexico. The Western Gulf of Mexico Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located off the coast of the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana in the western part of the Gulf of Mexico, a small ocean basin surrounded by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region is bounded by the 200 nautical mile limit of the United States and by the U.S.-Mexico maritime boundary. Mariana Islands U.S. Extended Continental Shelf: Mariana Islands Region The Mariana Islands Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located in the western Pacific Ocean and includes the U.S. territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This region is bounded Japan to the north. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region is located northeast of the Mariana Islands and is bounded in part by the 200 nautical mile limits of the United States and Japan. Pacific U.S. Extended Continental Shelf: Pacific Region The Pacific Region of the U.S. continental shelf is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of the continental United States. The extended continental shelf of the United States in this region extends approximately 285 nautical miles from the territorial sea baselines of the United States. U.S. ECS Executive Summary Materials Below are links to more detailed information and maps on the U.S. ECS. Executive Summary – Regional Summaries and List of Geographic Coordinates U.S. ECS Executive Summary (PDF) Poster-Sized Maps Arctic (PDF) Atlantic (PDF) Bering Sea (PDF) Eastern Gulf of Mexico (PDF) Western Gulf of Mexico (PDF) Mariana Islands (PDF) Pacific (PDF) Notes: [1] Maps above are intended for printing. They are best viewed in and printed from Adobe Acrobat rather than a web browser. [2] The U.S. ECS outer limits shown on the maps above correspond to the geographic coordinates listed in the accessible tables in pages 54 to 97 of the U.S. ECS Executive Summary (PDF) . GIS Data of U.S. ECS Outer Limits Zipped shapefiles of ECS outer limit points and lines with accompanying metadata
