The sea and fishing
Somalia's exclusive economic zone: the sea Somalia controls
Somalia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) covers about 830,389 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, reaching 200 nautical miles from the coast. From 1972 Somali law claimed a 200-mile territorial sea. On 30 June 2014 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud proclaimed an EEZ in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and sent its outer limits to the UN. The southern edge was fixed by the World Court in 2021.
How big is it?
Somalia's exclusive economic zone covers 830,389 square kilometres. It reaches 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) out from the baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (Wikipedia, Exclusive economic zone of Somalia). Somalia's coast, about 3,333 km long, is the longest in mainland Africa (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
Inside an EEZ, a country has the right to fish, drill for oil and gas, and use the water, currents and wind for energy. Ships of other countries may still pass through.
The laws, from 1972 to 2014
| Year | Law or act | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Law No. 37 on the Territorial Sea and Ports, passed 10 September 1972 | Claimed a territorial sea of 200 nautical miles |
| 1989 | Law No. 5 of 26 January 1989, approving the Somali Maritime Law of 1988 | Provided for a 200-mile territorial sea and an exclusive economic zone |
| 1989 | Ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) | UNCLOS allows a 12-mile territorial sea and a 200-mile EEZ |
| 2014 | Presidential proclamation of 30 June 2014 | Set out the EEZ under the 1988 law, in line with UNCLOS |
Source for the table: Wikipedia, Exclusive economic zone of Somalia. Wikipedia gives 9 February 1989 as the date parliament ratified UNCLOS.
The difference matters. Under the 1972 law, foreign ships in the 200 miles were in Somali territorial waters. Under UNCLOS and the 2014 proclamation, the first 12 miles are territorial sea and the rest is an economic zone.
The 2014 proclamation
On 30 June 2014 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud proclaimed an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from the normal baselines. The same day Somalia deposited a list of coordinates for its outer limit with the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (ICJ, Application of Somalia, 28 August 2014). The UN lists the deposit under a note dated 3 July 2014 (UN DOALOS, Somalia national legislation).
The proclamation claims sovereign rights to explore, use, conserve and manage the natural resources of the seabed, the subsoil and the water above, and to produce energy from water, currents and winds (Wikipedia, Exclusive economic zone of Somalia).
Borders with neighbours
In August 2014 Somalia asked the International Court of Justice to fix its sea border with Kenya. The Court ruled on 12 October 2021. See Somalia v. Kenya: the sea border case.
What lives in it
Cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface off the Somali coast, a process called upwelling. It feeds plankton, which in turn supports small fish such as sardines, herring and scad (Wikipedia, Exclusive economic zone of Somalia). For catches, licences and illegal fishing, see Fishing and the sea.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Exclusive economic zone of Somalia · en.wikipedia.org
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
- ICJ, Application of Somalia, 28 August 2014 · api.icj-cij.org
- UN DOALOS, Somalia national legislation · un.org
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Boorama (Borama) and AwdalAwdal is the far north-west region, on the borders with Djibouti and Ethiopia, with Borama (Boorama) as its capital and about 300,000 to 636,000 people.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
- Ceerigaabo (Erigavo) and SanaagSanaag is a region on the northern coast with Erigavo (Ceerigaabo) as its capital and about 446,000 people.
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Garoowe (Garowe) and NugaalNugaal is the region around Garoowe (Garowe), Puntland's capital, with about 656,910 people in three districts.
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
- Dhuusamarreeb (Dhusamareb) and GalgaduudGalgaduud is a region of central Somalia in Galmudug State, with Dhusamareb (Dhuusamarreeb) as its capital and about 845,000 people.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Marka (Merca) and Lower ShabelleLower Shabelle is Somalia's biggest farming region, along the Shabelle river south-west of Mogadishu, with Marka (Merca) as its capital and about 835,000 to…
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Fisheries law in SomaliaSomalia's fisheries laws in facts: the 1972 sea law, the 2014 Fisheries Law, the 2018 interim revenue deal, the 2023 Fisheries Development and Management Law, who issues licences, and the dispute with member states.
- Ships hijacked or attacked off Somalia, 2005 to 2026A dated list of ships hijacked or attacked off Somalia from 2005 to 2026: ship, type and flag, what happened, and a source for each case, with yearly totals.