Italy–Tunisia Delimitation Agreement
The Italy–Tunisia Delimitation Agreement is a 1971 treaty between Italy and Tunisia in which the two countries agreed to delimit a maritime boundary between them in the continental shelf.[1]
The treaty was signed in Tunis on 20 August 1971. The text of the treaty sets out a complex boundary in the Strait of Sicily representing a modified equidistant line between Sicily and Tunisia. The boundary terminates just short of an equidistant line between Malta and the Italian Pelagie Islands.[2] The treaty created a 13-nautical-mile (radial distance) semi-enclave around the Italian island of Pantelleria. Another semi-exclave was created comprising overlapping 13-nautical-mile arcs around the Italian islands of Linosa and Lampedusa that also intersect a 12-nautical-mile (22 km) zone around Lampione. Both semi-enclaves intersect Italian waters at the equidistant line but are otherwise surrounded by Tunisian waters. The westernmost point of the boundary line forms a maritime tripoint with Algeria.
On 23 January 1975, the countries by agreement added supplemental minutes to the treaty, including a map of the boundary and 32 individual coordinate points that define it. It came into force on 6 December 1978 after it was ratified by both countries.
The full name of the treaty is Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tunisia and the Government of the Italian Republic concerning the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between the two Countries.
Notes
References
- Anderson, Ewan W. (2003). International Boundaries: A Geopolitical Atlas. Routledge: New York. ISBN 9781579583750; OCLC 54061586
- Charney, Jonathan I., David A. Colson, Robert W. Smith. (2005). International Maritime Boundaries, 5 vols. Hotei Publishing: Leiden. ISBN 9780792311874; ISBN 9789041119544; ISBN 9789041103451; ISBN 9789004144613; ISBN 9789004144798; OCLC 23254092