Talk:Archipelagic state

Niue and Mauritius

Why are Niue and Mauritius classified as archipelagic states? According to Google Earth, Niue only has one main island and it has no other significant islands other than three outlying coral reefs. Mauritius is also dominated by one main island plus some much smaller islets. Xindeho (talk) 08:21, 21 March 2020 (UTC)

They aren't. There are only five official archipelagic states. I will remove the others from the list. --Hazhk (talk) 16:14, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

Note that the list was mistakenly expanded in this edit to include over a dozen countries. --Hazhk (talk) 16:23, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

I don't think we should remove the whole list though. Even though only 5 countries have received official approval from the UN, there are some other countries such as Japan, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands which are clearly archipelagic states. I will modify the original table and remove those non-archipelagic states from the list. Xindeho (talk) 10:25, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

I have checked the sources and done some research myself. As in June 2015, a total of 22 countries have sought to claim archipelagic status by utilising the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea provisions. I will modify the table to include these countries only. Xindeho (talk) 13:24, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

Many thanks for researching and clarifying that 22 countries can be classed as archipelagic states.--Hazhk (talk) 03:35, 25 March 2020 (UTC)

You are welcome, buddy. Xindeho (talk) 05:44, 25 March 2020 (UTC)

Malay archipelago is too political

The term Malay archipelago is exclusively called by the Malays in Malaysia and/or Singapore. 103.144.14.63 (talk) 04:32, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Agreed, considering the archipelagic states from the region is Indonesia and the Philippines, more individuals from these region are familiar with the term Maritime Southeast Asia than Malay Archipelago. Badpuccini (talk) 04:10, 27 April 2023 (UTC)

Why is Japan not an Archipelagic state?

Japan is entirely composed of the Japanese archipelago so shouldn't it count as an archipelagic state? MaitreyaVaruna (talk) 05:18, 14 March 2022 (UTC)

Japan, and other states, such as the UK, have not sought to be recognised as archipelagic states. This is why they aren't listed. They probably meet the criteria, but this is not sufficient. They have to actually apply for, and receive, recognition.  Tewdar  10:12, 14 March 2022 (UTC)

I think I understand this. With Southern Ireland being independent Britain doesn't get the best legal benefit of being an archipelagic state (control of the Irish sea), and Japan has narrow enough straits that the Seto Inland Sea is legally in its territorial waters anyways. This is a legal classification and not as much a geographical or historical one MaitreyaVaruna (talk) 02:01, 15 March 2022 (UTC)