The purpose of this study was to clarify the ambiguity in the law relating to the extended continental shelf in Article 76 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Another aim was to study the application of the law in a more focused part of the world, the region of East Asia, and in particular, Malaysia. The study also sought to propose solutions to issues relating to the extended continental shelf. The history of the law relating to the continental shelf, the codification of the law, and the enforcement of the law by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is presented. Besides that, Article 76 was also thoroughly discussed in order to identify the problems involved. Besides that, the two biggest issues which determine the outer limits of the continental shelf are examined. These are issues relating to ridges and submarine elevations and the application of the foot of continental slope provisions. The study examined the problems involved with the legal and scientific interface found in Article 76 and addressed them by referring to the legislative history of Article 76, State practice and the practice of the Commission. The continental shelf in the East Asian region is also analysed in order to provide an overview of the continental shelf issues in the region. Special reference to Malaysia is made as a State that has made a submission on its outer limits of the continental shelf. A thorough analysis was made based on the findings made in this study. This study also explored possible solutions to the continental shelf issues discussed.

Orientador: Celso Dal Re Carneiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociencias / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T15:40:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Martins_JoseRobertoSerra_M.pdf: 2357471 bytes, checksum: 19beeda9b140e61ad2baf860519a183a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O objetivo da pesquisa é produzir material didático capaz de explicar a idéia de Plataforma Continental Jurídica (PCJ) em manuais escolares e atividades de educação básica. A tarefa exige análise direta (1) dos condicionantes geológicos e geomorfológicos sobre as quais estão definidos os critérios de delimitação da PCJ, e (2) do processo pelo qual um país legitima a incorporação da mesma ao respectivo território. Os documentos reunidos salientam resultados sociais, culturais, econômicos e estratégicos que podem ser obtidos pelo Brasil nesse processo, a depender do acolhimento do pleito por parte da Comissão de Limites da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU). O texto da Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre Direito do Mar (CNUDM) garante aos Estados costeiros a expansão da Plataforma Continental, além do limite de 200 milhas marítimas - limite externo da Zona Econômica Exclusiva (ZEE). Para tanto, o Estado deve realizar levantamentos da margem continental (leito e subsolo marinhos) que comprovem a continuidade do bloco crustal para além dos limites da ZEE. Após o levantamento (LEPLAC, no Brasil), o país deve pleitear à Comissão de Limites da ONU a expansão de direitos sobre recursos minerais da área. A Dissertação contextualiza o tema, segundo ordenação temporal que vai da evolução geológica à da incorporação jurídica. O enfoque é essencialmente histórico: (1) Uma história de milhões de anos: sintetiza os processos geológicos formadores de nossa margem continental; (2) Uma história de milhares de anos: enfoca a relação da humanidade e do processo civilizatório com o mar; (3) Uma história de dezenas de anos: explica os trâmites legais para definição da Plataforma Continental Jurídica, com base em princípios geológicos, históricos e legais. O pleito brasileiro de 4.452.000 km2 amplia em 52 % a área de 8.514.876,6 km2 de terras emersas que compõem o território nacional. O material didático elaborado e testado propõe atividades capazes de desvendar, em sequência, cada aspecto citado. As metas principais são: (1) convidar o leitor a analisar uma situação-problema segundo ângulos diferentes de visão; (2) demonstrar que o processo civilizatório, decorrente de uma história das mentalidades, é parte fundamental para plena compreensão do interesse legal do Estado e (3) comprovar que esses conhecimentos são absolutamente imprescindíveis para plena formação de um cidadão brasileiro, em sintonia com os dias atuais. / Abstract: The objective of this research is to produce educational materials capable of explaining the idea of the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) in textbooks and activities for basic education. It requires direct analysis of: (1) the geological and geomorphological requirements for such definition, and (2) the process by which a given country is capable to declare its ECS. The collected documents highlight social, cultural, economic and strategic results that Brazil may obtain from this process, depending on the acceptance of a case by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN-CLCS). The text of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides for coastal states to expand the Continental Shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles - the outer limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). To this end, the State should carry out surveys of the continental margin (soil, sediments and bedrock) to prove the continuity of the crustal block beyond the limits of the EEZ. After the survey (LEPLAC in Brazil), the country must plead to the UN-CLCS expansion of rights to mineral resources of the area. The dissertation contextualizes the issue, according to a temporal ordering from the geological evolution towards a legal definition. The approach is essentially historical: (1) A history of millions of years: summarizes the forming geological processes of the Brazilian continental margin, (2) A history of thousands of years: focuses on the relationship of humanity and the civilizatory process with the sea, (3) A history of decades: it explains the legal procedures for setting the Extended Continental Shelf, based on geological, historical and legal principles. The Brazilian application of 4,452,000 km2 expands 52% the area of 8,514,876.6 km2 of dry land that compose the country. The developed and tested teaching materials have proposed activities capable of revealing, in sequence, each one of these aspects. The main goals are: (1) to invite the reader to examine a concrete problem under different angles of vision, (2) to show that, due to a history of mentalities, the civilizatory process is key to a complete understanding of the legal interests of a State and (3) to demonstrate that this knowledge is indispensable to educate Brazilian citizens. / Mestrado / Mestre em Ensino e Historia de Ciencias da Terra