Sovereignty

What does the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) have to do with Canada’s sovereignty? CHS plays an essential technical supporting role in the definition of Canada's baselines, maritime boundaries and the outer limits of our territory and maritime zones.

CHS depicts the actual extent and location of Canada’s maritime limits on CHS charts and nautical products. Using GPS positioning, ships can establish their geographic position on a nautical chart (paper or electronic), and their location in relation to or within a maritime zone. Information about a ship’s position is important because different laws may apply within each zone. Ultimately, Canada’s jurisdiction in each maritime zone is established in Canada’s Ocean’s Act consistent with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The limits of the maritime zones (Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone, Continental Shelf and High Seas/Area) are measured from the the baseline of the Territorial Sea.