Under UNCLOS, rights to resources on and under the continental shelf are defined by international law.

• A. It is a submerged landmass entirely within the territorial sea with no extra rights.
• B. It is a submerged landmass that lies only on continental margins with no resource rights.
• C. It is a submerged extension beyond the territorial sea, where rights to resources on and under the shelf are defined by international law.
• D. It is a submerged area recognized as international waters with shared rights.

Answer: (C)

Under UNCLOS, the continental shelf is a submerged extension of a coast’s landmass beyond its territorial sea, and the coastal state has exclusive rights to explore and exploit the natural resources on and under that seabed and subsoil. These rights can cover areas that stretch to the outer edge of the continental margin or to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, and they can extend further if the state proves an extended continental shelf under international law. The key point is that these resource rights are defined by international law, not left entirely to domestic rules, which is why this description best fits.

The other descriptions miss this core idea: some limit the shelf to within the territorial sea or deny resource rights, and others imply shared rights in international waters.