Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction and Continental Shelf Map

Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction map depicts the nation's extended continental shelf as approved by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in April 2008. It is one of 27 constituent maps in the national Maritime Jurisdiction Map Series, produced by the Australian Ocean Data Network. The background incorporates bathymetric data from a 2009 9 arc-second grid and land imagery from NASA's Blue Marble.

Use Cases

• Delineate maritime boundaries for legal studies using the approved continental shelf limits.
• Analyze bathymetric context for marine spatial planning using the integrated 9 arc-second grid.
• Verify jurisdictional extents for fisheries or environmental management against the official map series.
• Study the integration of topographic and bathymetric data from the GA and Smith and Sandwell sources.

Strengths

• Part of a standardized national map series comprising 27 constituent maps.
• Integrates bathymetric data from a specified 2009 9 arc-second grid.
• Based on a continental shelf submission formally approved in April 2008.

Limitations

• Data is provided only as a static A0-sized PDF map, limiting machine-readability.
• Excludes specific territories like Cocos Island and subantarctic regions.
• Background bathymetry relies on sources from 1997 and 2009, which may be outdated.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Derived from official maritime boundary determinations and integrated geospatial grids.

Time Range

Continental shelf approval date is April 2008; background data sources are from 1997 and 2009.

Freshness

Last platform update recorded as 2026-04-04.

Geography

Maritime jurisdiction surrounding the Australian continent.