Candivore

3259615765329416542211

Philippines v. China

I haven't gone through your edit here in detail but, re your edit summary, I see that the ICJ has some clarification of its use of the term "rock" as follows:

features referred to by the Philippines in these

proceedings can “generate maritime entitlements in excess of 12 nautical miles since they are low-tide elevations or ‘rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their

own’ under Article 121(3) of the Convention.”

The ruling uses the trm "rock" 222 times and the term "island" 997 times.

Article 121 of the LOS Conventions reads as follows:^[1]

PART VIII

REGIME OF ISLANDSI
Article 121I
Regime of islandsI

1. An island is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide.I
2. Except as provided for in paragraph 3, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf of an island are determined in accordance with the provisions of this Convention applicable to other land territory.I
3. Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.

Wtmitchell (talk) (earlier Boracay Bill) 19:23, 29 October 2023 (UTC)

Because a rock enjoys fewer entitlements, many use the term as distinct from "island", even though they are under the same section in the LOS. Candivore (talk) 20:03, 31 October 2023 (UTC)