Blackwell Reference Online

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Comment on this article   The sea from time immemorial has served humankind in diverse ways. It has provided a link for transportation and trade between various states. In addition, through activities such as fishing, it serves as a source of food and perhaps, relatively more recently, it serves as a cache of tremendous offshore mineral resources for coastal states. These multifunctional uses of the sea over the years have led to the development of a body of legal norms, labelled as the “International Law of the Sea” or more simply “Law of the Sea,” to regulate the use of the seas and to delineate the powers and jurisdiction of States over various parts of the seas. The Law of the Sea may broadly be divided into two categories: traditional law of the sea (developed by a few predominant western maritime powers) and modern law of the sea (having input from a wider and diverse number of States, in terms of geographical location, economic development and ideology) ( Anand, 1982 :1). There is a superabundance of literature on the law of the sea and it is almost impossible to cover all the literature in a review essay of this limit. This literature review will therefore be limited to examining some key literature that elucidates the development of this important area of international law. Although, in its formative period jurists, such as Grotius, Selden and Bynkershoek, played a significant ... log in or subscribe to read full text