Ininternational law,national boundary delimitation (also known asnational delimitation andboundary delimitation) is the process of legally establishing the outer limits ("borders") of a state within which full territorial or functionalsovereignty is exercised.[1] National delimitation involves negotiations surrounding the modification of a state's borders and often takes place as part of the negotiations seeking to end a conflict over resource control, popular loyalties, or political interests.
Occasionally this is used when referring to themaritime boundaries, in which case it is calledmaritime delimitation.The term "maritime delimitation" is a form ofnational delimitation that can be applied to the disputes between nations over maritime claims. An example is found at Maritime Boundary Delimitation in theGulf of Tonkin.[2] In international politics, theDivision for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (Office of Legal Affairs,United Nations Secretariat) is responsible for the collection of all claims to territorial waters.[3][4]