Abstract

Coastal states create and modify maritime features. The law of the sea recognizes the existence of artificial islands, installations, and structures. It also defines islands and low-tide elevations as “naturally formed” areas of land. Thus far, however, these concepts have been ambiguously interpreted and applied. This article puts forward a clearer approach. It reemphasizes some of the fundamental principles of international law by demonstrating that a feature’s capability of sovereign appropriation should determine its legal treatment.

中文翻译：

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海洋地物的人工建造和改造：在奥萨打桩

摘要

沿海国家创建和修改海洋特征。海洋法承认人工岛屿、设施和结构的存在。它还将岛屿和低潮高地定义为“自然形成”的陆地区域。然而，迄今为止，这些概念的解释和应用都是模棱两可的。这篇文章提出了一个更清晰的方法。它通过证明一个特征的主权占有能力应该决定其法律待遇，再次强调了国际法的一些基本原则。