France–Tonga Maritime Delimitation Convention
Encyclopedia
The France–Tonga Maritime Delimitation Convention is a 1980 treaty
in which France
and Tonga
agreed to a maritime
border
between Tonga and the French territory of Wallis and Futuna
.
The convention was signed in Nuku'alofa
on 11 January 1980. The text of the treaty is brief and states that the boundary will be an equidistant line between the Tongan and the French islands and that as soon as possible the parties will draw up cartographic maps that illustrate the border. When the border was actually drawn, Tongan sovereignty over Niuafo'ou
was considered in drawing the equidistant line even though Niuafo'ou is hundreds of kilometres north of the rest of the islands of Tonga. As a result, the boundary is much closer to the islands of Wallis and Futuna than it is to the main islands of Tonga.
The treaty came into force on the day of signature. The full name of the treaty is Convention between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga on the delimitation of economic zones.
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
in which France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
agreed to a maritime
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
between Tonga and the French territory of Wallis and Futuna
Wallis and Futuna
Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands , is a Polynesian French island territory in the South Pacific between Tuvalu to the northwest, Rotuma of Fiji to the west, the main part of Fiji to the southwest, Tonga to the southeast,...
.
The convention was signed in Nuku'alofa
Nuku'alofa
Nukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
on 11 January 1980. The text of the treaty is brief and states that the boundary will be an equidistant line between the Tongan and the French islands and that as soon as possible the parties will draw up cartographic maps that illustrate the border. When the border was actually drawn, Tongan sovereignty over Niuafo'ou
Niuafo'ou
Niuafoou is the most northerly island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is a volcanic rim island of 15 km² and with a population of 650 in 2006.-Geography:...
was considered in drawing the equidistant line even though Niuafo'ou is hundreds of kilometres north of the rest of the islands of Tonga. As a result, the boundary is much closer to the islands of Wallis and Futuna than it is to the main islands of Tonga.
The treaty came into force on the day of signature. The full name of the treaty is Convention between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga on the delimitation of economic zones.