The strategic importance of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Why in News? Amid Chinese influence in the region, India needs to transform & strengthen its Act East policy strategy especially around Andaman and Nicobar group .
• The Chinese People Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is rapidly enhancing its capabilities in the region.
What is the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
• The islands are located 700 nautical miles (1,300 km) southeast of the Indian mainland. The Malacca Strait, the main waterway that connects the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, is less than a day’s steaming from Port Blair.
• Sabang in Indonesia is 90 nautical miles southeast of Indira Point (on Great Nicobar island), and Coco Island (Myanmar) is barely 18 nautical miles from the northernmost tip of the Andamans. Should Thailand build the Kra Canal connecting the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea, its mouth would be about 350 nautical miles east of Port Blair.
• The islands share four of India’s international maritime zone delimitations with Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.
• They also give India substantial ocean space under the United Nations Conference on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) in terms of exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

About The international maritime zones (IMZ):
• The IMZ are areas of the world’s oceans and seas that are recognized under international law.
• These zones delineate different jurisdictional rights and responsibilities of coastal states and other entities concerning the use and management of marine resources.
The main categories:
Internal Waters: These are waters on the landward side of the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured. They are considered fully sovereign territory of the coastal state.
Territorial Sea: The territorial sea extends up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline. Within this zone, the coastal state exercises full sovereignty, including the right to regulate activities such as fishing, shipping, and pollution.
Contiguous Zone: This zone extends from the outer edge of the territorial sea to a maximum of 24 nautical miles from the baseline. In this zone, the coastal state can enforce specific laws regarding customs, taxation, immigration, and pollution.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): The EEZ extends from the edge of the territorial sea to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the baseline. Within this zone, the coastal state has sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage natural resources, both living and non-living, in the waters, seabed, and subsoil.
Continental Shelf: The continental shelf is the natural extension of a coastal state’s land territory into the sea, extending to a maximum of 350 nautical miles from the baseline or to the outer edge of the continental margin, whichever is greater. Coastal states have sovereign rights to explore and exploit natural resources on or beneath the seabed of the continental shelf.
High Seas: Also known as the international waters, this zone encompasses all parts of the sea that are not included in the territorial sea or in the EEZ of any state.