Legal status of the Red Sea continental shelf

The Red Sea, which is believed to be located in the center of the old World and mentioned in the books of the divine religions, has been on of the most important geographies throughout the World due to its location as on important transit point between Asia, Africa and Europe continents and connecting the Atlantic, and Indian oceans. As a matter of fact, Red Sea, which is the most important route of trade between east and west, attracted the attention of all civilizations with this feature and especially with the opening of Suez Canal in 1869, its geopolitical importance increased more. With this characteristics, the Red sea, has been the stage of the struggle between the civilizations that want to establish dominance over itself. İn this thesis, the geopolical importance of the Red Sea and "Legal Status of the Red Sea Continental Shelf" have been examined within the contex of recent developments in İnternational maritime law. The aim this study, is to explain the concept of continental shelf, which enablas states to have rights on natural resources in seas and oceans, and put forward their legal regime. İn addition, the geopolitical importance of the Red Sea, which is one of the most important maritime routes in the World, within the recent developments in the İnternational maritime law to examine the legal status of the continental shelf.