The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf of the United Nations confirmed on November 10, 2026 the outer limits that Mexico proposed for its extended continental shelf in the Eastern Polygon of the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).
The recognition means that Mexico exercises exclusive sovereign rights to explore and exploit the natural resources of the marine seabed and subsoil in that area, according to Aristegui Noticias, which cited the Foreign Ministry's statement. The confirmed limits respect the maritime delimitations that Mexico previously negotiated with the United States and Cuba. The Eastern Polygon lies in waters beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline. La Jornada reported that the decision ratifies the country's exclusive control over that strip of the Gulf. For Mexico, the endorsement provides legal certainty over a zone with interests in hydrocarbons, fishing, tourism and environmental protection.
The UN process began on December 19, 2011, when Mexico submitted the technical documentation for the Eastern Polygon. The substantive review advanced in February 2025, with the establishment of a subcommission that analyzed the file during its 2025 and 2026 sessions. The Commission approved its recommendations on July 10, 2026, and on November 10 the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea published the summary. The agreement sets the outer edge with 100 geographic points and defines the limits with 10 points joined by straight lines of up to 60 nautical miles, according to Aristegui Noticias. Inegi, the Secretariat of the Navy, the Mexican Geological Service and Pemex took part in the process.
As a next step, the Mexican Government will deposit with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the charts and geodetic data that permanently describe the outer limits, so that they receive international publicity. The Foreign Ministry attributed the result to the technical, scientific, legal and diplomatic work of the Mexican State.
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
