The correct answer is (d) 200 nautical miles.
The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a maritime zone that extends from the territorial sea to 200 nautical miles (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. It is an area where a coastal state has sovereign rights over all natural resources, both living and non-living, of the seabed, subsoil and superjacent waters.
The EEZ was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. The Convention defines the EEZ as “an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, to which the coastal State exercises sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the seabed and subsoil and the superjacent waters, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents and winds.”
The EEZ is not part of the territorial sea, and foreign ships enjoy the freedom of navigation and overflight in the EEZ. However, the coastal state has the right to establish artificial islands, installations and structures in the EEZ, and to authorize and regulate the laying of submarine cables and pipelines.
The EEZ is a significant area of the world’s oceans, covering approximately 36 million square kilometers (14 million square miles). It is an important area for the exploitation of marine resources, and it is also an important area for the protection of the marine environment.