Also found in: Legal.
in international law, inland waterways (rivers, canals, lakes, and reservoirs found in a given state) and seas that are bordered on all sides by land belonging to only one state (for example, the Aral Sea in the USSR). Seaports and external and internal roads and bays whose shores belong to one state are also considered inland waters. A gulf falls into the category of inland waters if the width of its entrance is not more than 24 miles and its shores belong to one state (Geneva Convention of 1958 on Territorial Seas and Adjacent Zones, part 4, p. 7). The policy of inland waters also applies to so-called historical gulfs such as the Bay of Biscay.
Inland waters are completely under the jurisdiction of the states surrounding them; regulations for navigation and fishing are established by the laws of the state. Vessels of foreign governments are admitted into inland waters only under international agreements. The adjoining state also establishes policies for seaports, rules for foreign ships’ entering them, and so forth.