Annotations for Countries: Iceland

La Paz, Mexico. President Luis Echeverría says Mexico will expand its 12-mile offshore limit to 200 miles keeping rich fishing waters out of the reach of Americans and other foreigners. An expansion by Mexico would be opposed by American tuna fishermen and other, since it would put most of Mexico's rich shrimp beds off southeast coast off limits to foreign boats. 

However, Mexico's move represents an increasing tendency among underdeveloped nations to claim a 200 mile rather than 12-mile sovereignty over resource-rich ocean space along their borders. Even nations such as Iceland and Australia traditionally allied with the United States and Europe have broken with the big powers on this issue. This from the Miami Herald.