Which North American country has the largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ)?

The North American country with the largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is the United States.

A U.S. EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines of the mainland and U.S. territories. Because the United States includes Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other possessions, its maritime zone covers roughly 11.35 million square kilometers.

An EEZ gives a country special rights to explore, manage, and exploit marine resources, but it is not the same as sovereign territorial waters. Other countries retain freedoms such as navigation and overflight in most of the zone.

A common mix-up is Canada, which has an enormous Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific coastline and the world’s longest coastline. Canada has a very large EEZ, but the United States ranks higher among North American countries because of its Pacific and Caribbean territories. France is sometimes cited as having the world’s largest EEZ overall because of its overseas territories.