A contiguous zone is an area of water that extends from the outer edge of the territorial sea to up to 24 nautical miles from the baseline, within which a state can exert limited control for preventing and punishing infringement upon its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea.
Consider this as your neighborhood watch area beyond your house where you can report suspicious activities but cannot directly enforce laws yourself.
Jurisdiction: This refers to legal authority or control. In our analogy, while you don't have direct control outside your yard (territorial waters), you do have some influence in reporting issues (contiguous zone).
Customs Laws: These are laws related to taxes on goods transported across international borders. Imagine these as rules about what items neighbors can bring into or take out from their homes in your neighborhood watch area.
Sanitary Regulations: These refer to health-related rules and standards. In the neighborhood analogy, these could be rules about cleanliness or noise levels.
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