taken into account for the ttellnitatlon of tbe continental sbelf of a State t,as the legally permissible extent of the exclusive econonlc zone pertalning to thal state. It aalded tshat thls atial not mean that tbe concePt of the contlnentat €helf had been absorbed by that of Ehe exclueive econonlc zonet lt did, however, signify tbat greater lnportance r,aa to be actributed nto elenents, euch as distance fron the coast, which are comnon bo both concept6". ry 23. A further inplication noted by the Court wag that €lnce the developnent of the law enabled a State to clain that its conbinental sheLf extended up to a€ far as 200 miles from the coast, "vbacever tbe geological characEer i' atlca of the corresponding aea-bed and subsolln, there nas no reason eo ascribe any role to geological or geophysical factors nithin Lhat diBtance, either in verlfying the legal tltle of the state concerned or in proceeding to a dellnitatton as beuseen their claims. lV 24. In th19 connection, the Court nade some signlficant cornments on the role of natural prolongation on the delimitatlon of narltlne areas. It ob6erveal thatt "the idea of natural prolongation was no! superaeded by distance- flhat it did nean was that where the continental nargin ctid not et(tend aS far as 200 mlles from the sbore, natural prolongallon, uhlch in splte of its physlcal orlgln has throughout lts hlstory become rnore and nore a compLex antl jurialical concept, ls in part tleflned by dietance from the shore, iltespective of the physical nature of lhe intervening sea-bed and 6ubaoil.n 20,/ ?5. As the law nol, stand6, each coastal State ls entitled to exerciae sovereign rights over the contlnental Ehelf off ltsa coa€ts for the purpose of exPlor lng and
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the legal aspects of the continental shelf and its relation to the exclusive economic zone. It mentions the concept of natural prolongation and the role of distance from the coast in determining the extent of the continental shelf. The text seems to be focused on the legal and geographical aspects of this concept, rather than its practical applications or impacts on human activities.

**Category**
Natural resources and environment, International trade