Command of the sea Great Britain accepted the principle in 1805; Russia, in 1824; and the United States (tacitly) in 1894. Many treaties, including the Treaty of Versailles, have dealt with the open seas, and currently the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea formalizes this freedom. Historically, many powers attempted to extend command of the sea into peacetime, imposing taxes or other restrictions on shipping using areas of open sea. For example, Venice claimed the Adriatic, and exacted a heavy toll from vessels navigating its northern waters. Genoa and France each claimed portions of the western Mediterranean. Denmark and Sweden claimed
Gulf of Batabanó Gulf of Batabanó The Gulf of Batabanó (; ), also called the Batabanó Gulf, is an inlet or strait off southwestern Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, separating mainland Cuba from the Isle of Youth. It is located at . The gulf's northern border begins at the southern coast of Cuba in Pinar del Río Province, Artemisa Province, Mayabeque Province and Matanzas Province, ending at the Zapata Peninsula ("Península de Zapata"), a length of about 80 miles (130 km). The northeastern section of the gulf is also called Ensenada de la Broa. The gulf stretches south about 50 miles (80 km)