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Brazil Has Just Conquered An Oceanic Territory The Size Of Germany And Is Already Targeting Another Even Larger: 1.55 Million Km² Filled With Rare And Precious Metals. The International Dispute Is Intense, Involves Geopolitical Interests, And The Seabed May Hide Billion-Dollar Wealth. Understand The Ambitious Plan That Could Change The Country’s Future.
After Securing A Maritime Area The Size Of Germany, Brazil Wants More: Now, It Aims For An Even Larger Oceanic Portion, Covering 1.55 Million Km², Rich In Mineral Resources And Strategic For The Future.
In The Last Week Of March 2025, Brazil Achieved A Geopolitical And Environmental Victory Of Great Proportions.
The Country Had Its Right To An Area Of 360,000 Km² In The So-Called Equatorial Margin Recognized By The UN — An Extension Equivalent To The Territory Of Germany.
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Now, Attention Turns To An Even More Ambitious Region:
The Brazilian Government Requested The United Nations To Recognize A New Portion Of The South Atlantic, Covering 1.55 Million Km², Located Between The Coast Of Paraná And Paraíba.
This Is The Southern Eastern Margin, A Submarine Territory That Extends Up To 1,300 Km From The Brazilian Coast, Reaching Depths Over 4,000 Meters.
According To Geologist Izabel King Jeck, Captain Of The Navy And A Doctor In Marine Geology, the Area Is Rich In Strategic Minerals Such As Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, Iron, Platinum, Niobium, And Titanium.
The Region Also Houses The Rio Grande Rise, An Ancient Volcanic Formation That Was A Tropical Island Between 5 And 30 Million Years Ago, According To Studies From The University Of São Paulo (USP).
Strategic Exploration And Geopolitical Dispute
The Annexation Request Is Not New:
Since 2004, Brazil Has Been Seeking From The UN Continental Shelf Commission The Expansion Of Its Maritime Area Beyond The 200 Nautical Miles (About 370 Km) Established By The United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea, Known As The Jamaica Convention, Of 1982.
To Claim Areas Beyond This Limit, The Country Must Prove, Through Geophysical And Geological Analyses, That There Is A Natural Continuity Between The Seabed And The Continental Territory.
According To Captain Izabel Jeck, The Scientific Data Is Well-Founded, But She Acknowledges The Complexity Of The Process:
“We Proved That There Is Continuity From The Brazilian Continental Shelf. There Is Seismic And Bathymetric Information That Proves It. But It’s Not Easy. The Committee That Analyzes The Proposals Is Quite Rigid.”
In Addition To The Technical Difficulties, There Are Geopolitical And Economic Interests At Play.
The Possession Of Regions With Mineral And Biological Potential Generates Silent Disputes Between Nations, Especially In A Global Scenario Of Resource Scarcity.
The Importance Of The Rio Grande Rise
The Most Valuable Point Of The Newly Requested Region Is The Rio Grande Rise, A Submerged Rock Wall That Houses Mineral Deposits Of Extremely High Value.
Although Brazil Has Already Conducted Scientific Expeditions To The Site, Only A Fraction Of The Area’s Potential Has Been Mapped.
As Jeck Noted, Less Than 5% Of The Region Has Been Effectively Studied, Mainly Due To Distance And Severe Weather Conditions, Which Restrict Research Trips To Summer.
Since 1989, With The Creation Of The Brazilian Continental Shelf Survey Plan (Leplac), The Country Has Conducted Scientific Expeditions To Study Its Maritime Shelf.
Petrobras Began Funding Part Of The Project In 2018 And Has Invested Over R$ 60 Million In Research To Date.
In 2019, Brazil Achieved Another Victory By Securing The Annexation Of The Southern Margin, Expanding Its Maritime Territory Along The Coasts Of Rio Grande Do Sul And Santa Catarina By 170,000 Km².
Economic Potential And The Need For Presence
According To Vice Admiral Marco Antônio Linhares Soares, Director Of Hydrography And Navigation Of The Navy, The Expansion Of Maritime Domain Is Strategic For The Country.
The New Area Of The Equatorial Margin, For Example, Contains A Vast Sedimentary Basin With Potential For Mineral And Biological Exploration, Especially In The Amazon Cone Region, Which Is Still Far From Being Fully Understood.
“All Countries Want To Be In The Amazon Cone.
It Is Still An Area To Be Discovered.
It May Be That Only In My Children Or Grandchildren’s Generation Will We Discover Everything,” Said The Vice Admiral, Who Also Highlighted The Importance Of Ongoing Actions In The Area.
“We Must Be There With Ships, Patrolling, Enforcing, And, Most Importantly, Conducting Scientific Research.”
Environmental Debate: Wealth, But At What Cost?
While The Government Celebrates Geostrategic Victories, Environmentalists Warn About The Lack Of Concrete Plans For Biodiversity Preservation In The Annexed Areas.
Doctor In Ecology José Amorim Reis Filho, From The Federal Universities Of Bahia And Pará, Claims That The Reports Presented To The UN Focus Exclusively On Geological Aspects, Completely Ignoring The Fauna And Flora Of The Submarine Regions.
“The Title Of The Territory Does Not Mean There Will Be Environmental Damage, But It Is Necessary To Consider The History Of Neglect And Lack Of Interest In Preserving Natural Areas In Brazil, Especially Marine Ones,” Warns The Researcher.
According To Him, The Brazilian Ocean Remains Little Studied, And The Interest In Mineral Exploration Could Put Unknown Ecosystems At Risk.
“If They Can’t Even Protect Near The Coast, Imagine Hundreds Of Miles Out,” He Ironizes.
Extension Of The Shelf: A Global Race
Brazil Is Not Alone In This Race For Submarine Territories.
Countries Such As Argentina, South Africa, And Even Uruguay Also Present Similar Requests To The UN, Based On The Same United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea.
The Brazilian Difference Lies In The Audacity And Persistence.
With Nearly Two Decades Of Studies And A Structure That Involves Universities, The Navy, And State-Owned Companies, The Country Strives To Secure Not Only Territory But Also Sovereignty Over Strategic Resources That Could Make A Difference In The Coming Decades.
The Next Step Depends On The UN’s Response, Which Has No Set Deadline To Evaluate The Requests.
In The Meantime, The Brazil Needs To Strengthen Its Maritime Presence, Invest In Exploration Technology, And, Above All, Balance Development With Environmental Responsibility.
Do You Think Brazil Is Prepared To Responsibly Explore These Submarine Territories Or Are We Risking Repeating Past Mistakes?
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