👉 A protectoral is a legal concept that refers to an area or territory within which a state, government, or organization has exclusive control and jurisdiction. This concept originated in the realm of international law, particularly with respect to maritime boundaries, and it is often applied by countries seeking to enforce their territorial rights over bodies of water. In many jurisdictions, a protectoral is defined as an area where a country has exclusive rights to its own territory, such as a continental shelf, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ
