Big Think: International Waters (And Where They End)

So...Portugal is over ninety percent water.

http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/652-nil-jellyfish-nation-portugal-is-97-water

Coastline counts, people. Having water can be a big difference, though it was a much bigger difference in the past, before the whole "aviation" thing came about. Oh, and those "railroads," too. It's funny - back then, a nation's marine territory was (as the article says) about as far as you could lob a cannonball. But even today, coastline is important. Most trade still goes about by sea, so having economic control over waters can be a big deal. I'll talk more about that later. It's also worth mentioning that an air force without a navy is basically worthless, assuming you're not trying to invade your neighbor. Just look at the Pacific theatre of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Iraq and Afghanistan. No navy, no overseas airstrikes. And square miles of ocean count for a nation's size, too. Not counting water, China is the world's third-largest nation. Counting water, the bronze goes to America. But back to the economics of it all...having control over that area is a great advantage. You can regulate shipping, have taxes, or (if you're feeling particularly gutsy) have your navy make merchant/cargo ships pay some pretty hefty fees to use your waters. For a small ex-empire like Portugal, one that lost vast amounts of territory in Africa and the Pacific, that's probably just the pick-me-up the people there need. They aren't abusing their power, either, and a combination of the two is probably why the international community hasn't made a fuss about the overlarge (by UN standards) aquatic areas claimed by Portugal.