The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is one of the most important multilateral conventions in history. Adopted in 1982, and effectively completed in 1994 with a revision of Part XI on Deep Seabed Mining, the Convention is today in force for 160 nations plus the European Union. In its 17 parts encompassing 320 articles with nine annexes (and Final Act with six annexes) the Convention is the authoritative contemporary basis for the law of the sea. Over a quarter century in the making, the Convention has achieved a remarkable breakthrough in oceans law ending the struggle lasting more than four centuries between coastal nations seeking expanded control over coastal resources and maritime powers seeking to protect navigational freedom so essential for global trade and commerce. The answer embodied in the Convention is a simple functional division of ocean space, with coastal nations given jurisdiction over an extended 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone for fisheries and other economic interests while navigation remains a high seas freedom beyond the territorial sea. In so doing the Convention has implemented the community common interest on both issues and has achieved a true win/win situation. Further, the Convention strengthens navigational rights through modernization of the regime of innocent passage as embodied in the 1958 Geneva Conventions and adopts an important new regime of transit passage for international straits.