Contiguous

adjective

/kənˈtɪɡjʊəs/

Sharing a common boundary; touching or adjoining at a border without any gap. In international law and UNCLOS, the 'contiguous zone' extends 24 nautical miles from a state's baselines (12 nm beyond the territorial sea), within which the coastal state may exercise control to prevent or punish infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, and sanitary laws; for India this zone is established under the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

India's contiguous zone, extending 24 nautical miles from the baseline, enables customs and immigration enforcement, effectively serving as a buffer between the territorial sea and the high seas.

Synonyms

adjacentadjoiningborderingabuttingneighbouringtangent

Antonyms

distantseparateddetachednon-contiguous

🌱 Word Family

contiguity (noun), contiguously (adverb), tangent (cognate adjective), contact (cognate noun), adjacent (synonym adjective)

🔡 Root

Latin contiguus ← contingere (to touch) ← con- (together) + tangere (to touch)

📜 Etymology

From Latin contiguus (touching, bordering), derived from contingere (to touch on all sides). Related to tangent and contact. Entered English in the 17th century as a geographical and legal term denoting physical adjacency.

🧠 Memory Hook

CONTIGUOUS = CONTACT + continuous. Things that are contiguous are in contact, touching. Remember the Continental shelf is contiguous to the coast — they share that Latin tangere (touch) root.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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