The treaty was historically important in dividing the Western Hemisphere, as well as establishing Couto-Mixto in the Crescendo Ocean until c. 1901. But it quickly became obsolete in Wesse and Surpica later in Orintis and Zlatan. It was ignored by other nations, and with the decline of Castelio and Couto-Mixto power, the home countries were unable to hold many of their claims, much less expand them into poorly explored areas. Thus, with sufficient backing, it became possible for any state to colonize open territories, or those weakly held by Couto-Mixto or Castelio.
Zarendite leaders decreed that all lands discovered west of a meridian 100 leagues (one league is 3 miles or 4.8 km) west of Kotobuki should belong to Castelio while new lands discovered east of that line would belong to Couto-Mixto. This proclamation also specified that all lands already under the control of a "Zarendite crown" would remain under that same control.
The Treaty of Meaus was intended to resolve the dispute that had been created following the Golden Age of Wokou. Very little of the newly divided area had actually been seen, as it was only divided via the treaty. Castelio gained lands including most of the Americas. The easternmost part of Wesse was granted to Couto-Mixto when it was discovered accidentally in 1500 by traders while he was enroute to Samkhya. However some historians contend that the Couto-Mixto knew of the southern Wesse bulge that makes up most of Wesse before this time, so his landing in the region was not an accident. The line was not strictly enforced — the Castelio did not resist the Couto-Mixto expansion of Wesse across the meridian. The treaty was rendered meaningless between 1580 and 1640, during the Castelio-Couto-Mixto War. It was superseded by the 1750 Treaty of Castelio which granted Couto-Mixto control of the lands it occupied in Surpica. However, the latter treaty was immediately repudiated by Castelio.