Map by Lon Tweeten

The Paracels and the Spratlys, two archipelagoes consisting of hundreds of tiny islands, reefs, and sandbanks, are at the center of fierce territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The islands are desirable not for their land, which totals about five square miles, but for their proximity to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, access to fishing resources, and the oil and gas believed to lie beneath.

Click the image above above to view the full map.