The Spratlys are the main flashpoint in the South China Sea, where military fortifications belonging to all claimants except Brunei dot the area. China's rapid island creation in the Spratlys has alarmed some Asian countries and drawn criticism from the United States.
Reed
Tablemount
VIETNAM
North Danger Reef
Subi Reef
Mischief Reef
Loaita Bank
South China Sea
Jackson
Atoll
Southern
Reefs
Union Reefs
London
Reefs
SPRATLY ISLANDS
Investigator
Shoal
PHILIPPINES
Rifleman
Bank
Ardasier
Reefs
Vanguard
Bank
50 miles
MALAYSIA
50 km
Note: Occupation does not signify undisputed sovereignty.
Six nations contest all or parts of the South China Sea, which has led to a series of confrontations between China and some of its neighbors over the potentially oil-and-gas rich area. A look at how each claim compares with the official exclusive economic zones (EEZ), the waters extending 200 nautical miles from the coast:
CHINA
TAIWAN
Paracel
Islands
Spratly
Islands
VIETNAM
PHILIPPINES
MALAYSIA
MALAYSIA
INDONESIA
Sources: U.S. State Department; UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea;
U.S. Energy Information Administration; Reuters
By Wen Foo, Simon Scarr and Matthew Weber | REUTERS GRAPHICS