where is the south china sea on a world map
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Karimata and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi). The sea carries tremendous strategic importance; one-third of the world's shipping passes through it carrying over $3 trillion in trade each year,[3] it contains lucrative fisheries that are crucial for the food security of millions in Southeast Asia, and huge oil and gas reserves are believed to lie beneath its seabed.[4]
Nine-Dash Line The Nine-Dash Line—at various times also referred to as the "10-dash line" and the "11-dash line"—refers to the undefined[1], vaguely located, demarcation line used initially by the government of the Republic of China (ROC / Taiwan) and subsequently also by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), for their claims of the major part of the South China Sea.[2][3] The contested area in the South China Sea includes the Paracel Islands,[a] the Spratly Islands,[b][4] and various other areas including the Pratas Islands, the Macclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal. The claim encompasses the area of Chinese land reclamation known as the "great wall of sand".[5][6][7][8]