• Location: An arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland.
  • Border Countries: Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
  • Straits
    • Taiwan Strait: South China Sea and East China Sea
    • Luzon Strait: South China Sea and Philippine Sea
  • Disputed Islands
    • Spratly Islands: This archipelago is claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.
    • Paracel Islands: China claims these islands, as do Vietnam and Taiwan.
    • Scarborough Shoal: Both China and the Philippines claim this feature.

Source: The Hindu