Why Do Countries Use Man-Made Islands?

use), change of use, and in some cases even change of location, but this one can be costly and specialized knowledge and can also be very challenging. There are many opposing points of view about the creation and the use of such islands. On the one hand, countries that use man-made islands claim that they provide them with place for better infrastructure for new buildings and constructions in general, that they can be created anywhere and that the fact that those islands can be reused can prevent negative effects on the environment. Moreover, artificial islands can boost a country’s economy like in the UAE in Dubai which use artificial islands for tourism. Another strong advantage of such islands is that land reclamation can increase the area

Specifically, the continental shelf has been used for the emplacement of military installations, although these activities are well-guarded secrets.
The South China Sea dispute is considered to be one of the most critical contemporary conflicts, often described by politicians and journalists as an issue which may lead to warfare with grave consequences in the near future. The South China Sea is of significant political and commercial importance, since one-third of the world's maritime traffic is headed by the area and as it is rich in natural resources. In the middle of the South China Sea there are the disputed Spratly Islands and the Paracel islands, which are controlled by China and claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Seven Asian nations (China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia) have been in dispute over the South Chinese Sea for nearly the past 60 years, because the zones claimed by the countries overlap those of others. The countries insist on claiming sovereignty over those islands, because by occupying them they can extend their Exclusive Economic Zone and in that way gain the right of exploration and exploitation of natural resources. Countries often express their discontent by bringing the situation to the court like the Philippines has done in 2016. Not only neighboring countries but also European countries are concerned (UK, France and Germany) or have disregarded Chinas actions

Some examples of Japanese artificial islands are the Kansai Airport, the Chubu Centrair International Airport, and the Okinotori Islands. However, some nations, like China, claim that the Okinotori Island is not an island but a rock. The UNCLOS does not give specific answers to that question with the only point being that an islands is “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide”. Moreover, Japan claims that the Okinotori Island has the right to have 200 nautical miles EEZ. However, under the UNCLOS in order for an island to have EEZ it should be “inhabited or self-sustaining economic activity” and the Okinotori Islands is an uninhabited