Liancourt Rocks

The **Liancourt Rocks** are a group of small islands in the East Sea / Sea of Japan. In Korea they are called  **Dokdo** (). In Japan they are called **Takeshima** ().

The islands are currently occupied under the South Korean armed police. The name Liancourt Rocks comes from the French whaling ship Liancourt. The people on the Liancourt made a map of the islands in 1849. Korea and Japan both say that the islands are theirs, and have for a long time. Japan has suggested asking the International Court of Justice to decide, but the South Korean government refused. 

## Geography 
Liancourt Rocks consists of two main islands and 35 smaller rocks. The main islands are called West Islet and East Islet. The western island is the larger of the two. There are about 90 islands and reefs total. The islands and rocks have a volcanic nature. 37 of these islands are recognized as permanent land.

The total area of the islands is about 187,450 square meters. Their highest point is 169&nbsp;meters on the western islet. The western islet is about 88,640 square meters in area; the eastern islet about 73,300 square meters. The nearest Korean territory (Ulleungdo) is 87&nbsp;km away and can be seen on clear days; the nearest Japanese territory (Oki islands) is 157&nbsp;km away.  Korean telecom service providers, SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+ have installed stations on Liancourt Rocks to cover the islands in the South Korean wireless telephone network. There is also regular ferry service from Ulleung-do.  In 2022, 280,312 tourists visited the islands, about 500 visitors per day.

Although the islands themselves are barely habitable, the Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding them has rich fishing grounds and possible reserves of natural gas. As of 2006, the expected reserves had not been found. Until the 1950s, sea lions were observed on the islets by the voluntary guards.

Over 900 Korean citizens say that they live on the islands. Over 2,000 Japanese do the same. However, only two people, a married Korean couple, are living there permanently.

## Tourism 
Because the government says the islands are a nature reserve, special permits are required for tourists to land on the islets rather than just circling them. There were 1,507 and 1,597 recorded tourists in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

## Climate 
Due to the location of the isle, the weather of the Liancourt Rocks is known to be harsh. As a result, ships can not dock in winter as the north-western winds are too strong.

## References 

## Other websites 
### Official sites 
* South Korean government's perspective on Dokdo via Korea.net 

### Pro-Korea 
* dodkdonews.net: News updates on the disputed islets 
* The Territorial Dispute Over Dokdo, compiled by Mark S. Lovmo Pro-Korea view by an English speaker
* The historical facts of the Dokdo - Takeshima Island dispute between Japan and Korea Pro-Korea view by an English speaker
* Tokdo Dispute History by Kalani O'Sullivan  Third party analysis of dispute in an academic journal
* Tokdo or Takeshima? The International Law of Territorial Acquisition in the Japan-Korea Island Dispute, Sean Fern, Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, Volume 5 Number 1 (Winter 2005), pp.78-89  Pro-Korea view by an English speaker
* "North Korea Denounces Japanese Territorial Claims on Dokdo"  Yonhap via Yahoo news
* Dokdo is Korean territory : a web page by the Cyber Dokdo History Hall, English 
* Korea Times Dokdo Hosts First Civilians in a Decade. Retrieved 22 February, 2006.