Geography
Why Continental Shelves Are Biologically Rich and Geopolitically Contested
Quick fact
Although continental shelves make up only about 7–8% of the ocean's area, they support an estimated 90% of the world's marine fish catches and hold billions of barrels of off-shore oil reserves.
Why this is interesting
You've probably seen maps of the ocean, but did you know that the most biologically rich and fiercely contested parts of the sea are not in the deep abyss—they're the shallow, hidden edges of continents? Why do nations argue over these underwater ledges?