Dokdo (독도, 獨島), known as Takeshima (たけしま、竹島） in Japanese and also as the Liancourt Rocks, is an extremely small pair of islands in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. It is de facto owned by the Korean government, but Japan lays claim to the island as well and it is often the source of disagreement and ill will between the two countries. Dokdo consists of the islands Dong-do and Seodo, plus around 32 nearby rocks. The two main islands are about 170 meters apart. The islands are volcanic in origin.
