An uninhabited group of islands with a total land area of less than 7 kilometers in the East China Sea has its own website, including its history, natural environment and other facts like latitudes and longitudes.

The archipelago's position on the map should be interesting for those who would care to visit the website www.diaoyudao.org.cn for it would show that the area lies between the territories of regional powerhouses China and Japan.

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China launched the website on Tuesday to assert its claim on the Diaoyu Islands, presently administered by the Japanese which they call Senkaku. The website was unveiled by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) which is tasked with protecting China's maritime claims.

With the title "Diaoyu Islands are inherent territory of China," the website proclaimed its sole purpose. The website is in Chinese with its flag on the front page displaying legal documents and maps.

According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the documents hold strong evidence with historical and legal bases that the said islands have belonged to China since ancient years.

"Before the Japanese made their so-called 'discovery' of the Diaoyu Islands, China had already exercised its sovereignty over them for several hundred years," the website says. "Japan took advantage of the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, secretly including the islands in its maps."

The website is still a work in progress. The SOA said it would launch versions of the website in seven languages, including Japanese.

Japan's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, already has part of its website dedicated to its own claim on the island group that they call Senkaku. Its website also declares with "no doubt" that the islands in question are part of Japan's territory, citing historical facts and the international law.

The long-standing dispute continues to sour relations between the two countries with Japan accusing China of initiating a "unilateral escalation" in November 2013 when Beijing announced the creation a new air-defense identification zone in the area where aircraft were required to follow its rules. Japan had stated that it would ignore the rules.

The archipelago has rich fishing grounds and lies near a major shipping route. The area also has potential oil and natural gas reserves.

TagsDiaoyu, Senkaku Islands, territorial spat, diaoyudao.org.cn