The 18 most hotly contested islands in the world

More than ever, islands -- and the resources beneath them -- are the focus of geopolitical tensions between nations around the world. The biggest disputes range from the Arctic to Croatia to north of Samoa, and some of the competing claims were made centuries ago.  SEE ALSO: The 16 most socially advanced countries in the world Hans Island Claims by Canada and Denmark Canada and Denmark are currently going back and forth over who owns a small island in the Kennedy Channel, which separates Canad...