Natural gas, in the form of liquefied natural gas or LNG, has the potential to be exported from countries with large, proven natural gas reserves and relatively high reserves-to-production ratios. Some countries meeting this criterion include the Republic of Peru, Republic of Venezuela, Azerbaijan Republic, Republic of Kazakhstan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Iraq, State of Kuwait, State of Qatar, United Arab Emirates (also known as Al Imarat al-Arabiyah al-Muttahidah), Republic of Yemen, Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Independent State of Papua New Guinea. However, not all of these countries are exporters of natural gas as LNG due to domestic need, inaccessibility to international natural gas trade and infrastructure, geopolitics, and lack of capital or technological investment. As largely populated countries such as the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India enter the international LNG market, the need to overcome these particular barriers, in addition to further exploration and discovery of accessible, proven natural gas reserves, is evident.
As traditional, economically viable oil and gas fields deplete, exploration and discovery have reached out to the furthest ends of the earth. The Arctic Ocean, long regarded as international territory, has experienced a recent rush for claims by not only Russia, but Denmark (via territory Greenland), Norway, the United States and Canada. In addition to oil and natural gas, the Arctic holds valuable mineral deposits, and non-mineral resources, such as fish and trade routes through the North East and West Passages.
The Antarctic landmass, traditionally used for research, has also seen a recent surge of land and maritime claims, most recently by the United Kingdom. Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom all claim portions of the great landmass, although the United States does not recognize any of these claims. Along with Russia, the United States has reserved the right to make claims in the future on the southern most continent.
Ongoing territorial disputes over hydrocarbon rich land and maritime regions have occurred in several areas of the world, including:
Senkaku Islands (or Diaoyutai Islands), located in the East China Sea, (Japan, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan);
Western Sahara, a northwestern African country (Morocco and Western Sahara);
Rockall, an islet located in the North Atlantic (United Kingdom, Denmark (representing the Faroe Islands), the Republic of Ireland and Iceland);
San Andres and Providencia island region, in the Caribbean Sea (Columbia, Nicaragua);
the Atacama Corridor for maritime access for Bolivian natural gas (Bolivia, Chile);
and the Beaufort Sea (Canada, United States).
