The islands of Sipadan and Ligitan seem insignificant on the world map—especially compared to their neighboring islands of Kalimantan to the west and Sulawesi to the east. Sipadan has an area of 4 square kilometers and Ligitan is even smaller. Although Ligitan seems almost abandoned, Sipadan makes an important contribution to the Malaysian tourist industry. 

Despite their small size, these two islands are the subjects of an