territory. Each has its own laws. Each of  the islands is what we call 'sovereign'.

So what if one island wants to… trade  with another? Or send a diplomat? Or fish  

in the sea near another? Whose law do they use?

Well, this is where international law comes in.

We can think of it as a set of  bridges connecting the islands.

They provide a framework  that everyone has agreed to.  

So things can happen smoothly. Most of the time. 

And there's another thing. Some  

problems aren't just between individual  islands – they affect all of them.

International law comes in here too – whether it's  drafting an agreement on human rights together.

Or agreeing a plan to fight climate change.