Since the sea was navigable, it has been contested, and the ability to project strength across oceans is a defining feature of any world power.
The list below, based on data compiled in Global Firepower's 2018 Military Strength Ranking, ranks countries solely by the number of naval assets they have, including support craft, patrol boats, corvettes, destroyers, frigates, and aircraft carriers — the latter of which refers to both traditional carriers and "helicopter carrier" warships.
A few of the countries that made the list are surprising, and represent naval power all over the world. Check out the 10 biggest navies below:
10. Indonesia - 221 ships
The Indonesian archipelago is strategically located between the Pacific and Indian oceans and has 34,000 miles of coastline. It is the world's largest country composed only of islands, of which there are nearly 13,500 — 922 of them permanently inhabited.
Indonesia can field eight frigates, 24 corvettes, three submarines, 74 patrol craft, and 12 mine warfare vessels.
Indonesia is one of a number of countries that have pushed back on China's expansive sea claims in the region and is looking to counter Beijing's increasing naval activity. As of early 2017, it was in talks with several foreign shipbuilders about adding more submarines, and is looking to add eight by 2024. In August 2017, it commissioned its first new attack submarine in in 34 years.
9. Colombia - 234 ships
Colombia is only country in South America that has both Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and its navy has four frigates, one corvette, 11 submarines, and 55 patrol craft.
The country is the world's biggest producer of cocaine, and its armed forces have been heavily involved in drug-interdiction efforts, particularly along the Pacific coast, where the state presence is limited and smuggling activity is rampant.
Colombia also has a sprawling network of rivers, which the only way to reach some areas of the country. Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, told Business Insider in March that, "80% of Colombia's coca is grown within ... 2 kilometers of a river."
"There's just a hell of a lot of rivers too, but that is a reason why the Pacific coast is so heavily used," he added. "You can just do everything from the coca to the labs to the jumping-off point along a river."
"The United States did help Colombia in the last decade set up a riverine brigade with a lot of these piranha patrol boats that they make themselves. But I don't think that those brigades have grown," Isacson said. "And I think in some areas ... they're plagued by corruption."
8. Finland - 270 ships
Finland borders the Baltic Sea, next to Russia and adjacent to Sweden. Its navy counts 270 naval assets, including eight patrol craft and 18 mine-warfare vessels, in addition to landing craft, transport ships, and other vessels like tugs and cable layers.
Like other countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, Finland has grown increasingly wary of Russian military activity. Finland is not a NATO member, but it has taken part in recent NATO exercises, including a crisis-management exercise in October 2017.
Finland is looking to increase domestic defense spending, and the US State Department recently cleared the sale of $730 million in naval weapons to Helsinki, including ship- and surfaced-launched missiles.
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