Spratly Islands
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| Area | total: less than 5 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea water: 0 sq km land: less than 5 sq km |
| Population | no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (July 2002 est.) |
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This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real MaxTravelz country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit it.
This archipelago - surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits - is claimed in its entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. All five parties occupy certain islands or reefs.
Contents |
Geography
Map of Spratly Islands
- Location
- Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines
- Geographic coordinates
- 8 38 N, 111 55 E
- Map references
- Southeast Asia
- Area
- total: less than 5 sq km
note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea
water: 0 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km
- Area - comparative
- NA
- Land boundaries
- 0 km
- Coastline
- 926 km
- Maritime claims
- NA
- Climate
- tropical
- Terrain
- flat
- Elevation extremes
- lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
- Natural resources
- fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
- Land use
- arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)
- Irrigated land
- 0 sq km (1998 est.)
- Natural hazards
- typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals
- Environment - current issues
- NA
- Geography - note
- strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
People
- Population
- no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (July 2002 est.)
Government
- Country name
- conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Economy
- Economy - overview
- Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Transportation
- Waterways
- none
- Ports and harbors
- none; offshore anchorage only
- Airports
- 4 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
- Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Military
- Military - note
- Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Transnational Issues
- Disputes - international
- all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but has not publicly claimed the island; in 2000, China joined ASEAN discussions towards creating a South China Sea "code of conduct" - a non-legally binding confidence building measure