Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands are a disputed, largely uninhabited island group in the South China Sea, claimed in whole or part by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, with no permanent civilian population and no local language.
Military and administrative personnel stationed there use the language of the occupying claimant, most commonly Chinese, Vietnamese, or Filipino/English.

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs 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
land: less than 5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea

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%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands

Data code: PG

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.

Industries: none

Communications

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 4 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total : 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military - note: about 50 small islands or reefs are 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 economic zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the island