| Spratly Islands |
Website Links For Spratly Islands |
Information AboutSpratly Islands |
The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by the People's Republic Of China , the Republic Of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam , while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines . About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern Reef but has not made any formal claim. The Islands are located in the Southeastern Asian group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines. GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Seamount s scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 km&2 of the central South China Sea
numerous reefs and shoals The islands contain no Arable Land and have no indigenous inhabitants, although twenty of the islands, including Itu Aba, the largest, are considered to be able to sustain human life. Natural resources include Fish , Guano , undetermined Oil and natural Gas potential. Economic activity is limited to commercial Fishing . The proximity to nearby Oil - and Gas -producing Sediment ary 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. The Spratly Islands have no ports or harbors but has four Airport s. These islands are strategically located near several primary shipping lanes. EARLY HISTORY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| { Class | "wikitable" |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| { Class | "wikitable" |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| { Class | "wikitable" |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|