Spratly Islands




                                 Geography


Location:
     Southeastern Asia, in the South China Sea, between Vietnam and the
     Philippines
Map references:
     Asia, Southeast Asia
Area:
total area:
     NA sq km but less than 5 km2
land area:
     less than 5 sq km
comparative area:
     NA
note:
     includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over
     the South China Sea
Land boundaries:
     0 km
Coastline:
     926 km
Maritime claims:
     NA
International disputes:
     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
Climate:
     tropical
Terrain:
     flat
Natural resources:
     fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
Land use:
arable land:
     0%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     0%
forest and woodland:
     0%
other:
     100%
Irrigated land:
     0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     NA
natural hazards:
     subject to typhoons
international agreements:
     NA




Note:
     strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the
     central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard; includes
     numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs


                                  People


Population:
     no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are scattered garrisons


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
Digraph:
     PG


                                  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


Ports:
     no natural harbors
Airports:
total:
     4
usable:
     4
with permanent-surface runways:
     1
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     0


                              Defense Forces


Note:
     about 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the
     Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam