# Spratly Islands

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Disputed archipelago in the South China Sea

Not to be confused with [Spratly Island](/source/Spratly_Island).

"Spratly" redirects here. For the surname, see [Spratly (surname)](/source/Spratly_(surname)).

Part of a series on the Spratly Islands Spratly Islands military occupations map Related articles Spratly Islands dispute Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Philippines and the Spratly Islands Dangerous Ground (South China Sea) Great Wall of Sand History of the Spratly Islands List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands List of airports in the Spratly Islands Vietnamese DK1 rigs Royal Malaysian Navy Offshore Bases Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads Free Territory of Freedomland Confrontations Southwest Cay incident (1975) East Sea Campaign (1975) Johnson South Reef skirmish (1988) Military occupations Occupied by Brunei Louisa Reef-Semarang Barat Kecil Reef Occupied by China (PRC) Cuarteron Reef, Huayang Reef Fiery Cross Reef, Yongshu Reef Gaven Reefs, Nanxun Reef and Xinan Reef Hughes Reef, Dongmen Reef Johnson South Reef, Chigua Reef Mischief Reef, Meiji Reef Subi Reef, Zhubi Reef Occupied by Malaysia Ardasier Reef, Ubi Reef Dallas Reef, Laya Reef Erica Reef, Siput Reef Investigator Shoal, Peninjau Shoal Mariveles Reef, Mantanani Reef Swallow Reef, Layang-Layang Island Occupied by the Philippines Commodore Reef, Rizal Reef Flat Island, Patag Island Irving Reef, Balagtas Reef Lankiam Cay, Panata Island Loaita Cay, Melchora Aquino Island Loaita Island, Kota Island Nanshan Island, Lawak Island Northeast Cay, Parola Island Second Thomas Shoal, Ayungin Shoal Thitu Island, Pagasa Island West York Island, Likas Island Occupied by Taiwan (ROC) Centre Cay, Zhongzhou Reef Itu Aba Island, Taiping Island Occupied by Vietnam Alison Reef, Toc Tan Reef Amboyna Cay, An Bang Island Barque Canada Reef, Thuyen Chai Reef Bombay Castle, Ba Ke Central London Reef, Truong Sa Dong Island Collins Reef, Co Lin Reef Cornwallis South Reef, Nui Le Reef Discovery Great Reef, Lon Reef East London Reef, Dong Reef Grierson Reef, Sinh Ton Dong Island Ladd Reef, Lat Reef Lansdowne Reef, Len Dao Reef Namyit Island, Nam Yet Island Pearson Reef, Phan Vinh Island Petley Reef, Nui Thi Reef Sand Cay, Son Ca Island Sin Cowe Island, Sinh Ton Island South Reef, Nam Reef Southwest Cay, Song Tu Tay Island Spratly Island, Truong Sa Island Tennent Reef, Tien Nu Reef West London Reef, Tay Reef Unoccupied Half Moon Shoal Luconia Shoals Northeast Investigator Shoal Royal Captain Shoal Sabina Shoal Western Reef Whitsun Reef v t e

The **Spratly Islands** ([Filipino](/source/Filipino_language): *Kapuluan ng Kalayaan*;[1] [simplified Chinese](/source/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 南沙群岛; [traditional Chinese](/source/Traditional_Chinese_characters): 南沙群島; [pinyin](/source/Pinyin): *Nánshā Qúndǎo*; [Malay](/source/Malay_language): *Kepulauan Spratly*; [Vietnamese](/source/Vietnamese_language): *Quần đảo Trường Sa*) are a [disputed](/source/Spratly_Islands_dispute) [archipelago](/source/Archipelago) in the [South China Sea](/source/South_China_Sea). Composed of islands, [islets](/source/Islet), [cays](/source/Cay),[2] and more than 100 [reefs](/source/Reef), sometimes grouped in submerged old [atolls](/source/Atoll),[3] the archipelago lies off the coasts of the [Philippines](/source/Philippines), [Malaysia](/source/Malaysia), and southern [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam). Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain [Richard Spratly](/source/Richard_Spratly) who sighted [Spratly Island](/source/Spratly_Island) in 1843, the islands contain less than 200 ha (500 acres) of naturally occurring land area that is spread over hundreds of square km of the South China Sea.

The Spratly Islands are one of the major archipelagos in the South China Sea which complicate governance and economics in this part of [Southeast Asia](/source/Southeast_Asia) due to their location in strategic shipping lanes. The islands are largely uninhabited, but offer rich fishing grounds and may contain significant oil and natural gas reserves, and as such are important to the claimants in their attempts to establish international boundaries. Some of the islands have civilian settlements, but of the approximately 45 islands, cays, reefs and shoals that are occupied, all contain structures that are occupied by military forces from Malaysia, [China (PRC)](/source/China), [Taiwan (ROC)](/source/Taiwan), the Philippines, and Vietnam. Additionally, [Brunei](/source/Brunei) has claimed an [exclusive economic zone](/source/Exclusive_economic_zone) in the southeastern part of the Spratly Islands, which includes the uninhabited [Louisa Reef](/source/Louisa_Reef).

## Geographic and economic overview

Further information: [List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands](/source/List_of_maritime_features_in_the_Spratly_Islands)

Spratly Islands Disputed islands The Spratly Islands Interactive map of Spratly Islands Geography Location South China Sea Coordinates 10°N 114°E / 10°N 114°E / 10; 114 Total islands 18 islands and cays Major islands Itu Aba Island Thitu Island West York Island Spratly Island Northeast Cay Southwest Cay Sin Cowe Island[4] Area 200 ha (490 acres) Coastline 926 km (575.4 mi) Highest elevation 4 m (13 ft) Highest point Southwest Cay Claimed by Brunei EEZ Brunei zone People's Republic of China Prefecture-level city Sansha, Hainan[5] Malaysia State Sabah Philippines Municipality Kalayaan, Palawan Republic of China (Taiwan) Municipality Kaohsiung Vietnam District Trường Sa, Khánh Hòa

Spratly Islands Chinese name Traditional Chinese 南沙群島 Simplified Chinese 南沙群岛 Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nánshā Qúndǎo Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Nàhmsaa Kwùhndóu Jyutping nam4 saa1 kwun4 dou2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Lâm-soa Kûn-tó Hainanese Romanization Nâm-so Kún-tō Vietnamese name Vietnamese Quần đảo Trường Sa Hán-Nôm 群島長沙 Malay name Malay Kepulauan Spratly Gugusan Semarang Peninjau[6][7][8] Filipino name Tagalog Kapuluan ng Kalayaan

The Spratly Islands

A geographic map of Spratly Islands[a]

In 1939, the Spratly Islands were coral islets mostly inhabited by seabirds.[2] Despite the Spratly Islands naturally consisting of 19 islands *(see below)*, according to a Chinese 1986 source, the Spratly Islands consist of 14 islands or islets, 6 banks, 113 submerged reefs, 35 underwater banks and 21 underwater shoals.[9]

The islands are all of similar nature; they are [cays](/source/Cay) (or keys): sand islands formed on old degraded and submerged [coral reefs](/source/Coral_reef). The northeast part of the Spratly Islands is known as [Dangerous Ground](/source/Dangerous_Ground_(South_China_Sea)) and is characterised by many low islands, sunken reefs, and degraded, sunken atolls with [coral](/source/Coral) often rising abruptly from ocean depths greater than 1,000 m (3,000 ft) — all of which makes the area dangerous for navigation.

The Spratly Islands contain almost no [arable land](/source/Arable_land), are largely uninhabited, and very few of the islands have a permanent drinkable water supply.[10][11]

Natural resources include fish, [guano](/source/Guano), [oil](/source/Petroleum) and natural gas.[12] Economic activity has included [commercial fishing](/source/Commercial_fishing), shipping, guano mining, oil and gas exploitation, and more recently, tourism. The Spratly Islands are located near several primary shipping lanes.

The islands and cays, listed in descending order of naturally occurring area, are:

# Island name in Atoll Area (ha.) Location Currently occupied by Reclaimed area 1 Itu Aba Island Tizard Bank 46.00 10°23′N 114°21′E / 10.383°N 114.350°E / 10.383; 114.350 Taiwan (Taiping Island) ~6 ha 2 Thitu Island Thitu Reefs 37.20 11°03′N 114°17′E / 11.050°N 114.283°E / 11.050; 114.283 Philippines (Pagasa Island) 3 West York Island West York Island 18.60 11°05′N 115°01′E / 11.083°N 115.017°E / 11.083; 115.017 Philippines (Likas Island) 4 Spratly Island Spratly Island 13.00 08°38′N 111°55′E / 8.633°N 111.917°E / 8.633; 111.917 Vietnam (Trường Sa Island) 5 Northeast Cay North Danger Reef 12.70 11°28′N 114°21′E / 11.467°N 114.350°E / 11.467; 114.350 Philippines (Parola Island) 6 Southwest Cay North Danger Reef 12.00 11°26′N 114°20′E / 11.433°N 114.333°E / 11.433; 114.333 Vietnam (Song Tử Tây Island) ~8 ha 7 Sin Cowe Island Union Banks 08.00 09°52′N 114°19′E / 9.867°N 114.317°E / 9.867; 114.317 Vietnam (Sinh Tồn Island) ~1 ha 8 Nanshan Island Nanshan Group 07.93 10°45′N 115°49′E / 10.750°N 115.817°E / 10.750; 115.817 Philippines (Lawak Island) 9 Sand Cay Tizard Bank 07.00 10°23′N 114°28′E / 10.383°N 114.467°E / 10.383; 114.467 Vietnam (Sơn Ca Island) ~2.1 ha[13] 10 Loaita Island Loaita Bank 06.45 10°40′N 114°25′E / 10.667°N 114.417°E / 10.667; 114.417 Philippines (Kota Island) 11 Swallow Reef Swallow Reef 06.20 07°22′N 113°50′E / 7.367°N 113.833°E / 7.367; 113.833 Malaysia (Layang-Layang Reef) 12 Namyit Island Tizard Bank 05.30 10°11′N 114°22′E / 10.183°N 114.367°E / 10.183; 114.367 Vietnam (Nam Yết Island) 13 Amboyna Cay Amboyna Cay 01.60 07°51′N 112°55′E / 7.850°N 112.917°E / 7.850; 112.917 Vietnam (An Bang Island) 14 Grierson Reef Union Banks 01.60 09°51′N 114°29′E / 9.850°N 114.483°E / 9.850; 114.483 Vietnam (Sinh Tồn Đông Island) 15 West London Reef London Reefs 01.10 08°52′N 112°15′E / 8.867°N 112.250°E / 8.867; 112.250 Vietnam (Đá Tây A Island) 16 Central London Reef London Reefs 00.88 08°56′N 112°21′E / 8.933°N 112.350°E / 8.933; 112.350 Vietnam (Trường Sa Đông Island) 17 Flat Island Nanshan Group 00.57 10°49′N 115°49′E / 10.817°N 115.817°E / 10.817; 115.817 Philippines (Patag Island) 18 Lankiam Cay Loaita Bank 00.44 10°43′N 114°32′E / 10.717°N 114.533°E / 10.717; 114.533 Philippines (Panata Island)

The total area of the archipelago's naturally occurring islands is 177 ha (440 acres) and 200 ha (490 acres) with reclaimed land.

Confusingly, the Spratly Islands at times were also referred to as the [Paracels](/source/Paracel_Islands).[14]

## Geology

The Spratly Islands consist of islands, reefs, banks and shoals made up of biogenic [carbonate](/source/Carbonate_rock). These accumulations of biogenic carbonate lie upon the higher crests of major submarine ridges that are uplifted [fault blocks](/source/Fault_block) known by geologists as [horsts](/source/Horst_(geology)).[15] These horsts are part of a series of half-[grabens](/source/Graben) and rotated fault-blocks which lie parallel and en echelon. The long axes of the horsts, rotated fault blocks and half-grabens form well-defined linear trends that lie parallel to [magnetic anomalies](/source/Magnetic_anomaly) exhibited by the [oceanic crust](/source/Oceanic_crust) of the adjacent South China Sea. The horsts, rotated fault blocks, and the rock forming the bottoms of associated grabens consist of stretched and subsided [continental crust](/source/Continental_crust) that is composed of [Triassic](/source/Triassic), [Jurassic](/source/Jurassic), and [Cretaceous](/source/Cretaceous) [strata](/source/Strata) that include [calc-alkalic](/source/Calc-alkaline_magma_series) [extrusive](/source/Extrusive) [igneous](/source/Igneous) rocks, intermediate to acid [intrusive](/source/Intrusion) igneous rocks, [sandstones](/source/Sandstone), [siltstones](/source/Siltstone), dark-green [claystones](/source/Claystone), and [metamorphic rocks](/source/Metamorphic_rocks) that include [biotite](/source/Biotite)–[muscovite](/source/Muscovite)–[feldspar](/source/Feldspar)–[quartz](/source/Quartz) [migmatites](/source/Migmatites) and [garnet](/source/Garnet)–[mica](/source/Mica) [schists](/source/Schists).[16][17][18]

The dismemberment and subsidence of continental crust into horsts, rotated fault blocks and half-grabens that underlie the Spratly Islands and surrounding sea bottom occurred in two distinct periods. They occurred as the result of the tectonic stretching of continental crust along underlying deeply rooted detachment faults. During the Late Cretaceous and Early [Oligocene](/source/Oligocene), the earliest period of tectonic stretching of continental crust and formation of horsts, half-grabens, and rotated fault-blocks occurred in association with the rifting and later sea-floor spreading that created the South China Sea. During the Late Oligocene-Early [Miocene](/source/Miocene) additional stretching and block faulting of continental crust occurred within the Spratly Islands and adjacent Dangerous Ground. During and after this period of tectonic activity, corals and other marine life colonised the crests of the horsts and other ridges that lay in shallow water. The remains of these organisms accumulated over time as biogenic carbonates that comprise the current day reefs, shoals and cays of the Spratly Islands. Starting with their formation in Late Cretaceous, fine-grained organic-rich marine sediments accumulated within the numerous submarine half-grabens that underlie sea bottom within the Dangerous Ground region.[16][17][18]

The geological surveys show localised areas within the Spratly Islands region are favourable for the accumulation of economic oil and gas reserves.[19][10][20] They include thick sequences of [Cenozoic](/source/Cenozoic) sediments east of the Spratly Islands. Southeast and west of them, there also exist thick accumulations of sediments that possibly might contain economic oil and gas reserves, which lie closer to the Spratly Islands.[19][21]

## Ecology

In some cays in the Spratly Islands, the sand and pebble sediments form the beaches and spits around the island. Under the influence of the dominant wind direction, which changes seasonally, these sediments move around the island to change the shape and size of the island. For example, Spratly Island is larger during the northeast monsoon (about 700 by 300 metres (2,300 ft × 980 ft)), and smaller during the southwest monsoon (approximately 650 m × 320 m (2,130 ft × 1,050 ft)).[22]

Some islands may contain fresh groundwater fed by rain. Groundwater levels fluctuate during the day with the rhythm of the tides.[23]

Phosphates [guano](/source/Guano) (bird faeces) are mainly concentrated in the beach rocks by the way of exchange-[endosmosis](/source/Endosmosis). The principal minerals bearing phosphate are podolite, lewistonite and dehonite.[24]

### Coral reefs

[Coral reefs](/source/Coral_reefs) are the predominant structures of these islands; the Spratly group contains over 600 coral reefs in total.[3] In April 2015 *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* reported that China were using "scores of dredgers" to convert Fiery Cross Reef and several other reefs into military facilities.[25][26]

### Vegetation

Little vegetation grows on these islands, which are subject to intense [monsoons](/source/Monsoons). Larger islands are capable of supporting [tropical forest](/source/Tropical_forest), [scrub forest](/source/Scrub_forest), [coastal scrub](/source/Coastal_scrub) and grasses. It is difficult to determine which species have been introduced or cultivated by humans. [Taiping Island](/source/Taiping_Island) (Itu Aba) was reportedly covered with [shrubs](/source/Shrubs), [coconut](/source/Coconut), and [mangroves](/source/Mangroves) in 1938; [pineapple](/source/Pineapple) was also cultivated there when it was profitable. Other accounts mention [papaya](/source/Papaya), [banana](/source/Banana), [palm](/source/Palm_tree), and even [white peach](/source/White_peach) trees growing on one island. A few islands that have been developed as small tourist resorts had soil and trees brought in and planted where there was none.[3]

### Wildlife

A total of 2,927 marine species have been recorded in the Spratly Sea, including 776 [benthic](/source/Benthic_zone) species, 382 species of hard coral, 524 species of marine fish, 262 species of algae and sea grass, 35 species of seabirds, and 20 species of marine mammals and sea turtles.[27] Terrestrial vegetation in the islands includes 103 species of vascular plants of magnolia branches ([Magnoliophyta](/source/Magnoliophyta)) of 39 families and 79 genera.[27] The islands that do have vegetation provide important habitats for many seabirds and sea turtles.[3] Both the [green turtle](/source/Green_turtle) (*Chelonia mydas*, [endangered](/source/Endangered_species)) and the [hawksbill turtle](/source/Hawksbill_turtle) (*Eretmochelys imbricata*, [critically endangered](/source/Critically_endangered)) formerly occurred in numbers sufficient to support commercial exploitation. These species reportedly continue to nest even on islands inhabited by military personnel (such as [Pratas](/source/Pratas)) to some extent, though it is believed that their numbers have declined.[3]

Seabirds use the islands as resting, breeding, and [wintering](/source/Wintering) sites. Species found here include [streaked shearwater](/source/Streaked_shearwater) (*Calonectris leucomelas*), [brown booby](/source/Brown_booby) (*Sula leucogaster*), [red-footed booby](/source/Red-footed_booby) (*S. sula*), [great crested tern](/source/Great_crested_tern) (*Sterna bergii*), and [white tern](/source/White_tern) (*Gygis alba*). Little information is available regarding the current status of the islands' seabird populations, though it is likely that birds may divert nesting sites to smaller, less disturbed islands. Bird eggs cover the majority of [Southwest Cay](/source/Southwest_Cay), a small island in the eastern Danger Zone.[3] A variety of [cetaceans](/source/Cetacean) such as [dolphins](/source/Dolphin),[28] [orcas](/source/Orca), [pilot whales](/source/Pilot_whale), and [sperm whales](/source/Sperm_whale) are also present around the islands.[29][30][31]

This [ecoregion](/source/Ecoregion) is still largely a mystery. Scientists have focused their research on the marine environment, while the ecology of the terrestrial environment remains relatively unknown.[3]

### Ecological hazards

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Location of the major islands in Spratly Islands. The eastern [Dangerous Ground](/source/Dangerous_Ground_(South_China_Sea)) area contains many other reefs.

- **Legend:**
- **[Republic of China](/source/Taiwan) (Taiwan):** 1: [Taiping](/source/Itu_Aba) 2: [Zhongzhou](/source/Ban_Than_Reef)
- **[China](/source/China):** 3: [Yongshu](/source/Fiery_Cross_Reef) 4: [Meiji](/source/Mischief_Reef) 5: [Zhubi](/source/Subi_Reef) 6: [Huayang](/source/Cuarteron_Reef) 7: [Nanxun](/source/Gaven_Reefs) 8: [Chiguo](/source/Johnson_South_Reef) 9: [Dongmen](/source/Hughes_Reef)
- **[Philippines](/source/Philippines):** 10: [Flat Island](/source/Flat_Island_(Spratly)) 11: [Lankiam Cay](/source/Lankiam_Cay) 12: [Loaita Cay](/source/Loaita_Cay) 13: [Loaita Island](/source/Loaita_Island) 14: [Nanshan Island](/source/Nanshan_Island) 15: [Northeast Cay](/source/Northeast_Cay) 16: [Thitu Island](/source/Thitu_Island) 17: [West York Island](/source/West_York_Island) 18: [Commodore Reef](/source/Commodore_Reef) 19: [Irving Reef](/source/Irving_Reef) 20: [Second Thomas Shoal](/source/Second_Thomas_Shoal)
- **[Vietnam](/source/Vietnam):** 21: [Southwest Cay](/source/Southwest_Cay) 22: [Sand Cay](/source/Sand_Cay) 23: [Namyit Island](/source/Namyit_Island) 24: [Sin Cowe Island](/source/Sin_Cowe_Island) 25: [Spratly Island](/source/Spratly_Island) 26: [Amboyna Cay](/source/Amboyna_Cay) 27: [Grierson Reef](/source/Grierson_Reef) 28: [Central London Reef](/source/Central_London_Reef) 29: [Pearson Reef](/source/Pearson_Reef) 30: [Barque Canada Reef](/source/Barque_Canada_Reef) 31: [West London Reef](/source/West_London_Reef) 32: [Ladd Reef](/source/Ladd_Reef) 33: [Discovery Great Reef](/source/Discovery_Great_Reef) 34: [Pigeon Reef](/source/Pigeon_Reef) 35: [East London Reef](/source/East_London_Reef) 36: [Alison Reef](/source/Alison_Reef) 37: [Cornwallis South Reef](/source/Cornwallis_South_Reef) 38: [Petley Reef](/source/Petley_Reef) 39: [South Reef](/source/South_Reef) 40: [Collins Reef](/source/Collins_Reef) 41: [Lansdowne Reef](/source/Lansdowne_Reef) 42: [Bombay Castle](/source/Bombay_Castle_(South_China_Sea)) 43: [Prince of Wales Bank](/source/Prince_of_Wales_Bank) 44: [Vanguard Bank](/source/Vanguard_Bank) 45: [Prince Consort Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Consort_Bank&action=edit&redlink=1) [[vi](https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A3i_Ph%C3%BAc_Nguy%C3%AAn)] 46: [Grainger Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grainger_Bank&action=edit&redlink=1) [[vi](https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A3i_Qu%E1%BA%BF_%C4%90%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dng)] 47: [Alexandra Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_Bank&action=edit&redlink=1) [[vi](https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A3i_Huy%E1%BB%81n_Tr%C3%A2n)] 48: [Orleana Shoal](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orleana_Shoal&action=edit&redlink=1) [[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A5%A5%E5%8D%97%E6%9A%97%E6%B2%99)] 49: [Kingston Shoal](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kingston_Shoal&action=edit&redlink=1) [[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%91%E7%9B%BE%E6%9A%97%E6%B2%99)]
- **[Malaysia](/source/Malaysia):** 50: [Swallow Reef](/source/Swallow_Reef) 51: [Ardasier Reef](/source/Ardasier_Reef) 52: [Dallas Reef](/source/Dallas_Reef) 53: [Erica Reef](/source/Erica_Reef) 54: [Investigator Shoal](/source/Investigator_Shoal) 55: [Mariveles Reef](/source/Mariveles_Reef)
- **[Brunei](/source/Brunei):** 56: [Louisa Reef](/source/Louisa_Reef)

Political instability, tourism, and the increasing industrialisation of neighbouring countries has led to serious disruption of native flora and fauna, [over-exploitation](/source/Over-exploitation) of natural resources, and [environmental pollution](/source/Environmental_pollution). Disruption of nesting areas by human activity and/or by introduced animals, such as dogs, has reduced the number of turtles nesting on the islands. Sea turtles are also slaughtered for food on a significant scale. The sea turtle is a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture and at times the military personnel are given orders to protect the turtles.[3]

Heavy commercial fishing in the region incurs other problems. Although it has been outlawed, fishing methods continue to include the use of [bottom trawlers](/source/Bottom_trawling) fitted with chain rollers. In 1994, a routine patrol by Taiwan's marine navy confiscated more than 200 kg (400 lb) of [potassium cyanide](/source/Potassium_cyanide) solution from fishermen who had been using it for [cyanide fishing](/source/Cyanide_fishing). These activities have a devastating impact on local marine organisms and coral reefs.[32]

Some interest has been taken in regard to conservation of these island ecosystems. J.W. McManus, professor of marine biology and ecology at the [University of Miami](/source/University_of_Miami)'s [Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science School](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rosenstiel_School_of_Marine,_Atmospheric,_and_Earth_Science_School&action=edit&redlink=1), has explored the possibilities of designating portions of the Spratly Islands as a [marine park](/source/Marine_park). One region of the Spratly Archipelago, named Truong Sa, was proposed by Vietnam's Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment (MOSTE) as a future protected area. The site, with an area of 160 km2 (62 sq mi), is currently managed by the [Khánh Hòa](/source/Kh%C3%A1nh_H%C3%B2a_Province) Provincial People's Committee of Vietnam.[3]

Military groups in the Spratly Islands have engaged in environmentally damaging activities such as shooting turtles and seabirds, raiding nests and fishing with explosives. The collection of rare medicinal plants, collecting of wood, and hunting for the wildlife trade are common threats to the biodiversity of the entire region, including these islands. Coral habitats are threatened by pollution, over-exploitation of fish and invertebrates, and the use of explosives and poisons as fishing techniques.[3]

A 2014 [United Nations Environment Programme](/source/United_Nations_Environment_Programme) (UNEP) report stated, "Sand is rarer than one thinks".[33]

The average price of sand imported by [Singapore](/source/Singapore) was [US$](/source/United_States_dollar)3 per [tonne](/source/Tonne) from 1995 to 2001, but the price increased to US$190 per tonne from 2003 to 2005.[33] Although the Philippines and China had both ratified the UNCLOS III, in the case of and [Johnson South Reef](/source/Johnson_South_Reef), [Hughes Reef](/source/Hughes_Reef), [Mischief Reef](/source/Mischief_Reef), the PRC dredged sand for free in the EEZ the Philippines[34] had claimed from 1978[35] arguing this is the "waters of China's Nansha Islands".

Although the consequences of substrate mining are hidden, they are tremendous.[33] Aggregate particles that are too fine to be used are rejected by dredging boats, releasing vast dust plumes and changing water turbidity.[33]

John McManus, a professor of marine biology and ecology at the [University of Miami](/source/University_of_Miami)'s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, said, "The worst thing anyone can do to a coral reef is to bury it under tons of sand and gravel ... There are global security concerns associated with the damage. It is likely broad enough to reduce fish stocks in the world's most fish-dependent region." He explained that the reason the world has heard little about the damage inflicted by the People's Republic of China to the reefs is that the experts can't get to them and noted "I have colleagues from the Philippines, Taiwan, PRC, Vietnam and Malaysia who have worked in the Spratly area. Most would not be able to get near the [artificial islands](/source/Artificial_island) except possibly some from PRC, and those would not be able to release their findings."[36]

## History

The earliest evidence of human presence in the nearby region, dating back nearly 50,000 years, has been found in the [Tabon Caves](/source/Tabon_Caves) on Palawan in the [Philippine islands](/source/List_of_islands_of_the_Philippines). By 2,000 BC, the maritime jade road, an advanced and extensive sea-based trade network, was established by the animist indigenous Austronesian peoples of the [Philippines](/source/Philippines) and [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan). The trade network later expanded to include states in what is now Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.[37][38][39][40] Between 600 BC to 3 BC there was an east to west migration by members of the seafaring [Sa Huỳnh culture](/source/Sa_Hu%E1%BB%B3nh_culture), who, like the earlier Austronesians who came before them, may have passed through the Spratly Islands on their way to Vietnam. These migrants were the forebears of the [Cham people](/source/Cham_people), an [Austronesian-speaking](/source/Austronesian_languages) people that founded the Old [Champa](/source/Champa) kingdom in mainland Southeast Asia.[41][42]

### Early records and cartography

In the [Song Dynasty](/source/Song_Dynasty) work *[Zhu fan zhi](/source/Zhu_fan_zhi)* by [Zhao Rugua](/source/Zhao_Rugua), the name "Thousand [Li](/source/Li_(unit)) Stretch of Sands" (*Qianli Changsha*, 千里長沙) and the "Ten-Thousand [Li](/source/Li_(unit)) of Stone Pools/Beds" (*Wanli Shitang* 萬里石塘, or *Wanli Shichuang* [萬里](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%90%AC%E9%87%8C)[石](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%9F%B3)[床](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%BA%8A)) were given, interpreted by some to refer to [Paracel](/source/Paracel_Islands) and Spratly respectively.[43] *Wanli Shitang* is also recorded in the *[History of Yuan](/source/History_of_Yuan)* to have been explored by the Chinese during the Mongol-led [Yuan dynasty](/source/Yuan_dynasty) and may have been considered by them to have been within their national boundaries.[44][45][46] However, the Yuan also ruled over [Korea](/source/Korea), [Outer Mongolia](/source/Mongolia), and parts of modern [Russia](/source/Russia). They are also referenced, sometimes with different names, in the Ming dynasty.[47][48] For example, in the [Mao Kun map](/source/Mao_Kun_map) dating from [Zheng He](/source/Zheng_He)'s voyage of the early 15th century, *Shixing Shitang* (石星石塘) is taken by some to mean Spratly,[49] however different authors interpret the identities of these islands differently.[50] Another Ming text, *Haiyu* (海語, On the Sea), uses *Wanli Changsha* (萬里長沙) for Spratly and noted that it is located southeast of *Wanli Shitang* (Paracels).[49] When the Ming Dynasty collapsed, the [Qing dynasty](/source/Qing_dynasty) continued to include the territory in maps compiled in 1724,[51] 1755,[52] 1767,[53] 1810,[54] and 1817,[55] but did not officially claim jurisdiction over these islands.

An early European map, *A correct chart of the China Seas* of 1758 by William Herbert, left the Spratly Islands region (known then as the Dangerous Ground) as largely blank, indicating that region has yet to be properly surveyed, although some islands and shoals at its western edge were marked (one appears at the same place as [Thitu Island](/source/Thitu_Island)).[56][57] A number of maps of the South China Sea were later produced, but the first map that gives a reasonably accurate delineation of the Spratly Islands region (titled *[South] China Sea, Sheet 1*) was only published in 1821 by the hydrographer of the East India Company James Horsburgh after a survey by Captain Daniel Ross. A later 1859 edition of the map named the Spratly Island as Storm Island.[56] The islands were sporadically visited throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries by mariners from different European powers (including [Richard Spratly](/source/Richard_Spratly), after whom the island group derives its most recognisable English name, who visited the group in the 1840s in his [whaler](/source/Whaler) [*Cyrus*](/source/Cyrus_(1800_whaler))).[58] However, these nations showed little interest in the islands. In 1883, German boats surveyed the Spratly and the Paracel Islands but eventually withdrew the survey, after receiving protests from the [Guangdong](/source/Guangdong) government representing the [Qing dynasty](/source/Qing_dynasty). China sent naval forces on inspection tours in 1902 and 1907 and placed flags and markers on the islands.[59]

A Vietnamese map from 1834 also combines the Spratly and Paracel Islands into one region known as "Vạn Lý Trường Sa", a feature commonly incorporated into maps of the era (萬里長沙) ‒ that is, the same as the aforementioned Chinese island name *Wanli Changsha*.[60] According to [Hanoi](/source/Hanoi), Vietnamese maps record Bãi Cát Vàng (*Golden Sandbanks*, referring to both the Spratly and Paracel Islands), which lay near the coast of the central Vietnam, as early as 1838.[61] In *Phủ Biên Tạp Lục* (*The Frontier Chronicles*) by scholar [Lê Quý Đôn](/source/L%C3%AA_Qu%C3%BD_%C4%90%C3%B4n), both [Hoàng Sa](/source/Ho%C3%A0ng_Sa) and [Trường Sa](/source/Tr%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dng_Sa) were defined as belonging to the Quảng Ngãi District. He described it as where sea products and shipwrecked cargoes were available to be collected. Vietnamese text written in the 17th century referenced government-sponsored economic activities during the [Lê dynasty](/source/L%C3%AA_dynasty), 200 years earlier. The Vietnamese government conducted several geographical surveys of the islands in the 18th century.[61] Despite the fact that China and Vietnam both made a claim to these territories simultaneously, at the time, neither side was aware that its neighbour had already charted and made claims to the same stretch of islands.[61]: 42

In 1888 the Central Borneo Company were granted a lease to work guano "on Sprattly island and Amboyna Cay".[62] During the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War) troops from [French Indochina](/source/French_Indochina) and [Japan](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Navy) were in occupation.[63][64][65] In 1956 Filipino adventurer [Tomás Cloma Sr.](/source/Tom%C3%A1s_Cloma) decided to "claim" a part of Spratly islands as his own, naming it the "[Free Territory of Freedomland](/source/Free_Territory_of_Freedomland)".[66]

In the 1950s, a group of individuals claimed sovereignty over the islands in the name of Morton F. Meads, supposedly an American descendant of a British naval captain who gave his name to Meads Island (Itu Aba) in the 1870s. In an affidavit made in 1971, the group claimed to represent the Kingdom of Humanity/[Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads](/source/Republic_of_Morac-Songhrati-Meads),[67] which they asserted was in turn the successor entity for a supposed Kingdom of Humanity established between the two world wars on Meads Island, allegedly by the son of the British captain. This claim to this would-be [micronation](/source/Micronation) fell dormant after 1972, when several members of the group drowned in a typhoon.[68][69][70][71]

		- In the [Mao Kun map](/source/Mao_Kun_map), Spratly Islands are suggested to be the islands at the bottom right (石星石塘; *shíxīng shítáng*).[49] Others however believe they referred to the [Paracel Islands](/source/Paracel_Islands) or [Macclesfield Bank](/source/Macclesfield_Bank).[50][72]

		- The [Velarde map](/source/Velarde_map) shows Galit, Pancot, and Lumbay, which the Philippines identifies as the [Scarborough Shoal](/source/Scarborough_Shoal) and islands off of [Palawan](/source/Palawan). It was used in the [South China Sea Arbitration](/source/South_China_Sea_Arbitration).[73]

		- The Spratlys, labeled as *Los Bajos de Paragua*, off the coast of [Palawan](/source/Palawan) (*Paragua*) on the [Velarde map](/source/Velarde_map)

		- An 1801 Cary Map of the East Indies and Southeast Asia showing Panacot, the Scarborough Shoal, Amphitrite, the Paracels, and what is now known as the Spratlys

		- An 1838 Unified Dai Nam map marking [Trường Sa](/source/Tr%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dng_Sa) and [Hoàng Sa](/source/Ho%C3%A0ng_Sa), which are considered as Spratly and [Paracel Islands](/source/Paracel_Islands) by some Vietnamese scholars

		- A British chart of the sea in northern Borneo, first issued in 1881 and corrected in 1935

### Military conflicts and diplomatic dialogues

Further information: [Spratly Islands dispute](/source/Spratly_Islands_dispute)

The following are political divisions for the Spratly Islands claimed by various area nations (in alphabetical order):

- Brunei: Part of Brunei's Exclusive Economic Zone[74][75]

- China: Part of [Sansha](/source/Sansha), [Hainan](/source/Hainan)[76]

- Malaysia: Part of [Sabah](/source/Sabah) state

- Philippines: Part of [Kalayaan](/source/Kalayaan%2C_Palawan), [Palawan](/source/Palawan) province

- Taiwan: Part of [Kaohsiung](/source/Kaohsiung) municipality

- Vietnam: Part of [Trường Sa](/source/Tr%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dng_Sa_District), [Khánh Hòa Province](/source/Kh%C3%A1nh_H%C3%B2a_Province)

#### Conflicts in the 19th century

In the 19th century, Europeans found that Chinese fishermen from [Hainan](/source/Hainan) annually sojourned on the Spratly islands for part of the year, while in 1877 it was the British who launched the first modern legal claims to the Spratly Islands.[77][78]

Some Chinese scholars and officials argue that the 1887 Sino-French Tonkin Boundary convention[79] signed after the [Sino-French War](/source/Sino-French_War) recognised the sovereignty of China over the Paracel and Spratly islands.[80] The line mentioned in the convention can be more accurately described as a shorthand for dividing islands between China and Vietnam in the [Gulf of Tonkin](/source/Gulf_of_Tonkin), but not its maritime waters. In the 1950s amid warming ties between the two countries, [Mao Zedong](/source/Mao_Zedong) decided to hand over [Bạch Long Vĩ Island](/source/B%E1%BA%A1ch_Long_V%C4%A9_Island), which lies to the west of the dividing line and had Chinese inhabitants, to Vietnam. In 1933 and 1937 France sent diplomatic notes to China maintaining that the 1887 treaty determined the ownership of islands near the [Móng Cái](/source/M%C3%B3ng_C%C3%A1i) area only not anywhere beyond that.[81][82]

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also try to claim that a 1883 incident involving a German ship conducting surveys in the South China Sea without China's consent was protested with Berlin and the Germans terminated the survey.[59] Western scholars have determined, however, that this incident is not based on verifiable references and is inconsistent with other Chinese inaction during the same time period given that, in 1885, the German Admiralty published a two‐sheet chart entitled *Die Paracel‐Inseln* (The Paracel Islands). The chart documented the work of a German expedition to the Paracels between 1881 and 1884.[83]

#### Conflicts in the 20th century until 1945

China sent naval forces on inspection tours in 1902 and 1907 and placed flags and markers on the islands. The Qing dynasty's successor state, the Republic of China, claimed the Spratly and Paracel islands under the jurisdiction of Hainan.[59]

In 1933, France asserted its claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] on behalf of its then-colony [French Indochina](/source/French_Indochina).[84] It occupied a number of the Spratly Islands, including [Taiping Island](/source/Taiping_Island), built weather stations on two of the islands, and administered them as part of French Indochina.[*[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability)*] This occupation was protested by the [Republic of China](/source/Republic_of_China_(1912%E2%80%9349)) (ROC) government because France admitted finding Chinese fishermen there when French warships visited nine of the islands.[85] In 1935, the ROC government also announced a sovereignty claim on the Spratly Islands. [Japan](/source/Empire_of_Japan) occupied some of the islands in 1939 during World War II, and it used the islands as a [submarine](/source/Submarine) base for the occupation of Southeast Asia. During the Japanese occupation, these islands were called *Shinnan Shoto* (新南諸島), literally the New Southern Islands, and together with the Paracel Islands (西沙群岛), they were put under the governance of the Japanese authority in [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan_under_Japanese_rule) on 30 March 1939.[86]

Japan occupied the Paracels and the Spratly Islands from February 1939 to August 1945.[61]: 43 Japan annexed the Spratly Islands via Taiwan's jurisdiction and the Paracels via Hainan's jurisdiction.[77] Parts of the Paracels and Spratly Islands were again controlled by Republic of China after the 1945 surrender of Japan,[87] since the Allied powers assigned the Republic of China to receive Japanese surrenders in that area,[59] however no successor was named to the islands.[87]

#### Conflicts in the 20th century after World War II

[China](/source/Republic_of_China_(1912%E2%80%931949))'s (now [ROC](/source/Taiwan) and [PRC](/source/China)) [nine-dash line](/source/Nine-dash_line) illustrated in a 1947 map of the South China Sea

In November 1946, the ROC sent naval ships to take control of the islands after the [surrender of Japan](/source/Surrender_of_Japan).[61]: 43 It had chosen the largest and perhaps the only inhabitable island, [Taiping Island](/source/Taiping_Island), as its base, and it renamed the island under the name of the naval vessel as Taiping. Also following the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II, the ROC re-claimed the entirety of the Spratly Islands (including Taiping Island) after accepting the Japanese surrender of the islands based on the [Cairo](/source/1943_Cairo_Declaration) and [Potsdam Declarations](/source/Potsdam_Declaration). The Republic of China then garrisoned Itu Aba (Taiping) island in 1946 and posted Chinese flags.[77] The aim of the Republic of China was to block the French claims.[59][88] The Republic of China drew up the map showing the U-shaped claim on the entire South China Sea, showing the Spratly and Paracels in Chinese territory, in 1947.[59] Japan had renounced all claims to the islands in the 1951 [San Francisco Peace Treaty](/source/San_Francisco_Peace_Treaty) together with the Paracels, Pratas and other islands captured from the Chinese, and upon these declarations, the government of the Republic of China reasserted its claim to the islands. At the peace conference, South Vietnam declared Vietnamese sovereignty over the Spratlys, but North Vietnam supported China's authority.[89] The Chinese [Kuomintang](/source/Kuomintang) force withdrew from most of the Spratly and Paracel Islands after they retreated to Taiwan from the opposing [Chinese Communist Party](/source/Chinese_Communist_Party) due to their losses in the [Chinese Civil War](/source/Chinese_Civil_War) and the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.[84] Taiwan quietly withdrew troops from Taiping Island in 1950, but then reinstated them in 1956 in response to [Tomás Cloma](/source/Tom%C3%A1s_Cloma)'s sudden claim to the island as part of [Freedomland](/source/Free_Territory_of_Freedomland).[90] As of 2013[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spratly_Islands&action=edit), Taiping Island is administered by Taiwan.[91]

After pulling out its garrison in 1950 when the Republic of China evacuated to Taiwan, when the Filipino Tomas Cloma uprooted an ROC flag on Itu Aba and laid claim to the Spratly Islands, Taiwan again regarrisoned Itu Aba in 1956.[92] In 1946, the Americans allegedly reminded the Philippines at its independence that the Spratly Islands were not Philippine territory, both to not anger [Chiang Kai-shek](/source/Chiang_Kai-shek) in China and because the Spratly Islands were not part of the Philippines per the [1898 treaty Spain signed with the United States](/source/Treaty_of_Paris_(1898)).[77] However, no document was found to that effect. The Philippines then claimed the Spratly Islands in 1971 under [President Marcos](/source/Ferdinand_Marcos), after Taiwanese troops attacked and shot at a Philippine fishing boat on Itu Aba.[93]

Taiwan's garrison from 1946 to 1950 and 1956-now on Itu Aba represents an "effective occupation" of the Spratly Islands.[93][94] China established a coastal defence system against Japanese pirates or smugglers.[95]

Territorial monument of the [Republic of Vietnam](/source/Republic_of_Vietnam) (South Vietnam) on [Southwest Cay](/source/Southwest_Cay), Spratly Islands, defining the cay as part of Vietnamese territory ([Phước Tuy Province](/source/Ph%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc_Tuy_Province)). Used from 22 August 1956 until 1975, when replaced by another one from the [Socialist Republic of Vietnam](/source/Socialist_Republic_of_Vietnam) (successor state after the [Fall of Saigon](/source/Fall_of_Saigon))

North Vietnam seemed to have recognised China's claims on the Paracels and Spratly Islands during the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War) as it was being supported by China.[96] In 1958 China issued a declaration defining its territorial waters that encompassed the Spratly Islands. [North Vietnam](/source/North_Vietnam)'s prime minister, [Phạm Văn Đồng](/source/Ph%E1%BA%A1m_V%C4%83n_%C4%90%E1%BB%93ng), sent a formal note to [Zhou Enlai](/source/Zhou_Enlai), stating that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) respected a Chinese statement, which had mentioned the Paracels and the Spratlys by name as belonging to China, regarding the 12-[nautical mile](/source/Nautical_mile) limit of its territorial waters.[97] China also cites correspondence from the Vietnamese government or officials on two other occasions.[96] After North Vietnam won the war and unified with [South Vietnam](/source/South_Vietnam) however, Vietnam stated that while it had previously acquiesced to Chinese claims, the times have since changed.[96] Vietnamese sources also argue that Phạm Văn Đồng's note was concerned with the breadth of territorial waters only not China's claims.[98]

In 1983, Vietnamese forces occupying [Amboyna Cay](/source/Amboyna_Cay) fired on a [DXpedition](/source/DXpedition) boat flying a German flag, killing one passenger but allowing the remaining passengers and crew to escape in a rescue dinghy. Adrift for ten days, two surviving passengers and both crew members were saved by a Japanese freighter.[99]

In 1987, China installed a small military structure on [Fiery Cross Reef](/source/Fiery_Cross_Reef) under the pretext of building an oceanic observation station and installing a [tide gauge](/source/Tide_gauge) for the [Global Sea Level Observing System](/source/Global_Sea_Level_Observing_System).[100][*[verification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability)*] After a [deadly skirmish](/source/Johnson_South_Reef_Skirmish) with the Vietnamese Navy, China installed some military structures on more reefs in the vicinity of the Philippines and Vietnamese occupied islands and this led to escalating tensions between these countries and China over the status and ownership of reefs.

In 1988, the Vietnamese and Chinese navies engaged in a [skirmish in the area of Johnson South Reef](/source/Johnson_South_Reef_Skirmish) (also called Gạc Ma Reef in Vietnam and Yongshu Reef in China).[101]

Under President [Lee Teng-hui](/source/Lee_Teng-hui), Taiwan stated that "legally, historically, geographically, or in reality", all of the South China Sea and Spratly islands were Taiwan's territory and under Taiwanese sovereignty, and denounced actions undertaken there by Malaysia and the Philippines, in a statement on 13 July 1999 released by the foreign ministry of Taiwan.[102] Taiwan and China's claims "mirror" each other; during international talks involving the Spratly islands, China and Taiwan have cooperated with each other since both have the same claims.[93][103]

It was unclear whether France continued its claim to the islands after World War II, since none of the islands, other than Taiping Island, was habitable. The [South Vietnamese](/source/South_Vietnam) government took over the [Trường Sa](/source/Tr%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dng_Sa) administration after the defeat of the French at the end of the [First Indochina War](/source/First_Indochina_War). "The French bestowed its titles, rights, and claims over the two island chains to the Republic of Vietnam (RoV) in accordance with the [Geneva Accords](/source/1954_Geneva_Conference)", said Nguyen Hong Thao, Associate Professor at Faculty of Law, Vietnam National University.[104]

In 1999, a Philippine navy ship (Number 57 – [BRP *Sierra Madre*](/source/BRP_Sierra_Madre_(LT-57))) was purposely run aground near [Second Thomas Shoal](/source/Second_Thomas_Shoal) to enable establishment of an outpost. As of 2014[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spratly_Islands&action=edit) it had not been removed, and Filipino marines have been stationed aboard since the grounding.[105][106]

#### Conflicts in the 21st century

Taiwan and mainland China are largely strategically aligned on the Spratly islands issue, since they both claim exactly the same area, so Taiwan's control of Itu Aba (Taiping) island is viewed as an extension of China's claim.[80] Taiwan and China both claim the entire island chain, while all the other claimants only claim portions of them. China has proposed co-operation with Taiwan against all the other countries claiming the islands. Taiwanese lawmakers have demanded that Taiwan fortify Itu Aba (Taiping) island with weapons to defend against the Vietnamese, and both China and Taiwanese NGOs have pressured Taiwan to expand Taiwan's military capabilities on the island, which played a role in Taiwan expanding the island's runway in 2012.[107] China has urged Taiwan to co-operate and offered Taiwan a share in oil and gas resources while shutting out all the other rival claimants. Taiwanese lawmakers have complained about repeated Vietnamese aggression and trespassing on Taiwan's Itu Aba (Taiping), and Taiwan has started viewing Vietnam as an enemy over the Spratly Islands, not China.[108] Taiwan's state run oil company [CPC Corporation](/source/CPC_Corporation)'s board director Chiu Yi has called Vietnam as the "greatest threat" to Taiwan.[107] Taiwan's airstrip on Taiping has irritated Vietnam.[109] China views Taiwan's expansion of its military and airstrip on Taiping as benefiting China's position against the other rival claimants from southeast Asian countries.[94] China's claims to the Spratly Islands benefit from legal weight because of Taiwan's presence on Itu Aba, while America on the other hand has regularly ignored Taiwan's claims in the South China Sea and does not include Taiwan in any talks on dispute resolution for the area.[110]

Taiwan performed live fire military exercises on Taiping island in September 2012; reports said that Vietnam was explicitly named by the Taiwanese military as the "imaginary enemy" in the drill. Vietnam protested against the exercises as violation of its territory and "voiced anger", demanding that Taiwan stop the drill. Among the inspectors of the live fire drill were Taiwanese national legislators, adding to the tensions.[111]

In May 2011, Chinese patrol boats attacked two Vietnamese oil exploration ships near the Spratly Islands.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Also in May 2011, Chinese naval vessels opened fire on Vietnamese fishing vessels operating off East London Reef (Da Dong). The three Chinese military vessels were numbered 989, 27 and 28, and they showed up with a small group of Chinese fishing vessels. Another Vietnamese fishing vessel was fired on near [Fiery Cross Reef](/source/Fiery_Cross_Reef) (Chu Thap). The Chief Commander of Border Guards in Phú Yên Province, Vietnam, reported that a total of four Vietnamese vessels were fired upon by Chinese naval vessels.[112][*[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability)*] These incidents involving Chinese forces sparked mass protests in Vietnam, especially in [Hanoi](/source/Hanoi) and [Ho Chi Minh City](/source/Ho_Chi_Minh_City),[113] and in various Vietnamese communities in the West (namely in the US state of California and in Paris) over attacks on Vietnamese citizens and the intrusion into what Vietnam claimed was part of its territory.[114]

In June 2011, the Philippines began officially referring to parts of the South China Sea as the "[West Philippine Sea](/source/West_Philippine_Sea)" and the [Reed Bank](/source/Reed_Bank) as "Recto Bank".[115][116]

In July 2012, the [National Assembly of Vietnam](/source/National_Assembly_of_Vietnam) passed a law demarcating Vietnamese sea borders to include the Spratly and Paracel Islands.[117][118]

In 2010, it was reported that the former Malaysian Prime Minister [Mahathir Mohamad](/source/Mahathir_Mohamad) believed Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China,[119] and said that China "was not a threat to anyone and was not worried about aggression from China", as well as accusing the US of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China.[120] Malaysian authorities displayed no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal in March 2013,[34] with its [Defence Minister](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(Malaysia)) [Hishammuddin Hussein](/source/Hishammuddin_Hussein) suggested they might work with China and saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies".[121][122] However, until present Malaysia still maintained balanced relations with the countries involved in this dispute.[123] But since China has started encroaching its territorial waters,[124] Malaysia has become active in condemning China.[125][126]

The editorial of the Taiwanese news website *Want China Times* accused America of being behind the May 2014 flareup in the South China Sea, saying that Vietnam rammed a Chinese vessel on 2 May over an oil rig drilling platform and the Philippines detained 11 Chinese fishermen because of Obama's visit to the region and that they were incited by America "behind the scenes". *Want China Times* claimed America ordered Vietnam on 7 May to complain about the drilling platform, and noted that a joint military exercise was happening at this time between the Philippines and America, and also noted that the American *New York Times* newspaper supported Vietnam.[127]

In a series of news stories on 16 April 2015, it was revealed, through photos taken by [Airbus](/source/Airbus), that China had been building an airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef, one of the southern islands. The 10,000-foot-long (3,048 m) runway covers a significant portion of the island, and is viewed as a possible strategic threat to other countries with claims to the islands, such as [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam) and the [Philippines](/source/Philippines).

Champa historically had a large presence in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese broke Champa's power in [an invasion of Champa in 1471](/source/Cham%E2%80%93Vietnamese_War_(1471)), and then finally conquered the last remnants of the Cham people in an invasion in 1832. A Cham named Katip Suma who received Islamic education in Kelantan declared a [Jihad](/source/Jihad) against the Vietnamese, and fighting continued until the Vietnamese crushed the remnants of the resistance in 1835. The Cham organisation Front de Libération du Champa was part of the [United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races](/source/United_Front_for_the_Liberation_of_Oppressed_Races), which waged war against the Vietnamese for independence in the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War) along with the [Montagnard](/source/Degar) and [Khmer Krom](/source/Khmer_Krom) minorities. The last remaining FULRO insurgents surrendered to the United Nations in 1992.

The Vietnamese government fears that evidence of [Champa](/source/Champa)'s influence over the disputed area in the South China Sea would bring attention to human rights violations and killings of ethnic minorities in Vietnam such as in the 2001 and 2004 uprisings, and lead to the issue of Cham autonomy being brought into the dispute, since the Vietnamese conquered the Hindu and Muslim [Cham people](/source/Cham_people) in a war in 1832.[128]

Japanese scholar Taoka Shunji said in a journal article that the assumption amongst many Japanese people that the territory of the Philippines was being invaded by China, was incorrect. He pointed out that the Spratly islands were not part of the Philippines, when the US acquired the Philippines from Spain in the [Treaty of Paris in 1898](/source/Treaty_of_Paris_(1898)), and when the Japanese-ruled Taiwan itself had annexed the Spratly islands in 1938, the US-ruled Philippines did not challenge the move and never asserted that it was their territory. He also pointed out that other countries did not need to do full land reclamation since they already control islands, and that the reason China engaged in extensive land reclamation is because they needed it to build airfields since China only has control over reefs.[129]

The "Moro" as "people", is used to describe both the Filipino Muslims and their homeland. Ancestors of Moro people were the owners of Spratly Islands prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonials in the 16th century, according to the Sultan of Sulu in the southern Philippines reported in a local paper. "China has no right over the Spratly Islands in what it calls the South China Sea because that is part of our ancestral domain," Majaraj Julmuner Jannaral, Sultanate information officer, told the Philippine Star. "The Spratly Archipelago is part of the Sulu Sea (the inner area around the islands in the southern Philippines, which is part of the [West Philippine Sea](/source/West_Philippine_Sea) (designation of parts of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines to be part of its EEZ)," Jannaral concluded. "Exploration of the marine territory and the waters around the Spratly Archipelago, Palawan in southwestern Philippines and the southern Philippines, belong to the residents in those areas," he added. The Sultanate of Sulu claims historic proprietary rights over the Spratly Islands since before the Spanish colonial era.[130]

Various incidents of fishing boats being harassed by Chinese warships have occurred.[131][132][133] At least 2 vessels were rammed or sunk. One was a Vietnamese ship attacked by a Chinese coastguard vessel, and another was a Filipino ship rammed and sunk by a Chinese fishing boat who let the Filipino fishermen drift at sea without giving aid. The stranded fishermen were later rescued by a Vietnamese ship.[134][135]

In 2017, the United States despite not being a claimant in the Spratly dispute, reported using [freedom of navigation operations](/source/Freedom_of_Navigation_Operations) (FONOPs) to challenge what it deemed as excessive and illegal maritime claims from multiple Asia-Pacific states including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Vietnam.[136]

In 2022, Vietnam demanded that Taiwan cease conducting [live fire exercises](/source/Live_fire_exercise) at the Spratly Islands.[137]

### 2016 arbitration

Main article: [Philippines v. China](/source/Philippines_v._China)

In January 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration proceedings against China under the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea](/source/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea) (UNCLOS) across a range of issues, including the latter's historic rights claims over parts or all of the Spratly Islands inside the [nine-dash line](/source/Nine-dash_line).[138][139][140] A tribunal of arbitrators constituted under Annex VII of [UNCLOS](/source/UNCLOS) appointed the [Permanent Court of Arbitration](/source/Permanent_Court_of_Arbitration) (PCA) as registry to the proceedings.[141]

On 12 July 2016, the arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines on most of its submissions. While it would not "rule on any question of sovereignty over land territory and would not delimit any maritime boundary between the Parties", it concluded that China had not historically exercised exclusive control within the nine-dash line, hence has "no legal basis" to claim "historic rights" to resources.[138] It also concluded that China's historic rights claims over the maritime areas (as opposed to land masses and territorial waters) inside the nine-dash line would have no lawful effect outside of what is entitled to under UNCLOS.[142][143][144] It criticized China's land reclamation projects and construction of artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, saying that they had caused "severe harm to the coral reef environment".[145] Finally, it characterized [Taiping Island](/source/Taiping_Island) and other features of the Spratly Islands as "rocks" under UNCLOS, and therefore are not entitled to a 200 nautical mile [exclusive economic zone](/source/Exclusive_economic_zone).[146] The award was ruled as final and non-appealable by either country.[147][148] China rejected the ruling, calling it "ill-founded".[149] Taiwan, which currently administers Taiping Island, the largest of the Spratly Islands, also rejected the ruling.[150] As of November 2023[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spratly_Islands&action=edit), 26 governments support the ruling, 17 issued generally positive statements noting the ruling but not called for compliance, and eight rejected it.[151] The governments in support were [Australia](/source/Australia), [Austria](/source/Austria), [Belgium](/source/Belgium), [Canada](/source/Canada), the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic), [Denmark](/source/Denmark), [Finland](/source/Finland), [France](/source/France), [Germany](/source/Germany), [Greece](/source/Greece), [India](/source/India), [Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland), [Italy](/source/Italy), Japan, the [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands), [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand), the Philippines, [Poland](/source/Poland), [Portugal](/source/Portugal), [Romania](/source/Romania), [Slovakia](/source/Slovakia), [South Korea](/source/South_Korea), [Spain](/source/Spain), [Sweden](/source/Sweden), the United Kingdom, and the US; the eight in opposition were China, [Montenegro](/source/Montenegro), [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan), Russia, [Sudan](/source/Sudan), [Syria](/source/Syria), Taiwan, and [Vanuatu](/source/Vanuatu).[151][152] The [United Nations](/source/United_Nations) itself does not have a position on the legal and procedural merits of the case or on the disputed claims, and the Secretary-General expressed his hope that the continued consultations on a Code of Conduct between [ASEAN](/source/ASEAN) and China under the framework of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea will lead to increased mutual understanding among all the parties.[153]

## Transportation and communication

### Airports

See also: [List of airports in the Spratly Islands](/source/List_of_airports_in_the_Spratly_Islands)

Location Occupied by Name Code Built Length Notes Taiping Island Republic of China Taiping Island Airport RCSP 2007 1,200 m (est.) Military use only. No refueling facilities.[154] Swallow Reef (Layang-Layang) Malaysia Layang-Layang Airport LAC 1995 1,367 m Dual-use concrete airport. Fiery Cross Reef China Yongshu Airport AG 4553 2016 3,300 m (est.) Dual-use concrete airport. Subi Reef China Zhubi Airport 2016 3,000 m (est.) Dual-use concrete airport. Mischief Reef China Meiji Airport 2016 2,700 m (est.) Dual-use concrete airport. Thitu Island (Pag-asa) Philippines Rancudo Airfield RPPN 1978 1,300 m (est.) Dual-use concrete airport.[155] Spratly Island (Trường Sa Lớn) Vietnam Trường Sa Airport 1976–77 1,200 - 1,300 m (est.)[156] Military use only. Extended from 600 m to 1,200 m in 2016.[156] Barque Canada Reef (Bãi Thuyền Chài) Vietnam Bãi Thuyền Chài Airport 2025 3,200 m (est.)[157] Likely military use only.

### Telecommunications

In 2005, a cellular phone base station was erected by the Philippines' [Smart Communications](/source/Smart_Communications) on [Pag-asa Island](/source/Pag-asa_Island).[158]

Vietnam Military Telecommunications Corp., known commonly as [Viettel](/source/Viettel), established mobile coverage in the Spratly Islands in 2007.[159]

On 18 May 2011, [China Mobile](/source/China_Mobile) announced that its mobile phone coverage has expanded to the Spratly Islands. The extended coverage would allow soldiers stationed on the islands, fishermen, and merchant vessels within the area to use mobile services, and can also provide assistance during storms and sea rescues. The service network deployment over the islands took nearly one year.[160]

In 2013, Taiwan's [Chunghwa Telecom](/source/Chunghwa_Telecom) established a satellite-based cellular base station on [Taiping Island](/source/Taiping_Island).

## Gallery

		- An ancient *[Heliotropium foertherianum](/source/Heliotropium_foertherianum)* on Spratly Island

		- Young Vietnamese residents of [Spratly Island](/source/Spratly_Island)

		- A military cemetery for Vietnamese soldiers on Central London Reef

		- A view from [Amboyna Cay](/source/Amboyna_Cay)

		- The Pearson Reef dock under Vietnam's administration

## See also

- [Ocean portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Ocean)
- [Politics portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Politics)
- [Islands portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Islands)

- [Coral triangle initiative](/source/Coral_triangle_initiative)

- [Great Wall of Sand](/source/Great_Wall_of_Sand)

- [Johnson South Reef Skirmish](/source/Johnson_South_Reef_Skirmish)

- [Keying (ship)](/source/Keying_(ship))

- [Kingdom of Humanity](/source/Republic_of_Morac-Songhrati-Meads#Kingdom_of_Humanity)

- [List of islands in the South China Sea](/source/List_of_islands_in_the_South_China_Sea)

- [List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands](/source/List_of_maritime_features_in_the_Spratly_Islands)

- [Natuna Regency](/source/Natuna_Regency)

- [Paracel Islands](/source/Paracel_Islands)

- [Philippines and the Spratly Islands](/source/Philippines_and_the_Spratly_Islands)

- [Philippine Coast Guard](/source/Philippine_Coast_Guard)

- [South China Sea](/source/South_China_Sea)

- [South China Sea Islands](/source/South_China_Sea_Islands)

- [Spratly Islands dispute](/source/Spratly_Islands_dispute)

- [*SSN*](/source/Tom_Clancy's_SSN), a computer game set during a conflict over the Spratly Islands

- [Territorial disputes in the South China Sea](/source/Territorial_disputes_in_the_South_China_Sea)

- [Territories claimed by the Philippines](/source/Territories_claimed_by_the_Philippines)

- [Tomás Cloma and the Free Territory of Freedomland](/source/Free_Territory_of_Freedomland)

## References

### Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Black type is used for islands, and for those reefs and shoals that have portions above water at high tide. Blue type is used for submerged features. **Erratum**: [Hughes Reef](/source/Hughes_Reef) is wrongly labelled **Chigua Reef**, a name of [Johnson South Reef](/source/Johnson_South_Reef) in Chinese, part of the same [Union Banks](/source/Union_Banks) sunken atoll.

### Citations

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1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hancox_57-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hancox_57-1) David Hancox and Victor Prescott (1995). "A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys Amongst Those Islands". *Maritime Briefing*. **1** (6): 31–32.

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1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Severino2011_60-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Severino2011_60-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Severino2011_60-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Severino2011_60-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Severino2011_60-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Severino2011_60-5) Severino, Rodolfo (2011). [*Where in the World is the Philippines?: Debating Its National Territory*](https://books.google.com/books?id=83BIxG7Ig2cC&pg=PA76) (Illustrated ed.). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 74, 76. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-981-4311-71-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-981-4311-71-7). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101102529/https://books.google.com/books?id=83BIxG7Ig2cC&pg=PA76) from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2015.

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1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-KING_62-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-KING_62-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-KING_62-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-KING_62-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-KING_62-4) Chen, King C. (1987). ["China's War with Vietnam, 1979"](https://books.google.com/books?id=vY4tBfqGvZ4C). Hoover Institution Press, Stanford University. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780817985738](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780817985738) – via Google Books.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-fowler_71-0)** Fowler, Michael; Bunck, Julie Marie (1995). [*Law, Power, and the Sovereign State*](https://books.google.com/books?id=oAp_97VvpMIC&q=%22James+George+Meads%22&pg=PA54). Pennsylvania State University Press. pp. 54–55. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-271-01470-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-271-01470-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-latimes_72-0)** Whiting, Kenneth (2 February 1992). "Asian Nations Squabble Over Obscure String of Islands". *Los Angeles Times*. p. A2.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-73)** Granados, Ulises (2006). ["The South China Sea and Its Coral Reefs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties: Levels of Geographical Knowledge and Political Control"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190801234520/http://www.eastasianhistory.org/sites/default/files/article-content/32-33/EAH32-33_05.pdf) (PDF). *East Asian History*. 32/33: 109–128. Archived from [the original](http://www.eastasianhistory.org/sites/default/files/article-content/32-33/EAH32-33_05.pdf) (PDF) on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-74)** ["Ever heard of the 1734 Murillo Velarde map and why it should be renamed?"](https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/240646-why-we-should-rename-1734-murillo-velarde-map/). 20 September 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190927034721/https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/240646-why-we-should-rename-1734-murillo-velarde-map) from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Brunei_75-0)** ["When All Else Fails"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080228205656/http://www.icriforum.org/secretariat/press_061303.html). *[Borneo Post](/source/Borneo_Post)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.icriforum.org/secretariat/press_061303.html) on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2025 – via icriforum.org.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-77)** Romero, Alexis (8 May 2013). ["China fishing boats cordon off Spratlys"](http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/08/939648/china-fishing-boats-cordon-spratlys). *The Philippine Star*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140125134046/http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/08/939648/china-fishing-boats-cordon-spratlys) from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Kivimaki2002_78-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Kivimaki2002_78-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Kivimaki2002_78-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Kivimaki2002_78-3) Kivimäki, Timo, ed. (2002). [*War Or Peace in the South China Sea?*](https://books.google.com/books?id=CNVf9R_L5FAC&pg=PA9). Contributor: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (illustrated ed.). NIAS Press. pp. 9–11. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-87-91114-01-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-87-91114-01-4). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0904-597X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0904-597X). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140403224917/http://books.google.com/books?id=CNVf9R_L5FAC&pg=PA9) from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Taylor_&_Francis_79-0)** Bateman, Sam; Emmers, Ralf, eds. (2008). [*Security and International Politics in the South China Sea: Towards a co-operative management regime*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrMXX3CgBMC) (illustrated ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 43. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-203-88524-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-203-88524-6). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160424071301/https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrMXX3CgBMC) from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-80)** ["Convention relative à la délimitation de la frontière entre la Chine et le Tonkin, signée à Pékin"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200806234826/http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/CadresFenetre?O=NUMM-95886&I=307&M=tdm) [Full text of Convention relative to the delimitation of the frontier between China and Tonkin, signed in Beijing] (in French). Gallica. 26 June 1887. Archived from [the original](http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/CadresFenetre?O=NUMM-95886&I=307&M=tdm) on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Wortzel_81-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Wortzel_81-1) [Wortzel, Larry M.](/source/Larry_Wortzel); Higham, Robin D. S. (1999). [*Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Military History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rfu-hR8msh4C&pg=PA180) (illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 180. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-313-29337-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-313-29337-5). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101102529/https://books.google.com/books?id=rfu-hR8msh4C&pg=PA180) from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-82)** Pedrozo, Raul (Pete) (2014). ["China versus Vietnam: An Analysis of the Competing Claims in the South China Sea"](https://www.cna.org/reports/2014/iop-2014-u-008433.pdf) (PDF). U.S. policy options in the South China Sea. Arlington, VA: CNA Corporation's Strategic Studies. p. 86.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-83)** Keyuan, Zou (15 December 2010). ["Maritime Boundary Delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin"](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/009083299276177). *Ocean Development & International Law*. **30** (3): 235–254. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/009083299276177](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F009083299276177). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0090-8320](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0090-8320).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-84)** Chemillier-Gendreau, Monique (2000). *Sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands*. The Hague, The Netherlands: Brill/Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 99. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-411-1381-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-411-1381-8).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-encarta_85-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-encarta_85-1) ["Spratly Islands"](https://web.archive.org/web/20091029063837/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582978/Spratly_Islands.html). *[Microsoft Encarta](/source/Microsoft_Encarta)*. 2008. Archived from [the original](https://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582978/Spratly_Islands.html) on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2025 – via encarta.msn.com.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-87)** ["Japanese Occupation South China Sea Islands — 1937–1941"](http://www.combinedfleet.com/SouthChinaSea_t.htm). *combinedfleet.com*. 2012.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-127)** Blanchard, Ben; Pullin, Richard (18 October 2015). ["Malaysia slams China's 'provocation' in South China Sea"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151019120244/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-slams-china-s/2200744.html). [Channel News Asia](/source/Channel_News_Asia). Reuters. Archived from [the original](http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-slams-china-s/2200744.html) on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-128)** ["Editorial"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152216/http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1701&MainCatID=17&id=20140513000104). *Want China Times*. 13 May 2014. Archived from [the original](http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1701&MainCatID=17&id=20140513000104) on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bray_129-0)** Bray, Adam (16 June 2014). ["The Cham: Descendants of Ancient Rulers of South China Sea Watch Maritime Dispute From Sidelines"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140924055038/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140616-south-china-sea-vietnam-china-cambodia-champa/). *National Geographic News*. Archived from [the original](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140616-south-china-sea-vietnam-china-cambodia-champa/) on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-130)** Taoka, Shunji (21 September 2015). ["'China Threat Theory' Drives Japanese War Legislation"](http://www.japanfocus.org/-Taoka-Shunji/4380/article.html). *The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus*. **13** (38–5). Translated by Rumi Sakamoto. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151016034439/http://www.japanfocus.org/-Taoka-Shunji/4380/article.html) from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-131)** ["Spratly Islands long part of Filipino-Muslim's ancestral domain"](https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/spratly-islands-long-part-of-filipino-muslims-ancestral-domain-1.838413). 14 July 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Archived_copy_132-0)** Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. ["Chinese aggression in South China Sea & East China Sea face strong pushback"](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-aggression-in-south-china-sea-east-china-sea-face-strong-pushback/articleshow/75344181.cms). *The Economic Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200517092736/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-aggression-in-south-china-sea-east-china-sea-face-strong-pushback/articleshow/75344181.cms) from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-134)** ["Vietnam protests China's new South China Sea districts"](https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Vietnam-protests-China-s-new-South-China-Sea-districts). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200422220653/https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Vietnam-protests-China-s-new-South-China-Sea-districts) from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-135)** Gutierrez, Jason; Beech, Hannah (13 June 2019). ["Sinking of Philippine Boat Puts South China Sea Back at Issue"](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-philippines.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200422141850/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-philippines.html) from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-136)** ["How the Vietnamese rescued Pinoy fishermen rammed by Chinese vessel"](https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/06/15/19/how-the-vietnamese-rescued-pinoy-fishermen-rammed-by-chinese-vessel). 14 June 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200414012449/https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/15/19/how-the-vietnamese-rescued-pinoy-fishermen-rammed-by-chinese-vessel) from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-137)** Panda, Ankit. ["In 2017, US Freedom of Navigation Operations Targeted 10 Asian Countries — Not Just China"](https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/in-2017-us-freedom-of-navigation-operations-targeted-10-asian-countries-not-just-china/). *The Diplomat*. Retrieved 8 December 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-138)** Vu, Minh (12 March 2022). ["Vietnam demands Taiwan cancel military drills in Spratlys"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230328013952/https://hanoitimes.vn/vietnam-demands-taiwan-cancel-military-drills-in-spratlys-320214.html). *Hanoi Times*. Archived from [the original](https://hanoitimes.vn/vietnam-demands-taiwan-cancel-military-drills-in-spratlys-320214.html) on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2022. 'The fact that Taiwan continues to hold live-fire drills in the waters around Ba Binh in Vietnam's Truong Sa Islands is a serious violation of Vietnam's sovereignty over these islands, threatening peace, maritime stability, safety and security, causing tension, and complicating the situation in the East Sea (referring to the South China Sea),' Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said Friday

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pressrelease_139-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pressrelease_139-1) ["Press Release: The South China Sea Arbitration (*The Republic of the Philippines v. The People's Republic of China*)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160712201412/https://pca-cpa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/175/2016/07/PH-CN-20160712-Press-Release-No-11-English.pdf) (PDF). PCA. 12 July 2016. Archived from [the original](https://pca-cpa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/175/2016/07/PH-CN-20160712-Press-Release-No-11-English.pdf) (PDF) on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-140)** ["Timeline: South China Sea dispute"](https://www.ft.com/content/aa32a224-480e-11e6-8d68-72e9211e86ab). *Financial Times*. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-141)** Beech, Hannah (11 July 2016). ["China's Global Reputation Hinges on Upcoming South China Sea Court Decision"](https://time.com/4400671/philippines-south-china-sea-arbitration-case/?xid=homepage). *TIME*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160713195604/http://time.com/4400671/philippines-south-china-sea-arbitration-case/?xid=homepage) from the original on 13 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-142)** ["Press Release: Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China: Arbitral Tribunal Establishes Rules of Procedure and Initial Timetable"](https://www.pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/227). PCA. 27 August 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160721161722/http://www.pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/227) from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-PCA_Award_143-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-PCA_Award_143-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-PCA_Award_143-2) ["PCA Case Nº 2013–19"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210313043219/https://www.pcacases.com/pcadocs/PH-CN%20-%2020160712%20-%20Award.pdf) (PDF). Permanent Court of Arbitration. 12 July 2016. Archived from [the original](http://www.pcacases.com/pcadocs/PH-CN%20-%2020160712%20-%20Award.pdf) (PDF) on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-144)** PCA Award, Section V(F)(d)(264, 266, 267), p. 113.[142]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-145)** PCA Award, Section V(F)(d)(278), p. 117.[142]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-146)** Tom Phillips; Oliver Holmes; Owen Bowcott (12 July 2016). ["Beijing rejects tribunal's ruling in South China Sea case"](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/12/philippines-wins-south-china-sea-case-against-china). *The Guardian*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160712220441/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/12/philippines-wins-south-china-sea-case-against-china) from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-147)** Chow, Jermyn (12 July 2016). ["Taiwan rejects South China Sea ruling, says will deploy another navy vessel to Taiping"](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-rejects-south-china-sea-ruling-says-will-deploy-another-navy-vessel-to-itu-aba). *[The Straits Times](/source/The_Straits_Times)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180617015244/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-rejects-south-china-sea-ruling-says-will-deploy-another-navy-vessel-to-itu-aba) from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-148)** ["A UN-appointed tribunal dismisses China's claims in the South China Sea"](https://www.economist.com/news/china/21702069-region-and-america-will-now-anxiously-await-chinas-response-un-appointed-tribunal). *The Economist*. 12 July 2016. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170913091610/https://www.economist.com/news/china/21702069-region-and-america-will-now-anxiously-await-chinas-response-un-appointed-tribunal) from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-149)** Perez, Jane (12 July 2016). ["Beijing's South China Sea Claims Rejected by Hague Tribunal"](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-hague-ruling-philippines.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160712152027/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-hague-ruling-philippines.html) from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBC_2016_150-0)** ["South China Sea: Tribunal backs case against China brought by Philippines"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-36771749). BBC News. 12 July 2016. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180620040633/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-36771749) from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-151)** Jun Mai; Shi Jiangtao (12 July 2016). ["Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island is a rock, says international court in South China Sea ruling"](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1988990/taiwan-controlled-taiping-island-rock-says). *South China Morning Post*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160715074244/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1988990/taiwan-controlled-taiping-island-rock-says) from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AMTI2023_152-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AMTI2023_152-1) ["Arbitration Support Tracker | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative"](https://amti.csis.org/arbitration-support-tracker/). Center for Strategic and International Studies. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240715042422/https://amti.csis.org/arbitration-support-tracker/) from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-153)** ["Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the Award rendered in the Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180209060419/https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/07/15/south-china-sea-arbitration/). *consilium.europa.eu* (Press release). General Secretariat of the Council, European Union. 15 July 2016. Archived from [the original](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/07/15/south-china-sea-arbitration/) on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-154)** ["Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General"](https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/db160712.doc.htm). United Nations. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-155)** The [Taiping Island Airport](/source/Taiping_Island_Airport) was completed in December 2007, (["MND admits strategic value of Spratly airstrip."](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/01/06/2003287638) *[Taipei Times](/source/Taipei_Times)*. 6 January 2006. p. 2 *(MND is the ROC Ministry of National Defense)*), and a [C-130 Hercules](/source/C-130_Hercules) transporter airplane first landed on the island on 21 January 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-156)** Bong Lozada (18 June 2014). ["Air Force to repair Pagasa Island airstrip"](http://globalnation.inquirer.net/106698/air-force-to-repair-pagasa-island-airstrip/). [Philippine Daily Inquirer](/source/Philippine_Daily_Inquirer). Retrieved 26 December 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-SpratlyIs_157-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-SpratlyIs_157-1) ["Vietnam Responds"](https://amti.csis.org/vietnam-responds/). [Center for Strategic and International Studies](/source/Center_for_Strategic_and_International_Studies). 1 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-158)** aixueying (30 June 2025). ["The New Phase of Vietnam's Reclamation in the Spratly Islands"](https://www.scspi.org/en/dtfx/new-phase-vietnam%E2%80%99s-reclamation-spratly-islands). *SCSPI*. Retrieved 25 April 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-159)** ["Kalayaan Islands of Palawan Province"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140614114431/http://wn.com/Kalayaan_Palawan). *wn.com*. 14 November 2009. Archived from [the original](http://wn.com/Kalayaan_Palawan) on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2025. (video part 1 of 2)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-160)** ["Vietnam Protests China Mobile Move to Disputed Islands, VNA Says"](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-20/vietnam-protests-china-mobile-s-plans-for-service-to-spratlys). [Bloomberg News](/source/Bloomberg_News). 20 May 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-161)** Mansfield, Ian (18 May 2011). ["China Mobile Expands Coverage to the Spratly Islands"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120316142717/http://www.cellular-news.com/story/49219.php). *Cellular News*. Archived from [the original](http://www.cellular-news.com/story/49219.php) on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2025.

### Further reading

- Bonnet, François-Xavier (2012). ["Geopolitics of Scarborough Shoal"](http://www.irasec.com/ouvrage34). *irasec.com*. **14**.

- Bouchat, Clarence J. (2013). [*Dangerous Ground: The Spratly Islands and U.S. Interests and Approaches*](https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo45589). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Strategic Studies Institute and [US Army War College](/source/US_Army_War_College) Press – via purl.fdlp.gov.

- [Cardenal, Juan Pablo](/source/Juan_Pablo_Cardenal); [Araújo, Heriberto](/source/Heriberto_Ara%C3%BAjo) (2011). [*La silenciosa conquista china*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jQ2fvBVpQpYC) (in Spanish). Barcelona: Crítica. pp. 258–261. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-84-9892-257-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-84-9892-257-8) – via Google Books.

- [Dzurek, Daniel J.](/source/Daniel_Dzurek); Schofield, Clive H. (1996). [*The Spratly Islands dispute: who's on first?*](https://books.google.com/books?id=o5P4U4UlucMC). IBRU. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-897643-23-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-897643-23-5) – via Google Books.

- Hogan, C. Michael (2011). ["South China Sea"](http://www.eoearth.org/article/South_China_Sea?topic=49523). *Encyclopedia of Earth*. Washington, DC: National Council for Science and the Environment – via eoearth.org.

- Menon, Rajan (11 September 2012). ["Worry about Asia, Not Europe"](http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/worry-about-asia-not-europe-7447?page=1). *[The National Interest](/source/The_National_Interest)*.

## External links

**Spratly Islands**  at Wikipedia's [sister projects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikimedia_sister_projects)

- [Media](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/category:Spratly_Islands) from Commons
- [Travel information](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands) from Wikivoyage
- [Data](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q215664) from Wikidata

- [Wikimedia Atlas of the Spratly Islands](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_the_Spratly_Islands)

v t e Spratly Islands Confrontations Southwest Cay incident (1975) East Sea Campaign (1975) Johnson South Reef Skirmish (1988) Regions Dangerous Ground Loaita Bank London Reefs North Danger Reef Reed Tablemount Tizard Bank Union Banks Occupied features Brunei Louisa Reef China Cuarteron Reef Fiery Cross Reef Gaven Reefs Hughes Reef Johnson South Reef Mischief Reef Subi Reef Malaysia Ardasier Reef Dallas Reef Erica Reef Investigator Shoal Mariveles Reef Swallow Reef Philippines Commodore Reef Flat Island Irving Reef Lankiam Cay Loaita Cay Loaita Island Nanshan Island Northeast Cay Second Thomas Shoal Thitu Island West York Island Taiwan Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef Vietnam Alison Reef Amboyna Cay Barque Canada Reef Bombay Castle Central London Reef Collins Reef Cornwallis South Reef Discovery Great Reef East London Reef Grierson Reef Ladd Reef Lansdowne Reef Namyit Island Pearson Reef Petley Reef Sand Cay Sin Cowe Island South Reef Southwest Cay Spratly Island Tennent Reef West London Reef Unoccupied features First Thomas Shoal Half Moon Shoal Luconia Shoals Northeast Investigator Shoal Royal Captain Shoal Sabina Shoal Third Thomas Shoal Western Reef Whitsun Reef Related articles Spratly Islands dispute Free Territory of Freedomland "Great Wall of Sand" List of airports in the Spratly Islands List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands Philippines and the Spratly Islands Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Nine-dash line

Articles related to Spratly Islands v t e South China Sea Pratas Island Pratas Island North Vereker Bank South Vereker Bank Paracel Islands Amphitrite Group Rocky Island Tree Island West Sand Woody Island Qilian Yu Crescent Group Money Island Robert Island Yagong Island Other features Bombay Reef Triton Island Northeastern SCS Zhongsha Islands Macclesfield Bank Walker Shoal Scarborough Shoal Spratly Islands List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands Great Wall of Sand Royal Malaysian Navy Offshore Bases Vietnamese DK1 rigs List of airports in the Spratly Islands Dangerous Ground NW North Danger Reef Northeast Cay Southwest Cay Thitu Reefs Thitu Island Subi Reef Loaita Bank Lankiam Cay Loaita Cay Loaita Island Tizard Bank Gaven Reefs Namyit Island Sand Cay Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef NNW Irving Reef West York Island WNW Western Reef NE Flat Island Nanshan Island Reed Tablemount Third Thomas Shoal SE Commodore Reef First Thomas Shoal Mischief Reef Sabina Shoal Second Thomas Shoal SW Union Banks Collins Reef Hughes Reef Johnson South Reef Sin Cowe Island Ardasier Reef Cornwallis South Reef Dallas Reef Erica Reef Investigator Shoal Mariveles Reef West London Reefs Central London Reef Cuarteron Reef East London Reef West London Reef Bombay Castle Fiery Cross Reef Ladd Reef Spratly Island East Royal Captain Shoal Half Moon Shoal South Amboyna Cay Louisa Reef Swallow Reef Southeastern SCS Palawan Passage Southern SCS James Shoal Luconia Shoals Tudjuh Archipelago Natuna Islands Anambas Islands Badas Islands Tambelan Archipelago History Territorial disputes History of the Spratly Islands Nine-dash line Spratly Islands dispute Philippines and the Spratly Islands Battle of Leyte Gulf (1944) Battle of the Paracel Islands (1974) Southwest Cay incident (1975) Johnson South Reef skirmish (1988) Scarborough Shoal standoff (2012) Designation of the West Philippine Sea (2012) Hai Yang Shi You 981 standoff (2014) Reed Bank incident (2019) West Philippine Sea – Atin Ito! initiative formation (2023) Second Thomas Shoal incident (2024) CCG and PLA Navy ship collision (2025) Transport Ships Coconut Princess Airports Pratas Is Paracel Islands Airports Woody Is Spratly Islands Airports Itu Aba Spratly Is Swallow Reef Thitu Is Oceans portal v t e Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia Land Islands and waters Aksai Chin ( ) Jammu and Kashmir/Azad Kashmir ( ) Bhutanese exclaves ( ) Cambodia–Thailand border areas1 ( ) Doi Pha Hom Pok ( ) Part of Heixiazi/ Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island1 ( ) Hong Kong ( ) Jiandao / Gando ( ) Jiangxinpo/Northern Kachin1 ( ) Kalapani ( ) Korea ( ) Gilgit-Baltistan ( ) Junagadh ( ) Ladakh ( ) Limbang District ( ) Macau ( ) Mainland China ( ) North Borneo (Sabah)1 ( ) Parigas region/Demchok sector ( ) Sixty-Four Villages East of the River ( ) South Tibet/Part of Arunachal Pradesh ( ) Susta ( ) Trans-Karakoram Tract ( ) Ambalat ( ) Bạch Long Vĩ Island1 ( ) Dokdo / Takeshima ( ) Ieodo / Suyan Islet ( ) James Shoal ( ) Kuril Islands ( ) Macclesfield Bank ( ) Noktundo ( ) Paracel Islands ( ) Parangcho / Dingyan Islet ( ) Pratas Island ( ) Scarborough Shoal ( ) Senkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands ( ) Sir Creek ( ) Spratly Islands1 ( ) Taiwan Area ( ) Tsushima/Daemado ( ) 1: Divided among multiple claimants v t e Districts of the South Central Coast of Vietnam Da Nang city Urban districts Cẩm Lệ Hải Châu※ Liên Chiểu Ngũ Hành Sơn Sơn Trà Thanh Khê Hòa Vang Hoàng Sa§ Bình Định province Quy Nhon city※ An Nhơn town Hoài Nhơn town An Lão Hoài Ân Phù Cát Phù Mỹ Tây Sơn Tuy Phước Vân Canh Vĩnh Thạnh Bình Thuận province Phan Thiết city※ La Gi town Bắc Bình Đức Linh Hàm Tân Hàm Thuận Bắc Hàm Thuận Nam Phú Quý Island Tánh Linh Tuy Phong Khánh Hòa province Cam Ranh city Nha Trang city※ Ninh Hòa town Cam Lâm Diên Khánh Khánh Sơn Khánh Vĩnh Trường Sa§ Vạn Ninh Ninh Thuận province Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm city※ Bác Ái Ninh Hải Ninh Phước Ninh Sơn Thuận Bắc Thuận Nam Phú Yên province Tuy Hòa city※ Đông Hòa town Sông Cầu town Đồng Xuân Phú Hòa Sơn Hòa Sông Hinh Tây Hòa Tuy An Quảng Nam province Hội An city Tam Kỳ city※ Điện Bàn town Bắc Trà My Đại Lộc Đông Giang Duy Xuyên Hiệp Đức Nam Giang Nam Trà My Nông Sơn Núi Thành Phú Ninh Phước Sơn Quế Sơn Tây Giang Thăng Bình Tiên Phước Quảng Ngãi province Quảng Ngãi city※ Đức Phổ town Ba Tơ Bình Sơn Lý Sơn Minh Long Mộ Đức Nghĩa Hành Sơn Hà Sơn Tây Sơn Tịnh Trà Bồng Tư Nghĩa Lý Sơn Island ※ denotes provincial seat. / § Sovereignty over the Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa archipelagoes is disputed as of 3 July 2026. v t e Administrative divisions of the Philippines Capital Manila (National Capital Region) Island groups Luzon Visayas Mindanao Regions Administrative I – Ilocos Region II – Cagayan Valley III – Central Luzon IV-A – Calabarzon Mimaropa – Southwestern Tagalog Region V – Bicol Region VI – Western Visayas NIR – Negros Island Region VII – Central Visayas VIII – Eastern Visayas IX – Zamboanga Peninsula X – Northern Mindanao XI – Davao Region XII – Soccsksargen XIII – Caraga Region CAR – Cordillera Administrative Region NCR – National Capital Region Autonomous BARMM – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Provinces Abra Agusan del Norte Agusan del Sur Aklan Albay Antique Apayao Aurora Basilan Bataan Batanes Batangas Benguet Biliran Bohol Bukidnon Bulacan Cagayan Camarines Norte Camarines Sur Camiguin Capiz Catanduanes Cavite Cebu Cotabato Davao de Oro Davao del Norte Davao del Sur Davao Occidental Davao Oriental Dinagat Islands Eastern Samar Guimaras Ifugao Ilocos Norte Ilocos Sur Iloilo Isabela Kalinga La Union Laguna Lanao del Norte Lanao del Sur Leyte Maguindanao del Norte Maguindanao del Sur Marinduque Masbate Misamis Occidental Misamis Oriental Mountain Province Negros Occidental Negros Oriental Northern Samar Nueva Ecija Nueva Vizcaya Occidental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro Palawan Pampanga Pangasinan Quezon Quirino Rizal Romblon Samar Sarangani Siquijor Sorsogon South Cotabato Southern Leyte Sultan Kudarat Sulu Surigao del Norte Surigao del Sur Tarlac Tawi-Tawi Zambales Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga Sibugay Cities List of cities in the Philippines Municipalities List of cities and municipalities in the Philippines Barangays Barangays of Metro Manila Barangays of Philippine provinces Poblacion Other subdivisions Puroks Sitios List of primary LGUs Legislative districts Metropolitan areas Special Geographic Area Proposed Formally proposed provinces Autonomous regions Cordillera Historical Former provinces Sub-provinces Regions Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Southern Tagalog v t e Territories claimed by the Philippines Current Sabah / North Borneo dispute South China Sea West Philippine Sea designation PCA arbitration case Scarborough Shoal Spratly Islands dispute Philippine activities Kalayaan, Palawan Former Miangas / Island of Palmas case v t e Physical geography of Sabah Coastal features Bays Agal Brunei Cowie Darvel Kimanis Labuk Marchesa Marudu Padas Paitan Sandakan Sandy (Pasir Putih) Sepanggar Schomburgk Tambak Capes Tip of Borneo Islands List of islands disputed Spratly Islands Laya Layang Layang Mantanani Peninjau Siput Ubi Peninsulas Bengkoka Dent Karambunai Klias Kudat Sandakan Semporna Straits Balabac Interior and water features Caves Agop Batu Tulug Gomantong Madai Hills Skull (Bukit Tengkorak) Mountains Alab Danum Kaingaran Kinabalu Lumarku Silam Tambuyukon Trusmadi Mountain ranges Crocker Trusmadi Rivers Main rivers Danum Kinabatangan Kolopis Padas Paitan Papar Sugut Tuaran Tributaries Kibunut Labuk Liwagu Pandasan Pegalan Sibuku Valleys Kundasang Volcanic fields Bombalai Lucia Magdalena Maria Waterfalls Kadamaian Mahua Maliau Takob Akob v t e County-level divisions of Hainan Haikou (capital) Prefecture-level cities Haikou Longhua Meilan Qiongshan Xiuying Sanya Jiyang Tianya Haitang Yazhou Sansha Xisha District Zhongsha* Nansha District Danzhou v t e Danzhou Chengqu Area* Nada town Heqing town Nanfeng town Dacheng town Yaxing town Lanyang town Guangcun town Dongcheng town Binhai Area* Sandou Subdistrict Mutang town Haitou town Eman town Wangwu town Baimajing town Zhonghe town Paipu town Xingzhou town * Not a formal administrative subdivision Hainan in China Provincial administered County-level cities Wuzhishan city Qionghai city Wenchang city Wanning city Dongfang city Counties Ding'an County Tunchang County Chengmai County Lingao County Autonomous counties Baisha County Changjiang County Ledong County Lingshui County Baoting County Qiongzhong County Township-level divisions of Hainan Politics of Hainan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Spratly Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.