SELECT EDITION
CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(2 fields)
Airports
total: 4 usable: 4 with permanent-surfaced runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 0
Ports
no natural harbors
◆ DEFENSE FORCES(1 fields)
Note
about 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
◆ ECONOMY(2 fields)
Industries
none
Overview
Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing; proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
◆ GEOGRAPHY(14 fields)
Area
total area: NA km2 but less than 5 km2 land area: less than 5 km2 comparative area: NA note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea
Climate
tropical
Coastline
926 km
Environment
subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
International disputes
all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive economic zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the island
Irrigated land
0 km2
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location
in the South China Sea, between Vietnam and the Philippines
Map references
Asia, Southeast Asia
Maritime claims
NA
Natural resources
fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
Note
strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard
Terrain
flat
◆ GOVERNMENT(2 fields)
Digraph
PG
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands
◆ PEOPLE(1 fields)
Population
no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are scattered garrisons