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The Spratly Islands ( Chinese: 南沙群島, in pinyin: nānshā qúndāo "Southern sands"; Vietnamese: Trường Sa "Long Sands"; Filipino: Kalayaan) are a disputed group of approximately 100 reefs and islets in the South China Sea. Part of the South China Sea Islands, the Spratlys are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and gas and oil deposits. The People's Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam each claim sovereignty over the entire group, while Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei claim parts of the group. Several of the nations involved have soldiers stationed in the Spratlys: the PRC has about 450 troops, Malaysia 70–90, the Philippines about 100, and Vietnam about 1,500. Taiwan also maintains a military presence in the group, on Itu Aba.1 Geography and economic development
- Coordinates: 8 38 N, 111 55 E
- Area (land): less than 5 km²
- note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 km² of the central South China Sea
- Coastline: 926 km
- Climate: tropical
- Terrain: flat
- Elevation extremes:
- lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
- highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
- Natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals
The islands contain no arable landIn geography, arable land is a form of agricultural land use, meaning land that can be (and is) used for growing crops. David Ricardo incorporated the idea of arable land into economic theory. Of the earth's 57 million square miles (148,000,000 km²) of la and have no indigenous inhabitants, although twenty of the islands, including Itu Aba , the largest, are considered to be able to sustain human life.
Natural resources include fishAtlantic herring, Clupea harengus one of the most abundant species in the world Photo A fish is a poikilothermic (cold-blooded) water-dwelling vertebrate with gills. There are over 27,000 species of fish, making them the most diverse group of vertebrates., guanoGuano (from the Quechua 'wanu') is the name given to the collected droppings of seabirds and bats. It can be used as an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of nitrogen. Soil that is deficient in organic matter can be made much more productive by a, undetermined oilOil is a generic term for fluids that are not miscible with water. The name comes from Latin oleum for olive oil. Oil is frequently used to refer to petroleum an "oil shortage" generally means an inadequate supply of petroleum rather than cooking oil. and natural gasFor other meanings see gas (disambiguation). A gas is one of the phases of matter. Gases are, like liquids, fluids: they have the ability to flow and do not resist deformation. Unlike liquids, however, unconstrained gases do not occupy a fixed volume, but potential. EconomicEconomics is the social science studying how society uses its limited resources to meet desires and wants. Put otherwise, economics studies what, how and for whom society produces. This involves analyzing the production, distribution and consumption of go activity is limited to commercial fishingFishing is both the recreation and sport of catching fish (for food or as a trophy), and the commercial fishing industry of catching or harvesting seafood (either fish or other aquatic life-forms, such as shellfish). Fishing is done in a river, canal, lak. The proximity to nearby oilOil is a generic term for fluids that are not miscible with water. The name comes from Latin oleum for olive oil. Oil is frequently used to refer to petroleum an "oil shortage" generally means an inadequate supply of petroleum rather than cooking oil.- and gasFor other meanings see gas (disambiguation). A gas is one of the phases of matter. Gases are, like liquids, fluids: they have the ability to flow and do not resist deformation. Unlike liquids, however, unconstrained gases do not occupy a fixed volume, but-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. The Spratly Islands have no ports or harbors but it has four airports. This islands are strategically located near several primary shipping lanes.
