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SPRATLY ISLANDS

are a group of more than 750reefs,islets,atolls,caysand

islandsin theSouth China SeabetweenVietnam, the
Philippines,China,MalaysiaandBrunei.
They comprise less than four square kilometers of land area,
spread over more than 425,000 square kilometers of sea.
The Spratlys are part of the three archipelagos of the South
China Sea, comprising more than 30,000 islands and reefs
and which so complicates geography, governance and
economics in that region of Southeast Asia.
Such small and remote islands have little economic value in
themselves, but are important in establishing international
boundaries.
There are no native islanders but there are rich fishing
grounds and initial surveys indicate the islands may contain
significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

MAP OF SPARTLY ISLAND

GEOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Coastline: 926km
Political divisions:
Vietnam: Part ofKhnh Ha Province;
Brunei: ClaimsLouisa Reefitself, as well as an
Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) around that and
neighboring reefs;
Malaysia: Part of the state ofSabah;
Philippines: Part ofPalawanprovince;
People's Republic of China: Part of theParacels,
Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority,Hainan
province;
Republic of China: Part ofKaohsiungmunicipality

Climate: tropical
Terrain: flat
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea (0 m)
highest point: unnamed location onSouthwest Cay(4 m)
Natural hazards: serious maritime hazards because of numerous
banks, reefs and shoals
The islands are most likely volcanic in origin.The islands
themselves contain almost no significantarable landand 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 includefish,guano,
undeterminedoilandnatural gaspotential.Economicactivity
includes commercialfishing,shipping, andtourism. The
proximity to nearbyoil- andgas-producingsedimentarybasins
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 ofhydrocarbonshas
yet to be developed. The Spratly Islands have at least three
fishing ports, several docks and harbors, at least three heliports,
at least four territorial rigging style outposts (especially due
west ofNamyit),and six to eightairstrips. These islands are
strategically located near several primary shipping lanes.

HISTORY
(EARLY CARTOGRAPHY)

The first possible human interaction with the Spratly Islands dates
back between 600 BCE to 3 BCE. This is based on the theoretical
migration patterns of the people ofNanyue(southernChinaand
northern Vietnam) and OldChampakingdom who may have
migrated from Borneo, which may have lead them through the
Spratly Islands.
Ancient Chinese maps record the "ThousandLiStretch of
Sands";Qianli Changsha( ) and the "Ten-ThousandLiof
Stone Pools";Wanli Shitang( ), which China today claims
refers to the Spratly Islands. The Wanli Shitang have been explored
by the Chinese since theYuan Dynastyand may have been
considered by them to have been within their national boundaries.
They are also referenced in the 13th century,followed by the Ming
Dynasty.When the Ming Dynasty collapsed, theQing Dynasty
continued to include the territory in maps compiled in
1724,1755,1767,1810,and 1817.A Vietnamese map from 1834
also includes the Spratly Islands clumped in with theParacels(a
common occurrence on maps of that time) labeled as "Wanli
Changsha".

MILITARY CONFLICT

In 1933,Franceasserted its claims from 1887to the Spratly

and Paracel Islands on behalf of its then-colony Vietnam.
It occupied a number of the Spratly Islands, includingItu
Aba, built weather stations on two, and administered them
as part ofFrench Indochina.
This occupation was protested by the Republic of China
government because France admitted finding Chinese
fishermen there when French warships visited the nine
islands.
In 1935, the ROC government also announced a sovereignty
claim on the Spratly Islands.
Japan occupied some of the islands in 1939 during
World War II, and used the islands as asubmarinebase for
the occupation ofSoutheast Asia.
During the occupation, these islands were calledShinnan
Shoto( ), literally the New Southern Islands, and
put under the governance of Taiwan together with the
Paracel Islands ( ).

In 1945, The Republic of China sent its Naval ships to take

control of the islands after the surrender of Japan. It had chosen
the largest and perhaps the only inhabitable island,Itu Aba
Island, as its base, and renamed the island under the name of
the naval vessel as Taiping.
The KMT force ofRepublic Of Chinabriefly abandoned the
islands after its defeat in China's civil war in 1949, but reestablished the base in 1956. Today,Itu Aba Island, is still
administrated by theRepublic of China,
On May 23, 2011, Philippine PresidentBenigno Aquino IIIwarned
the Chinese defense minister of a possiblearms racein the
region if tensions worsened over disputes in the South China
Sea.
Aquino said he told visiting Chinese Defense MinisterLiang
Guangliein their meeting that such an arms race could result if
there were more encounters in the disputed and potentially oilrich Spratly islands.
When we have these incidents, does it not promote an arms
race happening within the region? And when there is an arms
race, does not the potential for conflict increase? he recalled
telling Liang.
The Philippines warned China that it might increase its military
capabilities.