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SPRATLY ISLANDS

@Spratly Islands:Geography

 Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs in the South China Sea,
 about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern
 Philippines

 Map references: Southeast Asia

 Area:
 total area: NA sq km but less than 5 km2
 land area: less than 5 sq km
 comparative area: NA
 note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered
 over the South China Sea

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: 926 km

 Maritime claims: NA

 International disputes: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by
 China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and
 the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive economic
 zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the
 island

 Climate: tropical

 Terrain: flat

 Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas
 potential

 Land use:
 arable land: 0%
 permanent crops: 0%
 meadows and pastures: 0%
 forest and woodland: 0%
 other: 100%

 Irrigated land: 0 sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: NA
 natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous
 reefs and shoals
 international agreements: NA

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

@Spratly Islands:People

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

@Spratly Islands:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Spratly Islands

 Digraph: PG

Economy

 Overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The
 proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests
 the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely
 unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves;
 commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

 Industries: none

@Spratly Islands:Transportation

 Ports: none

 Airports:
 total: 4
 with paved runways under 914 m: 3
 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

@Spratly Islands:Communications

 Telephone system:
 local: NA
 intercity: NA
 international: NA

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: NA
 televisions: NA

@Spratly Islands:Defense Forces

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


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