South China Sea Islands

The South China Sea Islands (or Nanhai Islands, simplified: 南海诸岛, traditional: 南海諸島, pinyin: Nánhǎi Zhūdǎo) is an archipelago of over 250 around 1-km² islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs, and sandbars in the South China Sea, most of which have no indigenous people. The Islands are subdivided into four sub-archipelagos (listed by area size):

Related Topics:
Simplified - Traditional - Pinyin - Archipelago - Km² - Island - Atoll - Reef - South China Sea

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• The Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands 南沙群島)
• The Macclesfield Islands (Zhongsha Islands 中沙群島)
• The Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands 西沙群島)
• The Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands 東沙群島)

There are minerals, natural gas, and oil deposits on the islands and their nearby seafloor. Because of the economic, military, and transportational importance, the control, especially of the Spratlys, has been in dispute by China and several Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam, in the mid-20th century onwards. True occupation and control are shared between the claimants. (See #Claims and control)

Related Topics:
Mineral - Natural gas - Oil - Economic - Military - Transport - China - Southeast Asia - Vietnam - 20th century - #Claims and control

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South China Sea Islands: History ►