Spratly Island

Disputed island
Spratly Island
Spratly Island
Other names	Storm Island Big Trường Sa(Vietnamese English) Đảo Trường Sa [Lớn](Vietnamese) 南威島/南威岛 Nánwēi Dǎo(Mandarin Chinese) Lagos Island(Philippine English) Pulo ng Lagos(Filipino)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	8°38′41″N111°55′12″E / 8.64472°N 111.92000°E /8.64472; 111.92000 (Spratly Island)
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Area	36.5 ha (90 acres)
Administration
Vietnam
District	Trường Sa District,Khánh Hòa
Township	Trường Sa Township
Claimed by
China
Taiwan
Vietnam
Demographics
Population	30

Spratly Island (Vietnamese:Đảo Trường Sa orĐảo Trường Sa Lớn,lit. 'the Big Spratly (Trường Sa) Island';simplified Chinese:南威岛;traditional Chinese:南威島;pinyin:Nánwēi Dǎo;Filipino:Pulo ng Lagos,lit. 'Lagos Island'), also known asStorm Island, is thefourth largest of the naturally occurring^[1]Spratly Islands in theSouth China Sea with an natural area of 15 hectares (37 acres),^[2] and the largest of the Vietnamese-administered Spratly islands.^[3][4]

In 2016 the Vietnamese embarked on a land reclamation program at ten locations in the Spratly Islands.^[5] At Spratly Island 37 acres have been reclaimed, which has allowed for the addition of a harbour^[6] and the doubling of the length of the island's runway to a length of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m).^[7] The total area of the island by 2025 is 36.5 hectares.

It is also claimed byChina (PRC) andTaiwan (ROC).

Spratly island lies west of the SW ofDangerous Ground in the western half of theSpratly Islands. It is neighboured byLadd Reef to the west, theLondon Reefs to the east, and others.^[8]

In April 1930,France sent the dispatch boat(aviso),la Malicieuse, to the archipelago and raised theflag of France on a high mound on Spratly Island, also known asîle de la Tempête.^[9] According to an official announcement by theFrench Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France occupied Spratly Island on April 13, 1930.^[10]

On 21 December 1933, the Governor ofCochinchina,Jean-Félix Krautheimer, signed Decree No. 4702-CP merging Spratly Island,Amboyna Cay,Itu Aba Island,Northeast Cay,Southwest Cay,Loaita Island,Thitu Island and other dependent islands with Ba Ria province (present-day Vietnam'sBà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province).^[11]

In April 1939 Japan occupied the island provoking protests from the French.^[12] The Japanese also laid claim to 1000 square miles of the South China sea between 7 and 12 degrees north and 111 to 112 degrees east.^[13] During the occupation of the island by theImperial Japanese Navy at the time of thePacific War, the island was known by the Japanese as Nishitori jima (西鳥島; lit. "Western bird island").

After World War II, the Republic of China Navy sent a fleet of vessels to theSouth China Sea to take over the occupation of islands from Japan. In 1946, the Republic of China government announced the sovereignty of this island, set a milestone, and named it "Nanwei Island". (Nanwei is the name of the Chairman of Guangdong Province in China in 1946 – Chinese: 南威島).^[14]

During the early 1960s, theRepublic of Vietnam Navy stopped off at the island several times. In 1963, three ships (HQ-404Huong Giang, HQ-01Chi Lang and HQ-09Ki Hoa) visited and systematically rebuilt steles on a number of islands in the archipelago. On May 19, 1963, they built one on Spratly Island.^[15] However,the war on the mainland led to the absence of Vietnamese troops on the island until 1974 when South Vietnam set up a permanent garrison there after the Crescent Group of theParacel Islands waslost to China. On April 29, 1975, theVietnam People's Armyevicted South Vietnam's troops and occupied the island.

Under the South Vietnamese regime, Spratly Island was placed under the administration ofKhánh Hòa province. In 2007, the Vietnamese government upgraded the island's status to acommune-level town which is in charge of administering all nearby Vietnamese-controlled features such asAmboyna Cay andBarque Canada Reef.^[16] On the island liesTrường Sa District's administrative center.

Spratly Island is shaped like anisosceles triangle. According to a document published by the Political Department of Vietnam's Navy Command, the island is 630 metres (2,070 ft) in length, up to 300 metres (980 ft) in width and has an area of 0.15 square kilometres (37 acres)^[2] while several foreign documents often use a slightly smaller number of 0.13 square kilometres (32 acres).^[17] It is 3.4 to 5 metres above sea level during low tide. The island has a variety of vegetation with a source ofbrackish water which can be utilized for bathing, washing and watering plants.^[2] Thefringing reefs that lie at all three corners are up to 200 metres (660 ft) wide and uncovered at low tide.^[17]

Spratly Island has atropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classificationAm). With the typical meteorological characteristics of an archipelago, the Spratly Islands have a cool summer and a warm winter. Thedry season, spanning from February to May, is characterized by a higher temperature from 4:30 AM to 19:00 PM. May–January is the time of therainy season, when temperatures are lower during daytime, but thunderstorms are more likely to occur.^[2]

The island's plants are mostlyBarringtonia asiatica,Ipomoea pes-caprae,Heliotropium foertherianum, and some kinds ofbush andgrass which grow poorly due to the harsh climate.^[2] Spratly Island is home to some birds and hasguano deposits. Islanders try to cultivatebanana,papaya,chili pepper and a variety of vegetables and herbs. There are also hundreds of dogs and much poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese.^[19]

Trường Sa Airport
IATA:none ICAO:none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Vietnam
Location	Spratly Island
Map
Trường Sa Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 04/22 1,200 3,937 Concrete

The original runway was built in 1976–77. From 2004, the configurations included a 600 metres (2,000 ft) landing strip that could accommodate small fixed-wing propeller aircraft (PZL M28 Skytruck,de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter).^[20] Aircraft were parked on a small tarmac area next to the runway which runs the entire length of the island, with both ends ending on beachfront. Homes surround the two sides of the runway and a small two-story building with a control tower on the roof is located by the apron.

Since 2016, photos and reports were published showing extensive land-reclamation and construction work at Spratly Island, with new harbours and extension of the runway to at least 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).^[21][6] The island also has a helicopter pad.

Built in 1977, the meteorological station on Spratly Island has station index number 48920 as assigned by theWorld Meteorological Organization.

Vietnam Military Telecommunications Corp., known commonly asViettel, established mobile coverage in the Spratlys Island in 2007 to assert sovereignty and allow soldiers to speak with their families back home.^[22]

Energy is provided bysolar panels andwind turbines. Additional facilities included a small jetty with two piers, a clinic, a cultural house, a radio tower and a Buddhist pagoda. A primary school has been in operation since April 2013.^[23] There is a 5.5 m-highobelisk at the southern tip.

• Spratly Islands dispute
• Richard Spratly
• Dongsha Island Airport (Pratas Island)
• Yongxing Island Airport (Woody Island in the Paracel Islands)
• List of airports in the Spratly Islands
• List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands
• Taiping Island Airport
• Layang-Layang Airport

• Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker

• Islands of the Spratly Islands
• World War II occupied territories
• Disputed islands of Asia

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with Vietnamese-language sources (vi)
• CS1 Vietnamese-language sources (vi)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Articles containing Vietnamese-language text
• Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text
• Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text
• Articles containing Filipino-language text
• Articles containing Japanese-language text