Spratly Islands

E57135

The Spratly Islands are a strategically important and resource-rich archipelago in the South China Sea, subject to overlapping territorial claims by several countries including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

Observed surface forms (4)

Surface form As subject As object
Fiery Cross Reef 0 1
Spratly Island (island eponym) 0 1
Spratly Islands region 0 1
Taiping Island 0 1

Statements (73)

Predicate Object
instanceOf archipelago
disputed territory
alsoClaimedBy Brunei Darussalam
Malaysia
China
surface form: People's Republic of China

Republic of China
surface form: Republic of China (Taiwan)

Philippines
surface form: Republic of the Philippines

Viet Nam
surface form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
composedOf islands
islets
reefs
sandbanks
shoals
contains Cuarteron Reef
Spratly Islands self-linksurface differs
surface form: Fiery Cross Reef

Gaven Reefs
Itu Aba Island
Johnson South Reef
Mischief Reef
Nanshan Island
Second Thomas Shoal
Spratly Islands self-linksurface differs
surface form: Spratly Island (island eponym)

Subi Reef
Thitu Island NERFINISHED
estimatedHydrocarbonPotential significant but uncertain natural gas reserves
significant but uncertain oil reserves
fishingImportance one of the world's most productive fishing grounds
governedBy multiple de facto occupying states
hasApproximateArea 425,000 square kilometers (maritime area of the archipelago region)
hasClimate tropical
hasDisputeType continental shelf claim dispute
exclusive economic zone dispute
territorial sovereignty dispute
hasEnvironment coral reef ecosystems
marine biodiversity hotspots
hasLegalContext United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
hasNumberOfFeatures more than 100 maritime features
involves freedom of navigation operations by external powers
locatedIn South China Sea
western Pacific Ocean
surface form: Western Pacific Ocean
namedAfter Richard Spratly
near Palawan
surface form: Palawan (Philippines)

Paracel Islands
coast of Borneo
coast of Vietnam
occupiedBy China
Malaysia
Philippines
Taiwan, Province of China
surface form: Taiwan

Viet Nam
surface form: Vietnam
partOf Maritime Southeast Asia
disputed areas of the South China Sea
relevantTo US–China strategic competition
regional security in East Asia
shippingLaneImportance major route for global trade between East Asia and Europe
major route for oil and gas shipments
sovereigntyClaimedBy Brunei Darussalam
surface form: Brunei

China
Malaysia
Philippines
Taiwan, Province of China
surface form: Taiwan

Viet Nam
surface form: Vietnam
strategicImportance control of major shipping lanes
military significance
potential oil and gas reserves
rich fishing grounds
subjectTo environmental degradation
freedom of navigation tensions
land reclamation activities
maritime boundary disputes
militarization
overlapping territorial claims
timeZone UTC+8 (for most nearby administered features)

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

western Pacific Ocean adjacentTo Spratly Islands
Republic of China administers Spratly Islands
this entity surface form: Taiping Island
Republic of Vietnam claimedTerritory Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands contains Spratly Islands self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Fiery Cross Reef
Spratly Islands contains Spratly Islands self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Spratly Island (island eponym)
South China Sea hasIslandGroup Spratly Islands
Scarborough Shoal partOf Spratly Islands
this entity surface form: Spratly Islands region