Spratly Island

For the island chain, see Spratly Islands.
Spratly Island
Disputed island
Other names: Storm Island,

南威島, đảo Trường Sa

Children playing on Spratly Island's beach
Geography
alt
Position of Spratly Island
Location South China Sea
Coordinates 8°38′41″N 111°55′12″E / 8.64472°N 111.92000°E / 8.64472; 111.92000 (Spratly Island)Coordinates: 8°38′41″N 111°55′12″E / 8.64472°N 111.92000°E / 8.64472; 111.92000 (Spratly Island)
Archipelago Spratly Islands
Administered by
Vietnam
Claimed by
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Vietnam

Spratly Island (Chinese: 南威島; pinyin: Nánwēi dǎo; Vietnamese: đảo Trường Sa), also known as Storm Island, with an area of 15 hectares,[1] is the fourth largest of the naturally occurring[2] Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and the largest of the Vietnamese-occupied/claimed Spratly islands.

It is also claimed by China and Taiwan.[3]

Location

Spratly island lies west of Dangerous Ground in the western half of the Spratly Islands. It is neighboured by Ladd Reef to the west, the London Reefs to the east, and others.[4]

History in the 20th century

In April 1930, France sent the dispatch boat, or aviso, la Malicieuse to the archipelago and raised the flag of France on a high mound on Spratly Island, also known as île de la Tempête.[5] According to an official announcement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France occupied Spratly Island on April 13, 1930.[6]

On 21 December 1933, Governor of Cochinchina 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 Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province).[7]

During the occupation of the island by the Imperial Japanese Navy at the time of the Pacific War, the island was known in Japanese as Nishitori jima (西鳥島, lit. "Western bird island").

After World War II, Republic of China Navy sent vessel fleet to South China Sea to take over the occupation of islands from Japan. In 1946, Republic of China government announced the sovereignty of this island and set a milestone, and renamed Nanwei Island (Nanwei is the name of the Chairman of Guangdong Province in China in 1946 (Chinese: 南威島).[8]

As of the early 1960s, Republic of Vietnam Navy had stopped off at the island several times. In 1963, three ships including HQ-404 Huong Giang, HQ-01 Chi Lang and HQ-09 Ki Hoa visited and systematically rebuilt steles on a number of islands in the archipelago. On May 19, 1963, they built one on Spratly Island.[9] However, the war in the mainland led to the absence of South Vietnamese troops on the island until 1974 when the Republic of Vietnam set up a permanent garrison here after losing the Crescent Group of the Paracel Islands to PRC. On April 29, 1975, the Vietnam People's Army evicted them and occupied the islet.

Administration

Under the South Vietnamese regime, Spratly Island was placed under the administration of Phước Tuy Province. In 2007, the Vietnamese government upgraded the island's status to a commune-level town which is in charge of administrating all nearby Vietnamese-controlled features such as Amboyna Cay and Barque Canada Reef.[10] On the island lies Trường Sa District's administrative center.

Geography

Spratly Island is shaped like an isosceles 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)[1] while several foreign documents often use a slightly smaller number of 0.13 square kilometres (32 acres).[11] It is 3.4 to 5 metres above sea level during low tide. The island has a variety of vegetation with a source of brackish water which can be utilized for bathing, washing and watering plants.[1] The fringing reefs that lie at all three corners are up to 200 metres (660 ft) wide and uncovered at low tide.[11]

With the typical meteorological characteristics of an archipelago, the Spratly Islands have a cool summer and a warm winter. The dry season, spanning from February to May, is characterized by a higher temperature from 4:30 AM to 19:00 PM. May to January is the time of the rainy season, when temperatures are lower during daytime, but thunderstorms more likely to occur.[1]

Ecology

The island's plants are mostly Barringtonia asiatica, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Heliotropium foertherianum, and some kinds of bush and grass which grow poorly due to the harsh climate.[1] Spratly Island is home to some birds and has guano deposits. Islanders try to cultivate banana, papaya, chili pepper and a variety of vegetables and herbs. There are also hundreds of dogs and lots of poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese.[12]

Facilities

Truong Sa Airport
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator Vietnam
Location Spratly Island
Map
Truong Sa Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
600 Concrete

The island has a helicopter pad, a 600-metre (2,000-foot) landing strip that can accommodate small fixed-wing propeller aircraft (PZL M28 Skytruck, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter). Originally built in 1976-77 with a 660m runway, the current configurations were made in 2004.[13] Aircraft are parked in small tarmac next to the runway. Homes surround the runway with both ends ending on a beachfront. A small two story building with a control tower on the roof is located by the tarmac.

A small jetty with two piers. Energy sources come from solar panels and wind turbines. Built in 1977, the meteorological station on Spratly Island has the station index number of 48920 assigned by the World Meteorological Organization.[14] A clinic, a cultural house, a radio tower and a Buddhist pagoda also exist on the island. There is a 5.5 m-high obelisk at the southern tip. A primary school has been in operation since April 2013.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 (Vietnamese)Những điều cần biết về hai quần đảo Hoàng Sa, Trường Sa và khu vực thềm lục địa phía nam [What you need to know about Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands and southern continental shelf]. Political Department, Naval Command (Vietnam). 2011.
  2. ↑ Note that in 2014 the PRC embarked on a number of reclamation projects in the Spratly Islands. It appears that the largest of these, at Fiery Cross Reef is of at least 60 hectares, and according to some unverifiable sources, possibly as large as 150 ha. Kristine Kwok and Minnie Chan (2014-06-08). "China plans artificial island in disputed Spratlys chain in South China Sea". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2014-09-28.
  3. ↑ The island is not claimed by the Philippines; it lies outside of the Philippines Kalayaan Islands claim. "Presidential Decree No. 1596 (Philippines)" (PDF). Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ Sta Ana, D.J. (25 May 2011). "Vietnam also has garrisons in PH zone of Spratlys". Interaksyon. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "White Paper on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands (1975) [part 1, split by uploading site]". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Vietnam). Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  6. ↑ (Vietnamese) Tran, Dang Dai (1975). "Các văn kiện chính thức xác nhận chủ quyền Việt Nam trên hai quần đảo Hoàng Sa và Trường Sa từ thời Pháp thuộc tới nay". Tập san Sử Địa [Journal of History and Geography] (Saigon: Văn Hữu Printing-house) 29.
  7. ↑ "Truong Sa archipelago belongs to Ba Ria province (1933)". Website on Viet Nam's sovereign boundaries. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ http://www.quhua.com/zhanzhenggushi/83789.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "White Paper on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands (1975) [part 2, split by uploading site]". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of Vietnam). Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  10. ↑ (Vietnamese) "Nghị định số 65/2007/NĐ-CP ngày 11 tháng 04 năm 2007 (...)". Ministry of Justice's Portal (Vietnam). Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Hancox, David; Prescott, Victor (1995). A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys amongst Those Islands. Maritime Briefings 1. University of Durham, International Boundaries Research Unit. p. 14. ISBN 978-1897643181.
  12. ↑ (Vietnamese)Đỗ Sơn (June 7, 2011). "Nhật ký Trường Sa - Kì 2 [Truong Sa Diary - Part 2]". Tiền phong online. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  13. ↑ http://soha.vn/quan-su/may-bay-van-tai-c-295m-cua-vn-co-the-ha-canh-o-san-bay-truong-sa-20150511140210163.htm (Vietnamese)
  14. ↑ "Flatfile of data on Observing Stations". Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  15. ↑ Trần Công Thi (2013-04-21). "Khánh thành Trường Tiểu học Trường Sa". Báo Khánh Hoà. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
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