MacClesfield Bank or Zhongsha Islands (Chinese 中沙群島 Pinyin: Zhongsha Qundao, literally Central Sand Islands) is an elongated atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in South China Sea and part of the disputed South China Sea Islands. It is claimed by the Republic of China, the People's Republic of China, and Vietnam. It is located ESE of the Paracel Islands, distantly SW of the Pratas Islands and north of the Spratly Islands. Pinyin (拼音, pÄ«nyÄ«n) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin. ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km². It is the largest sea body after the five... 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. ... National motto: None Official language Mandarin Chinese Capital and largest city Taipei President Chen Shui-bian Premier Frank Hsieh Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 138th 35,980 km² 2. ... The Pratas Islands (or Dongsha Islands) are located in the middle of the South China Sea (see South China Sea Islands). ...

There are no military stations here. It's a rich fishing ground and difficult to navigate due to the shallow submerged reefs.

The elongated atoll consists of:

• Carpenter Shoal (魯班暗灘)
• Oliver Shoal (立父暗沙)
• Bangkok Shoal (本固暗沙)
• Siamese Shoal (西門暗沙)
• Cathay Shoal (華夏暗沙)
• Penguin Shoal (排洪灘)
• Balfour Shoal (伏洑暗沙 or 波洑暗沙)
• Pigmy Shoal (比微暗沙)
• Egeria Shoal (隱磯灘)
• Howard Shoal (武勇暗沙)
• Philips Shoal (樂西暗沙)
• Learmonth Shoal (濟猛暗沙)
• Plover Shoal (海鳩暗沙)
• Smith Shoal (美溪暗沙)

To the east, near the Philippines, there are:

• Truro Shoal (特魯暗沙)
• Stewart Shoal (管事暗灘)
• Scarborough Shoal/Nanyan Dao/Huangyan Dao (南巖島 or 黃岩島)
• Huangyan Seamount (黃岩海山)
• Shixing Seamount (石星海山)
• Xianbei Seamount (憲北海山)
• Xiannan Seamount (憲南海山)
• Zhangzhong Seamount (漲中海山)
• Zhenbei Seamount (珍貝海山)

To the south, near the Spratlys, there are:

• Zhongnan Shoal (中南暗沙)
• Zhongnan Seamount (中南海山)
• Longnan Seamount (龍南海山)
• Changlong Seamount (長龍海山)

External link

• ROC's page