This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page.

This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The South China Sea Islands (or Nanhai Islands, simplified: 南海诸岛, traditional: 南海諸島, pinyin: Nánhǎi Zhūdǎo) consist 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, many of which are naturally under water at high tide, some of which are permanently submerged. The features are grouped into three archipelagos (listed by area size), Macclesfield Bank and Scarborough Shoal: Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiǎntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiǎnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... Portion of a Pacific atoll showing two islets on the ribbon or barrier reef separated by a deep pass between the ocean and the lagoon. ... For other uses, see Reef (disambiguation). ... Filipino name Tagalog: Luzon Sea Portuguese name Portuguese: Mar da China Meridional Vietnamese name Vietnamese: The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ...

• The Spratly Islands, disputed between Peoples Republic of China, Republic of China, and Vietnam with Malaysia and the Philippines claiming part of the archipelago^[1]
• The Paracel Islands, disputed between Peoples Republic of China, Republic of China, and Vietnam^[2]
• The Pratas Islands, disputed between Peoples Republic of China and Republic of China
• The Macclesfield Bank, disputed between Peoples Republic of China, Vietnam, and Republic of China
• The Scarborough Shoal, disputed between Peoples Republic of China, the Philippines, and Republic of China

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 such as Vietnam from the mid-20th century onwards. True occupation and control are shared between the claimants. (See Claims and control) The Pratas Islands (or Dongsha Islands) are located in the middle of the South China Sea (see South China Sea Islands). ... 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. ... The Scarborough Shoal, more correctly described as a group of islands, atolls, and reefs then a shoal, is located in the Luzon Sea (South China Sea). ... For other uses, see Mineral (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ... Petro redirects here. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

History

The countries with the most extensive participation and well-documented history on the South China Sea Islands are China and Vietnam.

The South China Sea Islands were collectively named the Tough Heads of the Surging Sea (漲海崎頭 Zhànghǎi Qítóu) and Coral Cays (珊瑚洲 Shanhu Zhou) since their discovery by the Chinese in the Qin Dynasty. But seafaring did not occur until the next dynasty, the Han Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty, the Islands had been called The Thousand-Mile Long Sands (千里長沙) and Myriad-Mile Stony Embankment (萬里石塘). Extant Subclasses and Orders Alcyonaria    Alcyonacea    Helioporacea Zoantharia    Antipatharia    Corallimorpharia    Scleractinia    Zoanthidea [1][2]  See Anthozoa for details For other uses, see Coral (disambiguation). ... Qin Dynasty in 210 BC Capital Xianyang Language(s) Chinese Government Monarchy History  - Unification of China 221 BC  - Death of Qin Shi Huangdi 210 BC  - Surrender to Liu Bang 206 BC The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded by the... Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (202 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–190 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 206 BC  - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC  - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24  - Abdication to Cao Wei 220... Northern Song in 1111 AD Capital Bianjing (汴京) (960–1127) Linan (臨安) (1127–1276) Language(s) Chinese Religion Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy Emperor  - 960–976 Emperor Taizu  - 1126–1127 Emperor Qinzong  - 1127–1162 Emperor Gaozong  - 1278–1279 Emperor Bing History  - Zhao Kuangyin taking over the throne of the Later Zhou...

There are houses dated back to the Tang or Song Dynasty on Ganquan Island (甘泉島), which nowadays is under dispute with Vietnam. In 1045, during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song China, imperial troops (王師) were sent to the Paracel Islands. The fishermen of Hainan composed various "Notebooks on Paths and Timing" (更路簿) that recorded over 200 routes, the time needed for sailing among the different isles, and the names of over 100 islands commonly used by the fishermen. For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... Alternative meaning: Song Dynasty (420-479) The Song dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... Events Emperor Go-Reizei ascends the throne of Japan. ... Emperor Renzong (May 30, 1010 - April 30, 1063) was the fourth emperor of the Song Dynasty of China. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Some of the voyages of Zheng He passed by the Islands, though they probably did not dock on them. There is an atoll in the Spratly Islands named after Zheng He though. A modern illustration of Zheng He, by an unidentified artist. ...

Vietnamese fishermen and merchants also have been exploring the South Sea Islands, with a less well-known presence, due to the historically unofficial capacity and shorter records. Vietnamese official documents cite Vietnamese ancient historical records of control and exploitation of the island, and dispute Chinese claims and records. Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 Look up Polynesia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the 19th century, as a part of the occupation of Indochina, France claimed control of the Spratlys until the 1930s, exchanging a few with the British. During World War II, the Islands were annexed by Japan. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Capital Hanoi Language(s) French Political structure Federation Historical era New Imperialism  - Addition of Laos 1893, 1887  - Vietnamese Declaration of Independence September 2, 1945  - Independence of Laos July 19, 1949  - Independence of Cambodia November 9, 1953  - Recognized Independence of Vietnam 1954, 1954 Area  - 1945 750,000 km² Currency French... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The Republic of China founded in 1911 claimed the islands as part of the province of Canton (Guangdong), and later of the Hainan special administrative region. For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Not to be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Claims and control

The Japanese and the French renounced their claims as soon as their respective occupations ended.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) claims all of these islands as part of its Hainan Province, at the administrative level of banshichu (辦事處/办事处). The PRC strongly asserted its claims to the islands, but in the late 1990's, under the new security concept, the PRC put its claims less strongly. Not to be confused with the unrelated provinces of Henan and Hunan Hainan (海南; pinyin: Hǎinán) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located at the southern end of the country. ... The new security concept is a security policy enunciated by the Peoples Republic of China in the late 1990s. ...

On the other hand, Vietnam claims all Spratly Islands belong to a district, first in 1973, of the Phuoc Tuy Province, then, of the Khanh Hoa Province.

Currently, Vietnam occupies twenty-nine islands or rocks, while the People's Republic of China occupies eight or nine.

In addition to the People's Republic of China and Vietnam, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia and the Philippines also claim and occupy some islands. The Republic of China, claims all the Spratly Islands, but only occupies one, Itu Aba (Taiping). Malaysia occupies three islands on its continental shelf. The Philippines claims most of the Spratlys and calls it the Kalayaan Group of Islands, and they form a distinct municipality in the province of Palawan. The Philippines, however, only occupies eight islands. For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... Itu Aba Island or Taiping Island (traditional Chinese: ), is the largest of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. ... Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. ...

Brunei's and Indonesia's claims are not on any island, but on the sea. (See South China Sea) Filipino name Tagalog: Luzon Sea Portuguese name Portuguese: Mar da China Meridional Vietnamese name Vietnamese: The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ...

Geography

The islands are located on a shallow humite-layer continental shelf with an average of 200 metres deep. However, in the Spratlys, the sea floor drastically changes its depth, and near the Philippines, the Palawan Trough is more than 5,000 metres deep. Also, there are some parts that are so shallow that navigation becomes difficult, and prone to accidents. Humite specimen with spinel (purple) intergrowth Humite is an orthorhombic mineral of a transparent vitreous brown to orange color. ...  Sediment  Rock  Mantle  The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ... This article is about the unit of length. ...

The sea floor contains Paleozoic and Mesozoic granite and metamorphic rocks. The abysses are caused by the formation of the Himalayas in the Cenozoic. The Paleozoic Era (from the Greek palaio, old and zoion, animals, meaning ancient life) is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... For other uses, see granite (disambiguation). ... Quartzite, a form of metamorphic rock, from the Museum of Geology at University of Tartu collection. ... An abyss (Greek: a-, privative, bussos, bottom) is a bottomless depth; hence any deep place. ... For the movie Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ... The Cenozoic Era (pronounced ); sometimes Caenozoic Era or Cainozoic Era (in the United Kingdom), meaning new life (Greek (kainos), new, and (zoe), life), is the most recent of the three classic geological eras. ...

Except one volcano-island, the islands are made of coral reefs of varying ages and formations. Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska photographed from the International Space Station For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ...

Life

There are no known native animals, except boobies and seagulls, who are very common residents on the islands. Their feces can build up to a layer from 10 mm to 1 m annually. Species Sula nebouxii Sula variegata Sula dactylatra Sula granti Sula sula Sula leucogaster For fossil species, see text The boobies are part of the family Sulidae, a group of seabirds closely related to gannets. ... Seagull or Seagulls may refer to: Gull, a family of seabird, members of which are often called seagulls. ... Horse feces Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animals digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... This article is about the unit of length. ...

There are around 100–200 plant species on the Islands altogether. For example, the Paracels have 166 species, but later the Chinese and the Vietnamese introduced 47 more species, including peanut, sweet potato, and various vegetables. For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Binomial name L. This article is about the legume. ... Binomial name (L.) Lam. ... For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation). ...

References

See also

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

• List of islands in the South China Sea
• Vietnamese claimsPDF (1.70 MiB)
• List of islands of the Republic of China

References

• The Dotted Line on the Chinese Map of the South China Sea: A Note
• Vietnamese claimsPDF (1.70 MiB)
• The South China Sea Issue (In Chinese)