Misplaced Pages

#720279

78-491: Vân Phong Bay is a scenic area in Khánh Hòa Province , Vietnam. It is one of 21 Vietnam National Tourist Areas . The area is the site of the planned Vân Phong Port . 12°40′N 109°17′E  /  12.66°N 109.28°E  / 12.66; 109.28 Kh%C3%A1nh H%C3%B2a Province Khánh Hòa has a population of 1,147,000 and spans an area of 5,199.62 km (2,007.58 sq mi). Its capital

156-628: A disputed archipelago in the South China Sea . Composed of islands, islets , cays , and more than 100 reefs , sometimes grouped in submerged old atolls , the archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines , Malaysia , and southern Vietnam . Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain Richard Spratly who sighted Spratly Island in 1843, the islands contain less than 2 km (490 acres) of naturally occurring land area, which

234-457: A megaproject intended to be developed in Vân Phong Bay by a consortium of Japanese corporations (with Sumitomo as the leading investor) with an estimated investment of US$ 15 billion, is in progress. On completion, this deep sea port will be capable of handling ships up to 100,000 tonnes and 100 million tonnes of loaded/unloaded cargo per annum. Cam Ranh International Airport is located in

312-584: A British naval captain who gave his name to Meads Island (Itu Aba) in the 1870s. In an affidavit made in 1971, the group claimed to represent the Kingdom of Humanity/ Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads , which they asserted was in turn the successor entity for a supposed Kingdom of Humanity established between the two world wars on Meads Island, allegedly by the son of the British captain. This claim to this would-be micronation fell dormant after 1972, when several members of

390-551: A GDP per capita of 16.1 million VND (2007), Khánh Hòa is economically the most developed province of central Vietnam (after Da Nang ). It has a relatively small agricultural sector, but strong industry and services. The province is endowed with beautiful natural landscapes and beaches, which (together with its Cham heritage) attracts a large number of tourists. Khánh Hòa has had a significant trade surplus in recent years, with exports in 2007 of US$ 503.3 million and imports of US$ 222.5 million. Given its lack of flat land, Khánh Hòa has

468-597: A Hanese phonetic way of Kauthara , a Cham mandala once existed in the region. The site of what is now Khánh Hòa had been within the territory of the Champa Kingdom before it was annexed to Annam territory. In 1653, one of the Nguyễn lords , Nguyễn Phúc Tần , sent his troops to occupy Phan Rang . The Champa king Bà Tấm surrendered to Nguyễn's troops and ceded an area from the east of the Phan Rang River to Phú Yên to

546-589: A climate like that of Đà Lạt and Sa Pa . As of 2007 , the province had a population of 1.147 million, of which the majority are Kinh or Vietnamese people , the dominant ethnic group in Vietnam. Minority groups dwelling in the province are the Cham , Raglai , the "Overseas Chinese " Hoa people , and the Austroasiatic-speaking Koho people . Khánh Hòa had an urban population of 466,500 people or 40.7% of

624-526: A devastating impact on local marine organisms and coral reefs. Some interest has been taken in regard to conservation of these island ecosystems. J.W. McManus, professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami 's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science School , has explored the possibilities of designating portions of the Spratly Islands as a marine park . One region of

702-511: A lease to work guano "on Sprattly island and Amboyna Cay" During the Second World War troops from French Indochina and Japan were in occupation. In 1956 Filipino adventurer Tomás Cloma Sr. decided to "claim" a part of Spratly islands as his own, naming it the " Free Territory of Freedomland ". In the 1950s, a group of individuals claimed sovereignty over the islands in the name of Morton F. Meads, supposedly an American descendant of

780-470: A mild climate with an average annual temperature of 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). There are two distinct seasons: the rainy season lasts from April to December, with the other months being the dry season, except in Nha Trang where the rainy season lasts for just two months. The average relative humidity is 80.5%. The climate on the summit of Hòn Bà Mountain (located 30 km (19 mi) from Nha Trang) features

858-559: A mountain range, is regarded as one of the three best natural seaports in the world. Cam Ranh Bay is strategically important and has been used as a naval base by several major powers throughout history. Hòn Đôi Cliff (Mũi Hòn Đôi) on the Hòn Gốm Peninsula in Vạn Ninh District is the easternmost tip of Vietnam's mainland. The province is mostly mountainous. The highest peak is Vọng Phu Mountain (2,051 m (6,729 ft)) at

SECTION 10

#1733084546721

936-501: A number of the Spratly Islands, including Taiping Island , built weather stations on two of the islands, and administered them as part of French Indochina. This occupation was protested by the Republic of China (ROC) government because France admitted finding Chinese fishermen there when French warships visited nine of the islands. In 1935, the ROC government also announced a sovereignty claim on

1014-412: A professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami 's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, said, "The worst thing anyone can do to a coral reef is to bury it under tons of sand and gravel ... There are global security concerns associated with the damage. It is likely broad enough to reduce fish stocks in the world's most fish-dependent region." He explained that

1092-490: A relatively small agricultural sector. Rice harvests are among the lowest in the South Central Coast with 188,500t in 2007. However, its output of sugar cane (738,200t in 2007, 4.25% of the national figure) and cashew nuts (5,238t, 1.74%) are more significant. Khánh Hòa is one of the few provinces with a higher gross output in fishing than in agriculture. This is mostly due to the large number of aquaculture farms in

1170-441: A series of half-grabens and rotated fault-blocks which lie parallel and en echelon. The long axes of the horsts, rotated fault blocks and half- grabens form well-defined linear trends that lie parallel to magnetic anomalies exhibited by the oceanic crust of the adjacent South China Sea. The horsts, rotated fault blocks, and the rock forming the bottoms of associated grabens consist of stretched and subsided continental crust that

1248-548: A total of four counties: Phước Điền and Vĩnh Xương counties; and Quảng Phước and Tân Định counties, respectively. Under French Indochina , the provincial capital was located in Diên Khánh Citadel, but it was relocated to Nha Trang in 1945. During the Vietnam War , Khánh Hòa was a hub of military activity for the Republic of Vietnam army ( ARVN ), the Republic of Vietnam Navy , the Republic of Vietnam Air Force , and for

1326-519: Is Nha Trang . Khánh Hòa is the site of Bảo Đại 's summer home, the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang , the Institute of Oceanography, the Institute of Vaccines and Biological Substances. Cam Ranh Bay port is on land closest to a deep sea drop in Vietnam - the best site for submarine bases in Vietnam. An ancient temple of Champa is on the north side of Nha Trang. Its name Khánh-hòa is inherently

1404-570: Is a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture and at times the military personnel are given orders to protect the turtles. Heavy commercial fishing in the region incurs other problems. Although it has been outlawed, fishing methods continue to include the use of bottom trawlers fitted with chain rollers. In 1994, a routine patrol by Taiwan's marine navy confiscated more than 200 kg (400 lb) of potassium cyanide solution from fishermen who had been using it for cyanide fishing . These activities have

1482-694: Is also recorded in the History of Yuan to have been explored by the Chinese during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty and may have been considered by them to have been within their national boundaries. However, the Yuan also ruled over Korea , Outer Mongolia , and parts of modern Russia . They are also referenced, sometimes with different names, in the Ming dynasty. For example, in the Mao Kun map dating from Zheng He 's voyage of

1560-469: Is composed of Triassic , Jurassic , and Cretaceous strata that include calc-alkalic extrusive igneous rocks, intermediate to acid intrusive igneous rocks, sandstones , siltstones , dark-green claystones , and metamorphic rocks that include biotite – muscovite – feldspar – quartz migmatites and garnet – mica schists . The dismemberment and subsidence of continental crust into horsts, rotated fault blocks and half-grabens that underlie

1638-469: Is difficult to determine which species have been introduced or cultivated by humans. Taiping Island (Itu Aba) was reportedly covered with shrubs , coconut , and mangroves in 1938; pineapple was also cultivated there when it was profitable. Other accounts mention papaya , banana , palm , and even white peach trees growing on one island. A few islands that have been developed as small tourist resorts had soil and trees brought in and planted where there

SECTION 20

#1733084546721

1716-429: Is not only in and around Nha Trang. The province has also benefited significantly from investment related to the former Russian naval base at Cam Ranh , to which around 30 factories were attached. A major new industrial center is being developed in the north of the province around Vân Phong Port ( Vân Phong Economic Zone ). Khánh Hòa is located along Vietnam's main north–south transport corridors. National Road 1 and

1794-497: Is spread over an area of more than 425,000 km (164,000 sq mi). The Spratly Islands are one of the major archipelagos in the South China Sea which complicate governance and economics in this part of Southeast Asia due to their location in strategic shipping lanes. The islands are largely uninhabited, but offer rich fishing grounds and may contain significant oil and natural gas reserves, and as such are important to

1872-675: The Guangdong government representing the Qing dynasty . China sent naval forces on inspection tours in 1902 and 1907 and placed flags and markers on the islands. A Vietnamese map from 1834 also combines the Spratly and Paracel Islands into one region known as "Vạn Lý Trường Sa", a feature commonly incorporated into maps of the era ( 萬里長沙 ) ‒ that is, the same as the aforementioned Chinese island name Wanli Changsha . According to Hanoi , Vietnamese maps record Bãi Cát Vàng ( Golden Sandbanks , referring to both

1950-520: The Lê dynasty , 200 years earlier. The Vietnamese government conducted several geographical surveys of the islands in the 18th century. Despite the fact that China and Vietnam both made a claim to these territories simultaneously, at the time, neither side was aware that its neighbour had already charted and made claims to the same stretch of islands. In 1888 the Central Borneo Company were granted

2028-475: The North–South Railway run through the province. All Reunification Express trains as well as some local trains stop at Nha Trang Railway Station . As a coastal province featuring several natural deep water bays, Khánh Hòa has what is needed to develop its deep-water seaports. Nha Trang Port (a tourist and cargo port) and Dốc Lết Port (a shipbuilding and logistics port) are now in use. Vân Phong Port ,

2106-403: The green turtle ( Chelonia mydas , endangered ) and the hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata , critically endangered ) formerly occurred in numbers sufficient to support commercial exploitation. These species reportedly continue to nest even on islands inhabited by military personnel (such as Pratas ) to some extent, though it is believed that their numbers have declined. Seabirds use

2184-609: The 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) limit of territorial waters. While accepting the 12-nmi principal with respect to territorial waters, the letter did not actually address the issue of defining actual territorial boundaries. North Vietnam recognised China's claims on the Paracels and Spratly Islands during the Vietnam War as it was being supported by China. Only after winning the war and conquering South Vietnam did North Vietnam retract its recognition and admitted it recognised them as part of China to receive aid from China in fighting

2262-677: The 1887 Sino-French Tonkin Boundary convention signed after the Sino-French War recognised the sovereignty of China over the Paracel and Spratly islands. The line mentioned in the convention can be more accurately described as a shorthand for dividing islands between China and Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin , but not its maritime waters. In the 1950s amid warming ties between the two countries, Mao Zedong decided to hand over Bạch Long Vĩ Island , which lies to

2340-496: The 19th and early 20th centuries by mariners from different European powers (including Richard Spratly , after whom the island group derives its most recognisable English name, who visited the group in the 1840s in his whaler Cyrus ). However, these nations showed little interest in the islands. In 1883, German boats surveyed the Spratly and the Paracel Islands but eventually withdrew the survey, after receiving protests from

2418-718: The Americans. In 1987, China installed a small military structure on Fiery Cross Reef under the pretext of building an oceanic observation station and installing a tide gauge for the Global Sea Level Observing System . After a deadly skirmish with the Vietnamese Navy, China installed some military structures on more reefs in the vicinity of the Philippines and Vietnamese occupied islands and this led to escalating tensions between these countries and China over

Vân Phong Bay - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-581: The Nguyễn lord. The Nguyễn lord accepted the ceded territory and set up the Thái Khang garrison and divided it into two districts: Thái Khang and Diên Ninh. When Jean-Louis Taberd published the map of Annam in 1838, the province was named "Bình Hòa Trấn," with "Trấn" meaning "Department" or province. In 1832, under the rule of Emperor Minh Mạng , this area was renamed Khánh Hòa and was divided into two districts, Phủ Diên Khánh and Phủ Ninh Hòa, which between them had

2574-520: The Paracels and the Spratly Islands from February 1939 to August 1945. Japan annexed the Spratly Islands via Taiwan's jurisdiction and the Paracels via Hainan's jurisdiction. Parts of the Paracels and Spratly Islands were again controlled by Republic of China after the 1945 surrender of Japan, since the Allied powers assigned the Republic of China to receive Japanese surrenders in that area, however no successor

2652-414: The Paracels between 1881 and 1884. China sent naval forces on inspection tours in 1902 and 1907 and placed flags and markers on the islands. The Qing dynasty's successor state, the Republic of China, claimed the Spratly and Paracel islands under the jurisdiction of Hainan. In 1933, France asserted its claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands on behalf of its then-colony French Indochina . It occupied

2730-1031: The South China Sea Philippines and the Spratly Islands Dangerous Ground (South China Sea) Great Wall of Sand History of the Spratly Islands List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands List of airports in the Spratly Islands Vietnamese DK1 rigs Royal Malaysian Navy Offshore Bases Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads Free Territory of Freedomland Southwest Cay incident (1975) East Sea Campaign (1975) Johnson South Reef skirmish (1988) The Spratly Islands ( Filipino : Kapuluan ng Kalayaan ; Mandarin Chinese : 南沙群島/南沙群岛 ; pinyin : Nánshā Qúndǎo ; Malay : Kepulauan Spratly ; Vietnamese : Quần đảo Trường Sa ) are

2808-737: The Spratly Archipelago, named Truong Sa, was proposed by Vietnam's Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment (MOSTE) as a future protected area. The site, with an area of 160 km (62 sq mi), is currently managed by the Khánh Hòa Provincial People's Committee of Vietnam. Military groups in the Spratly Islands have engaged in environmentally damaging activities such as shooting turtles and seabirds, raiding nests and fishing with explosives. The collection of rare medicinal plants, collecting of wood, and hunting for

2886-616: The Spratly Islands (including Taiping Island) after accepting the Japanese surrender of the islands based on the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations . The Republic of China then garrisoned Itu Aba (Taiping) island in 1946 and posted Chinese flags. The aim of the Republic of China was to block the French claims. The Republic of China drew up the map showing the U-shaped claim on the entire South China Sea, showing

2964-471: The Spratly Islands and surrounding sea bottom occurred in two distinct periods. They occurred as the result of the tectonic stretching of continental crust along underlying deeply rooted detachment faults. During the Late Cretaceous and Early Oligocene , the earliest period of tectonic stretching of continental crust and formation of horsts, half-grabens, and rotated fault-blocks occurred in association with

3042-512: The Spratly Islands is known as Dangerous Ground and is characterised by many low islands, sunken reefs, and degraded, sunken atolls with coral often rising abruptly from ocean depths greater than 1,000 metres (3,000 ft) – all of which makes the area dangerous for navigation. The islands are all of similar nature; they are cays (or keys): sand islands formed on old degraded and submerged coral reefs. The Spratly Islands contain almost no arable land , are largely uninhabited, and very few of

3120-639: The Spratly Islands were not Philippine territory, both to not anger Chiang Kai-shek in China and because the Spratly Islands were not part of the Philippines per the 1898 treaty Spain signed with the United States . However, no document was found to that effect. The Philippines then claimed the Spratly Islands in 1971 under President Marcos , after Taiwanese troops attacked and shot at a Philippine fishing boat on Itu Aba. Taiwan's garrison from 1946 to 1950 and 1956-now on Itu Aba represents an "effective occupation" of

3198-528: The Spratly Islands. China established a coastal defence system against Japanese pirates or smugglers. In 1958, China issued a declaration defining its territorial waters that encompassed the Spratly Islands. North Vietnam 's prime minister, Phạm Văn Đồng , sent a formal note to Zhou Enlai , stating that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) respected the Chinese decision regarding

Vân Phong Bay - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-560: The Spratly Islands. Japan occupied some of the islands in 1939 during World War II, and it used the islands as a submarine base for the occupation of Southeast Asia. During the Japanese occupation, these islands were called Shinnan Shoto ( 新南諸島 ), literally the New Southern Islands, and together with the Paracel Islands ( 西沙群岛 ), they were put under the governance of the Japanese authority in Taiwan on 30 March 1939. Japan occupied

3354-421: The Spratly Islands. Southeast and west of them, there also exist thick accumulations of sediments that possibly might contain economic oil and gas reserves, which lie closer to the Spratly Islands. In some cays in the Spratly Islands, the sand and pebble sediments form the beaches and spits around the island. Under the influence of the dominant wind direction, which changes seasonally, these sediments move around

3432-521: The Spratly and Paracel Islands), which lay near the coast of the central Vietnam, as early as 1838. In Phủ Biên Tạp Lục ( The Frontier Chronicles ) by scholar Lê Quý Đôn , both Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa were defined as belonging to the Quảng Ngãi District. He described it as where sea products and shipwrecked cargoes were available to be collected. Vietnamese text written in the 17th century referenced government-sponsored economic activities during

3510-405: The Spratly and Paracels in Chinese territory, in 1947. Japan had renounced all claims to the islands in the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty together with the Paracels, Pratas and other islands captured from the Chinese, and upon these declarations, the government of the Republic of China reasserted its claim to the islands. At the peace conference, South Vietnam declared Vietnamese sovereignty over

3588-634: The Spratlys, but North Vietnam supported China's authority. The Chinese Kuomintang force withdrew from most of the Spratly and Paracel Islands after they retreated to Taiwan from the opposing Chinese Communist Party due to their losses in the Chinese Civil War and the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Taiwan quietly withdrew troops from Taiping Island in 1950, but then reinstated them in 1956 in response to Tomás Cloma 's sudden claim to

3666-656: The U.S. Pacific Air Forces (USAF), particularly in Cam Ranh Bay and at the Nha Trang Air Base . The II Corp. headquarters were located in Nha Trang and populated by general and field officers, intelligence groups and ARVN liaisons. After the communists' victory and the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the communist regime merged two provinces, Phú Yên and Khánh Hòa, into Phú Khánh province on 29 October 1975. In 1977, Nha Trang

3744-548: The archipelago's naturally occurring islands is 177 ha (440 acres) and 200 ha (490 acres) with reclaimed land. Due to confusion, the Spratly Islands at times were also referred to as the Paracels . The Spratly Islands consist of islands, reefs, banks and shoals made up of biogenic carbonate . These accumulations of biogenic carbonate lie upon the higher crests of major submarine ridges that are uplifted fault blocks known by geologists as horsts . These horsts are part of

3822-415: The border of Đắk Lắk province . The only large lowland area is located around Ninh Hòa in the north of the province. Partly as a result of this, not much land is available for agriculture. 87,100 ha (215,230 acres) or 16.7% of Khánh Hòa's total area are used for farming, one of the lowest shares in the South Central Coast . Forests cover more than half of the province's area. The province enjoys

3900-399: The claimants in their attempts to establish international boundaries. Some of the islands have civilian settlements, but of the approximately 45 islands, cays, reefs and shoals that are occupied, all contain structures that are occupied by military forces from Malaysia, China (PRC) , Taiwan (ROC) , the Philippines, and Vietnam. Additionally, Brunei has claimed an exclusive economic zone in

3978-547: The current day reefs, shoals and cays of the Spratly Islands. Starting with their formation in Late Cretaceous, fine-grained organic-rich marine sediments accumulated within the numerous submarine half-grabens that underlie sea bottom within the Dangerous Ground region. The geological surveys show localised areas within the Spratly Islands region are favourable for the accumulation of economic oil and gas reserves. They include thick sequences of Cenozoic sediments east of

SECTION 50

#1733084546721

4056-502: The early 15th century, Shixing Shitang ( 石星石塘 ) is taken by some to mean Spratly, however different authors interpret the identities of these islands differently. Another Ming text, Haiyu (海語, On the Sea), uses Wanli Changsha ( 萬里長沙 ) for Spratly and noted that it is located southeast of Wanli Shitang (Paracels). When the Ming Dynasty collapsed, the Qing dynasty continued to include

4134-532: The end of Cam Ranh Bay with 385 km (239 mi) of coastline featuring numerous creek mouths, lagoons, river mouths, and hundreds of islands and islets. The province also administers large territorial waters. The Spratly Islands are part of the province's Trường Sa District. The coastline is indented by several bays, most notably the four bays of Vân Phong Bay , Nha Phu Bay , Nha Trang Bay (Cù Huân) and Cam Ranh Bay , of which Cam Ranh Bay with an area of around 200 km (77 sq mi), encompassed by

4212-667: The forebears of the Cham people , an Austronesian-speaking people that founded the Old Champa empire that ruled what was known for centuries as the Champa Sea. In the Song Dynasty work Zhu fan zhi by Zhao Rugua , the name "Thousand Li Stretch of Sands" ( Qianli Changsha , 千里長沙 ) and the "Ten-Thousand Li of Stone Pools/Beds" ( Wanli Shitang 萬里石塘 , or Wanli Shichuang 萬里 石 床 ) were given, interpreted by some to refer to Paracel and Spratly respectively. Wanli Shitang

4290-447: The group drowned in a typhoon. The following are political divisions for the Spratly Islands claimed by various area nations (in alphabetical order): In the 19th century, Europeans found that Chinese fishermen from Hainan annually sojourned on the Spratly islands for part of the year, while in 1877 it was the British who launched the first modern legal claims to the Spratly Islands. Some Chinese scholars and officials argue that

4368-417: The increasing industrialisation of neighbouring countries has led to serious disruption of native flora and fauna, over-exploitation of natural resources, and environmental pollution . Disruption of nesting areas by human activity and/or by introduced animals, such as dogs, has reduced the number of turtles nesting on the islands. Sea turtles are also slaughtered for food on a significant scale. The sea turtle

4446-473: The island as part of Freedomland . As of 2013 , Taiping Island is administered by Taiwan. After pulling out its garrison in 1950 when the Republic of China evacuated to Taiwan, when the Filipino Tomas Cloma uprooted an ROC flag on Itu Aba laid claim to the Spratly Islands and, Taiwan again regarrisoned Itu Aba in 1956. In 1946, the Americans allegedly reminded the Philippines at its independence that

4524-404: The island to change the shape and size of the island. For example, Spratly Island is larger during the northeast monsoon (about 700 by 300 metres (2,300 ft × 980 ft)), and smaller during the southwest monsoon (approximately 650 by 320 metres (2,130 ft × 1,050 ft)). Some islands may contain fresh groundwater fed by rain. Groundwater levels fluctuate during the day with

4602-480: The islands as resting, breeding, and wintering sites. Species found here include streaked shearwater ( Calonectris leucomelas ), brown booby ( Sula leucogaster ), red-footed booby ( S. sula ), great crested tern ( Sterna bergii ), and white tern ( Gygis alba ). Little information is available regarding the current status of the islands' seabird populations, though it is likely that birds may divert nesting sites to smaller, less disturbed islands. Bird eggs cover

4680-426: The islands have a permanent drinkable water supply. Natural resources include fish, guano , oil and natural gas. Economic activity has included commercial fishing , shipping, guano mining, oil and gas exploitation, and more recently, tourism. The Spratly Islands are located near several primary shipping lanes. The islands and cays, listed in descending order of naturally occurring area, are: The total area of

4758-435: The majority of Southwest Cay , a small island in the eastern Danger Zone. A variety of cetaceans such as dolphins , orcas , pilot whales , and sperm whales are also present around the islands. This ecoregion is still largely a mystery. Scientists have focused their research on the marine environment, while the ecology of the terrestrial environment remains relatively unknown. Political instability, tourism, and

SECTION 60

#1733084546721

4836-479: The province, which make up around two thirds of the fishing output. Nha Trang is the South Central Coast 's second largest industrial center and the province in general accounts for more than one fifth of the region's industrial GDP. Food processing industries are large, especially those processing local fishing products and food for shrimp farms. Other industrial sectors produce beverages, fabric, textiles, paper, and construction materials. Industrial production

4914-451: The reason the world has heard little about the damage inflicted by the People's Republic of China to the reefs is that the experts can't get to them and noted "I have colleagues from the Philippines, Taiwan, PRC, Vietnam and Malaysia who have worked in the Spratly area. Most would not be able to get near the artificial islands except possibly some from PRC, and those would not be able to release their findings." Evidence of human presence in

4992-455: The region extends back nearly 50,000 years at Tabon Caves on Palawan. Therefore, it is difficult to say when humans first came upon this island group. Within historical times, several groups may have passed through or occupied the islands. Between 600 BC to 3 BC there was an east to west migration by members of the seafaring Sa Huỳnh culture . This may have led them through the Spratly Islands on their way to Vietnam. These migrants were

5070-767: The rhythm of the tides. Phosphates from bird faeces ( guano ) are mainly concentrated in the beach rocks by the way of exchange- endosmosis . The principal minerals bearing phosphate are podolite, lewistonite and dehonite. Coral reefs are the predominant structures of these islands; the Spratly group contains over 600 coral reefs in total. In April 2015 the New York Times reported that China were using "scores of dredgers" to convert Fiery Cross Reef and several other reefs into military facilities. Little vegetation grows on these islands, which are subject to intense monsoons . Larger islands are capable of supporting tropical forest , scrub forest , coastal scrub and grasses. It

5148-566: The rifting and later sea-floor spreading that created the South China Sea. During the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene additional stretching and block faulting of continental crust occurred within the Spratly Islands and adjacent Dangerous Ground. During and after this period of tectonic activity, corals and other marine life colonised the crests of the horsts and other ridges that lay in shallow water. The remains of these organisms accumulated over time as biogenic carbonates that comprise

5226-668: The same place as Thitu Island ). A number of maps of the South China Sea were later produced, but the first map that gives a reasonably accurate delineation of the Spratly Islands region (titled [South] China Sea, Sheet 1 ) was only published in 1821 by the hydrographer of the East India Company James Horsburgh after a survey by Captain Daniel Ross. A later 1859 edition of the map named the Spratly Island as Storm Island. The islands were sporadically visited throughout

5304-562: The south of the province. Khánh Hòa is one of the most important educational centers in Vietnam. It is home to Nha Trang University (formerly Nha Trang Fishery University), a multidisciplinary university; the Naval Academy; the Air Force Officer Academy; a Normal College; a Kindergarten Teacher's Training College; and an Arts and Tourism College. Spratly Islands Spratly Islands dispute Territorial disputes in

5382-439: The southeastern part of the Spratly Islands, which includes the uninhabited Louisa Reef . In 1939, the Spratly Islands were coral islets mostly inhabited by seabirds. Despite the Spratly Islands naturally consisting of 19 islands (see below) , according to a Chinese 1986 source, the Spratly Islands consist of 14 islands or islets, 6 banks, 113 submerged reefs, 35 underwater banks and 21 underwater shoals. The northeast part of

5460-560: The territory in maps compiled in 1724, 1755, 1767, 1810, and 1817, but did not officially claim jurisdiction over these islands. An early European map, A correct chart of the China Seas of 1758 by William Herbert, left the Spratly Islands region (known then as the Dangerous Ground) as largely blank, indicating that region has yet to be properly surveyed, although some islands and shoals at its western edge were marked (one appears at

5538-424: The total in 2007, making it the most urbanized province of the South Central Coast . The average population growth per year between 2000 and 2007 was 1.26%, close to the average of the region. Growth was particularly strong in urban areas (2.24%). Khánh Hòa is subdivided into nine district-level sub-divisions: They are further subdivided into six commune-level towns (or townlets), 99 communes, and 35 wards. With

5616-473: The west of the dividing line and had Chinese inhabitants, to Vietnam. In 1933 and 1937 France sent diplomatic notes to China maintaining that the 1887 treaty determined the ownership of islands near the Móng Cái area only not anywhere beyond that. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also try to claim that a 1883 incident involving a German ship conducting surveys in the South China Sea without China's consent

5694-407: The wildlife trade are common threats to the biodiversity of the entire region, including these islands. Coral habitats are threatened by pollution, over-exploitation of fish and invertebrates, and the use of explosives and poisons as fishing techniques. A 2014 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report said: "Sand is rarer than one thinks". The average price of sand imported by Singapore

5772-766: Was US$ 3 per tonne from 1995 to 2001, but the price increased to US$ 190 per tonne from 2003 to 2005. Although the Philippines and China had both ratified the UNCLOS III, in the case of and Johnson South Reef , Hughes Reef , Mischief Reef , the PRC dredged sand for free in the EEZ the Philippines had claimed from 1978 arguing this is the "waters of China's Nansha Islands". Although the consequences of substrate mining are hidden, they are tremendous. Aggregate particles that are too fine to be used are rejected by dredging boats, releasing vast dust plumes and changing water turbidity. John McManus,

5850-404: Was named to the islands. In November 1946, the ROC sent naval ships to take control of the islands after the surrender of Japan . It had chosen the largest and perhaps the only inhabitable island, Taiping Island , as its base, and it renamed the island under the name of the naval vessel as Taiping. Also following the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II, the ROC re-claimed the entirety of

5928-588: Was none. A total of 2,927 marine species have been recorded in the Spratly Sea, including 776 benthic species, 382 species of hard coral, 524 species of marine fish, 262 species of algae and sea grass, 35 species of seabirds, and 20 species of marine mammals and sea turtles. Terrestrial vegetation in the islands includes 103 species of vascular plants of magnolia branches ( Magnoliophyta ) of 39 families and 79 genera. The islands that do have vegetation provide important habitats for many seabirds and sea turtles. Both

6006-530: Was protested with Berlin and the Germans terminated the survey. Western scholars have determined, however, that this incident is not based on verifiable references and is inconsistent with other Chinese inaction during the same time period given that, in 1885, the German Admiralty published a two‐sheet chart entitled Die Paracel‐Inseln (The Paracel Islands). The chart documented the work of a German expedition to

6084-673: Was upgraded to city status. In 1982, the National Assembly decided to incorporate the Spratly Islands into Phú Khánh province. On June 30, 1989, the National Assembly reversed its previous decision and split Phú Khánh province into two provinces as they were before. Khánh Hòa province has an area of 5,197 km (2,007 sq mi). Its geographical coordinates are 108°40’33" to 109°27’55" E and 11°42’50" to 12°52’15" N. The provincial coastline spreads from Đại Lãnh Commune to

#720279