Pratas Island
Island in the northern South China Sea / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pratas Island,[11][14]: 5 [15][16][17] also known as the Tungsha Islands[18][19][20][21][22][23] or the Dongsha Islands (Chinese: 東沙群島; pinyin: Dōngshā Qúndǎo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tang-soa Kûn-tó; lit. 'East Sand Islands'[11]), is a coral island situated in the northern part of the South China Sea[1][2][3][6] administered as part of Cijin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.[24][25][26] It is located about 170 nautical miles (310 km; 200 mi) southeast of Hong Kong.[7][27] It has an area of about 240 hectares (590 acres), including 64 hectares (160 acres) of lagoon, and is the largest of the South China Sea Islands.[28] It is the location of the Dongsha Airport.
Disputed island Native name: 東沙島 | |
---|---|
Other names | Tungsha Island Dongsha Island |
Geography | |
Location | South China Sea |
Coordinates | 20°42′08″N 116°43′39″E |
Total islands | 1[1]: 13 [2][3][4][5][6] |
Area | 174 ha (430 acres) (land), 64 ha (158.15 acres) (lagoon)[7][1]: 5 |
Length | 2.8 km (1.74 mi) |
Width | 0.865 km (0.5375 mi) |
Administration | |
Municipality District | Kaohsiung Cijin[1]: 23 [8] (Qijin) |
Claimed by | |
Province Prefecture-level city District | Guangdong Shanwei (Swabue) Chengqu[12][13] |
There are three undersea features in the waters associated with Pratas Island: Pratas Atoll, North Vereker Bank and South Vereker Bank.[1]: 8, 9 [29][30][31] The atoll is circular, and the crescent-shaped Pratas Island occupies its western part. Below the ocean's surface[32] to the northwest (21°N 116°E) of Pratas Island, North Vereker Bank rises to 11 metres (36 ft) below sea level and South Vereker Bank to 58 metres (190 ft) below sea level.[14]: 6
There are numerous oil wells to the west of the banks.[33] In 2007, the Dongsha Atoll National Park was established on the island. The People's Republic of China claims the island,[26] atoll and banks as part of Guangdong Province.