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.Pagmamay-ari ng Pilipinas
{{Distinguish|Spratly Island}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox Disputed Islands
|plural = yes
|name = Spratly Islands
|image name = Spratly_Islands-CIA_WFB_Map.png
|image caption = The Spratly Islands
|image size = 250px
|locator map =
|map_custom =
|native name =
|native name link =
|other_names = South Sand Islands<ref>{{Cite book|author=Jones, Gareth Wyn |year=2002|chapter=Provinces|editor=Boland-Crewe, Tara and Lea, David|title=The Territories of the People's Republic of China |location=London|publisher=Europa Publications|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=V3SOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA101 101]|isbn=978-0-203-40311-2}}</ref>
|location = [[South China Sea]]
|coordinates = {{coord|10|N|114|E|scale:2500000|display=inline,title}}
|archipelago =
|total islands = >750 islands, islets, etc.
|major islands = <!-- This list is in descending order of area - see [[List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands#Features by area]] - If there is a better criterion that you can justify, go for it! -->
[[Itu Aba Island]]<br />
[[Thitu Island]]<br />
[[West York Island]]<br />
[[Spratly Island]]<br />
[[Northeast Cay]]<br />
[[Southwest Cay]]<br />
[[Sin Cowe Island]]<br />
[[Nanshan Island]]<br />
[[Sand Cay]]<br />
[[Loaita Island]]<br />
[[Swallow Reef]]<ref>With reclaimed land, [[Swallow Reef]] was probably the third largest "island" in the Spratlys. Reclamation activities by the PRC in 2014 have added significant land areas to a number of submerged reefs and atolls like [[Johnson South Reef]], [[Fiery Cross Reef]] and the [[Gaven Reefs]].</ref><br />
[[Namyit Island]]<br />
[[Amboyna Cay]]<br />
etc.<ref>See [[List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands]] for information about individual islands.</ref>
|area = ~4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (1.5&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>)
|length =
|width =
|coastline = {{convert|926|km|0|abbr=on}}
|highest mount = [[Southwest Cay]]
|elevation = 4 metres (13 ft)
|country claim = Brunei
|country claim divisions title = [[Exclusive economic zone|EEZ]]
|country claim divisions = Brunei zone
|country 2 claim = People's Republic of China
|country 2 claim divisions title = [[Prefecture-level city]]
|country 2 claim divisions = [[Sansha]], [[Hainan]]<ref>[http://www.mca.gov.cn/article/zwgk/mzyw/201206/20120600325063.shtml 民政部关于国务院批准设立地级三沙市的公告-中华人民共和国民政部], Ministry of Civil Affairs of the PRC - Totally useless reference for readers of English wikipedia; No indication of what it's about, or why it's being quoted.</ref>
|country 3 claim = Malaysia
|country 3 claim divisions title = [[States and federal territories of Malaysia|State]]
|country 3 claim divisions = [[Sabah]]
|country 4 claim = Philippines
|country 4 claim divisions title = [[Municipalities of the Philippines|Municipality]]
|country 4 claim divisions = [[Kalayaan, Palawan|Kalayaan]]
|country 5 claim = Taiwan
|country 5 claim divisions title = [[Special municipality (Republic of China)|Municipality]]
|country 5 claim divisions = [[Kaohsiung]]
|country 6 claim = Vietnam
|country 6 claim divisions title = [[List of districts of Vietnam|District]]
|country 6 claim divisions = [[Truong Sa District|Truong Sa]]
|country admin divisions title =
|country admin divisions =
|population = No indigenous peoples
|population as of =
|density =
|ethnic groups = Various ethnicities
|additional info =
}}

{{Spratly Islands}}

{{Infobox Chinese
|vie = Quần Đảo Trường Sa
|hn = 群島長沙
|p = Nánshā Qúndǎo
|j = nam4 saa1 kwun4 dou2
|y = Nàhmsaa Kwùhndóu
|t = 南沙群島
|s = 南沙群岛
|poj = Lâm-soa Kûn-tó
|tgl = Kapuluan ng Kalayaan
|msa = Kepulauan Spratly<br />Gugusan Semarang Peninjau<ref>User, S. (1990). Pasukan Gugusan Semarang Peninjau. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.navy.mil.my/pusmastldm/index.php/penubuhan-unit/markas-wilayah-laut-2/pasukan-gugusan-semarang-peninjau [Accessed: 4 June 2013]{{dead link|date=December 2014}} - Totally useless reference for readers of English wikipedia; No indication of what it's about, or why it's being quoted.</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=22 November 2011 |title=Slow progress on capability growth |publisher=Defence Review Asia.com |url=http://www.defencereviewasia.com/articles/140/Slow-progress-on-capability-growth |accessdate=4 December 2014}}</ref><ref>Navy.mil.my (n.d.). Untitled. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.navy.mil.my/index.php/component/k2/item/2479-warga-gugusan-semarang-peninjau-tldm-diraikan-di-pulau-layang-layang [Accessed: 4 June 2013].{{dead link|date=December 2014}} - Unhelpful reference for readers of English wikipedia; No indication of what it's about, or why it's being quoted.</ref>}}

The '''Spratly Islands''' (Chinese: Nánshā Qúndǎo ({{zh|c=南沙群岛|labels=no}}), Malay: ''Kepulauan Spratly'', Tagalog: ''Kapuluan ng Kalayaan'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Anda |first=Redempto |date=17 July 2012 |title=Government told of China buildup 2 months ago |newspaper=Philippine Inquirer |url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/44553 |accessdate=29 October 2013}}</ref> Vietnamese: ''Quần đảo Trường Sa'') are a [[Spratly Islands dispute|disputed]] group of more than 750 [[reef]]s, [[islet]]s, [[atoll]]s, [[cay]]s and [[island]]s in the [[South China Sea]].<ref name="ECO" /> 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 approximately 4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (1.5&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>) of land area spread over a vast area of more than 425,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (164,000&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>).

The Spratlys are one of the major archipelagos in the South China Sea which comprise more than 30,000 islands and reefs, and which complicate governance and economics in this part of Southeast Asia due to their location in strategic shipping lanes. The islands have no indigenous inhabitants, but offer rich fishing grounds and may contain significant oil and natural gas reserves.<ref name="Owen2012a">Owen, N. A. and C. H. Schofield, 2012, ''Disputed South China Sea hydrocarbons in perspective.'' Marine Policy. vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 809-822.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Q&A: South China Sea dispute |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349 |accessdate=30 October 2013}}</ref> and as such are important to the claimants in their attempts to establish international boundaries.

The northeast of Spratlys is known to mariners as [[Dangerous Ground (South China Sea)|Dangerous Ground]] and is characterized by its many low islands, sunken reefs, and atolls with [[coral]] often rising abruptly from ocean depths greater than {{convert|1000|m}} - all of which makes the area dangerous for navigation.

In addition to various territorial claims, some of the features have civilian settlements, but of the approximately 45 islands, reefs, cays and other features that are occupied, all contain structures which are occupied by military forces (from China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia). Additionally, [[Brunei]] has claimed (but does not occupy) an [[exclusive economic zone]] in the southeastern part of the Spratlys which includes the Louisa Reef. These claims and occupations have led to escalating tensions between these countries over the status and "ownership" of the islands.

==Geographic and economic overview==
{{further|List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands}}
The Spratly Islands contain almost no significant [[arable land]], have no indigenous inhabitants, and very few of the islands have a permanent drinkable water supply. Natural resources include [[fish]], and [[guano]], as well as the possible potential of [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[natural gas]] reserves.<ref>Note, however, that a 2013 US EIA report questions the economic viability of many of the potential reserves.</ref> [[Economics|Economic]] activity has included [[commercial fishing]], [[shipping]], [[guano]] mining, and more recently, [[tourism]].

The Spratlys are located near several primary shipping lanes.

==Geology==
[[File:Spratly & Paracel Islands.gif|thumb|500px|right|The location of the Spratly and [[Paracel Islands]] in the [[South China Sea]]]]

The Spratly Islands consist of reefs, banks and shoals that consist of biogenic [[Carbonate rock|carbonate]]. These accumulations of biogenic carbonate lie upon the higher crests of major submarine ridges that are uplifted [[fault block]]s known by geologists as [[Horst (geology)|horsts]]. These horsts are part of a series of parallel and en echelon, half-grabens and rotated fault-blocks. The long axes of the horsts, rotated fault blocks and half-[[grabens]] form well-defined linear trends that lie parallel to [[Magnetic anomaly|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 is composed of [[Triassic]], [[Jurassic]], and [[Cretaceous]] [[strata]] that include [[Calc-alkaline magma series|calc-alkalic]] [[extrusive]] [[igneous]] rocks, intermediate to acid [[Intrusion|intrusive]] igneous rocks, [[sandstones]], [[siltstones]], dark-green [[claystone]]s, and [[metamorphic rocks]] that include [[biotite]]-[[muscovite]]-[[feldspar]]-[[quartz]] [[migmatites]] and [[garnet]]-[[mica]] [[schists]].<ref name="Hutchison2010a">Hutchison, C. S., and V. R. Vijayan, 2010, ''What are the Spratly Islands?'' Journal of Asian Earth Science. vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 371–385.</ref><ref name="Wei2011a">Wei-Weil, D., and L, Jia-Biao, 2011, ''Seismic Stratigraphy, Tectonic Structure and Extension Factors Across the Dangerous Grounds: Evidence from Two Regional Multi-Channel Seismic Profiles.'' Chinese Journal of Geophysics. vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 921–941.</ref><ref name="Zhen2013a">Zhen, S., Z. Zhong-Xian, L. Jia-Biao, Z. Di, and W. Zhang-Wen, 2013, ''Tectonic Analysis of the Breakup and Collision Unconformities in the Nansha Block.'' Chinese Journal of Geophysics. vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 1069-1083.</ref>

The dismemberment and subsidence of continental crust into horsts, rotated fault blocks and half-grabens that underlie the Spratly Islands and surrounding sea bottom occurred in 2 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 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 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.<ref name="Hutchison2010a"/><ref name="Wei2011a"/><ref name="Zhen2013a"/>

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 the Spratly Islands. Southeast and west of them, there also exist thick accumulations of sediments that possibly might contain economic oil and gas reserves lie closer to the Spratly Islands.<ref name="Owen2012a"/><ref name="Blanche1997a">Blanche, J. B. and J. D. Blanche, 1997, ''An Overview of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Spratly Islands Archipelago and its Implications for Regional Development.'' in A. J. Fraser, S. J. Matthews, and R. W. Murphy, eds., pp. 293-310, Petroleum Geology of South East Asia. Special Publication no. 126, The Geological Society, Bath, England 436 pp.</ref>

==Ecology==
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 the island to change the shape and size of the island. For example, Spratly Island is larger during the northeast monsoon, (about 700 x 300 meters), and smaller during the southwest monsoon, (approximately 650 x 320 meters).<ref>{{cite web |author=Tran Duc Thanh |date=May 1994 |title=Động lực bồi tụ, xói lở bờ và sự thay đổi hình dạng đảo san hô Trường Sa |trans-title=Deposition and erosion dynamics and shape change of the Spratly coral island |publisher=ResearchGate |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258736867_ng_lc_bi_t_xi_l_b_v_s_thay_i_hnh_dng_o_san_h_Trng_Sa_-_Deposition_and_erosion_dynamics_and_shape_change_of_the_Spratly_coral_island?ev=prf_pub |accessdate=28 July 2014}}</ref>

Some islands may contain fresh groundwater fed by rain. Groundwater levels fluctuate during the day with the rhythm of the tides.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tran Duc Thanh |date=May 1994 |title=Kết quả khảo sát bước đầu nước ngầm đảo san hô Trường Sa |trans-title=Results of preliminary survey for groundwater in Spratly coral Island |publisher=ResearchGate |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258736839_Kt_qu_kho_st_bc_u_nc_ngm_o_san_h_Trng_Sa_-_results_of_preliminary_survey_for_groundwater_in_Spratly_coral_Island?ev=prf_pub |accessdate=28 July 2014}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258627956_Mt_s_c_im_a_cht_o_san_h_Trng_Sa_-_Some_geological_features_of_Spratly_coral_Island?ev=prf_pub |title=Một số đặc điểm địa chất đảo san hô Trường Sa - Some geological features of Spratly coral Island |publisher=ResearchGate |date=21 May 2014 |accessdate=28 July 2014}}</ref>

===Coral reefs===
[[Coral reefs]] are the predominant structure of these islands; the Spratly group contains over 600 coral reefs in total.<ref name="ECO">{{WWF ecoregion|id=im0148|name=South China Sea Islands}}</ref> In April 2015 the New York Times has reported that China were using "scores of dredgers" to convert Fiery Cross Reef and several other reefs into military facilities (runways, etc.).<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/17/world/asia/china-building-airstrip-in-disputed-spratly-islands-satellite-images-show.html</ref>

===Vegetation===
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 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 tree|palm]], and even [[white peach]] trees growing on one island. A few islands which have been developed as small tourist resorts had soil and trees brought in and planted where there was none.<ref name="ECO" />

===Wildlife===
A total of 2,927 marine species were 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, 20 species of marine mammals and sea turtles, etc.<ref name="researchgate1">{{cite web |title= Vietnamese sea and islands - position, resources and typical geological and ecological wonders |publisher= researchgate.net |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258698786_Bin_o_Vit_Nam_-_Ti_nguyn_v_th_v_nhng_k_quan_a_cht_sinh_thi_tiu_biu_%28Vietnamese_sea_and_islands__position_resources_and_typical_geological_and_ecological_wonders%29?ev=prf_pub}}</ref>

Terrestrial vegetation in the islands includes 103 species of vascular plants of magnolia branches ([[Magnoliophyta]]) of 39 families and 79 genera.<ref name="researchgate1"/>

The islands that do have vegetation provide important habitats for many seabirds and sea turtles.<ref name="ECO" />

Both the [[green turtle]] (''Chelonia mydas'', [[endangered species|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.<ref name="ECO" />

Seabirds use the islands for 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 the majority of Song Tu, a small island in the eastern Danger Zone.<ref name="ECO" />

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.<ref name="ECO" />

===Ecological hazards===
Political instability, tourism and 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 is a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture and at times the military personnel are given orders to protect the turtles.<ref name="ECO" />

Heavy commercial fishing in the region incurs other problems. Although it has been outlawed, fishing methods continue to include the use of [[bottom trawling|bottom trawlers]] fitted with chain rollers. In addition, during a recent{{clarify timeframe|date=March 2013}} routine patrols{{by whom|date=July 2014}}, more than 200&nbsp;kg of [[Potassium cyanide]] solution was confiscated from fishermen who had been using it for fish poisoning. These activities have a devastating impact on local marine organisms and coral reefs.<ref name="ECO" />

Some interest has been taken{{by whom|date=July 2014}} in regard to conservation of these{{which|date=July 2014}} island ecosystems. J.W. McManus{{who|date=July 2014}} has explored the possibilities of designating portions of the Spratly Islands as a [[marine park]]. One region of 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&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (62&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>), is currently managed by the [[Khanh Hoa]] Provincial People's Committee of Vietnam.<ref name="ECO" />

Military groups in the Spratlys 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 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.<ref name="ECO" />

==History==
Chinese texts of the 12th century record these islands being a part of Chinese territory and that they had earlier (206{{nbsp}}BC) been used as fishing grounds during the [[Han dynasty]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A List of books on the history of Spratly islands|url=http://chinadailymail.com/2014/01/13/the-reasons-why-a-battle-for-zhongye-pag-asa-island-seems-unavoidable/|accessdate=21 March 2014}}</ref> Further records show the islands as inhabited at various times in history by Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen, and during the second world war by troops from [[French Indochina]] and [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japan]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Timeline|url=http://www.spratlys.org/history/spratly-islands-history-timeline.htm|work=History of the Spratlys|publisher=www.spratlys.org|accessdate=21 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Chemillier-Gendreau|first=Monique|title=Sovereignty Over the Paracel and Spratly Islands|year=2000|publisher=Kluwer Law International|isbn=9041113819}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=China Sea pilot|volume=1|edition=8th|year=2010|publisher=UKHO - United Kingdom Hydrographic Office|location=Taunton|url=https://www.ukho.gov.uk/PRODUCTSANDSERVICES/PAPERPUBLICATIONS/Pages/NauticalPubs.aspx}}</ref> However, there were no large settlements on these islands until 1956, when Filipino adventurer Tomás Cloma, Sr., decided to "claim" a part of Spratly islands as his own, naming it the "[[Free Territory of Freedomland]]".<ref>{{cite news|title=China and Philippines: The reasons why a battle for Zhongye (Pag-asa) Island seems unavoidable|url=http://chinadailymail.com/2014/01/13/the-reasons-why-a-battle-for-zhongye-pag-asa-island-seems-unavoidable/|accessdate=21 March 2014|newspaper=China Daily Mail|date=13 January 2014}}</ref>

===Early cartography===
[[File:1801 Cary Map of the East Indies and Southeast Asia ( Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Philippines - Geographicus - EastIndies-cary-1801.jpg|thumb||300px|right|An 1801 map of the [[East Indies]] delineating the Spratlys' proper placement]]
[[File:DaiNamNhatThongToanDo 1834-1838.jpg|thumb|300px|right|An 1838 Unified Dai Nam map marking [[Trường Sa]] and [[Hoàng Sa]], which are considered as Spratly and [[Paracel Islands]] by Vietnamese scholars; yet they share different latitude, location, shape and distance.]]
[[File:China Sea - Southern Portion - Eastern Sheet.png|thumb|right|A striking large black and white British chart of the sea in northern Borneo, first issued in 1881 and corrected to 1935.]]
[[File:Bia VNCH Truong Sa - Republic of Vietnam Spratly Islands Territorial Marker.JPG|250px|thumbnail|right| Territorial monument of the [[Republic of Vietnam]] (South Vietnam) on [[Southwest Cay]], Spratly Islands, defining the cay as part of Vietnamese territory (tp [[Phước Tuy Province]]). Used since 22 August 1956 until 1975, when replaced by another one from the [[Socialist Republic of Vietnam]] (successor state after the [[Fall of Saigon]])]]
[[File:Mapspratly.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A geographic map of Spratlys (click for a more detailed image)]]

Evidence of man's presence in the region extends back nearly 50,000 years at [[Tabon Caves]] on Palawan. Therefore, it is difficult to say
when man first came upon this island group. Within historical
times, several groups may have passed through or occupied the
islands. Between 600&nbsp;BCE to 3&nbsp;BCE there was an East to West migration by members of the seafairing [[Sa Huỳnh culture]]. This may have led them through the Spratly Islands on their way to Vietnam. These migrants were the forebears of the [[Cham people]] that founded the Old [[Champa]] empire that ruled what was known for centuries as the Champa Sea.<ref>{{Citation
|last=Thurgood
|first=Graham
|title=From Ancient Cham to Modern Dialects: Two Thousand Years of Language Contact and Change
|publisher=University of Hawaii Press
|year=1999
|isbn=978-0-8248-2131-9
|page=[http://books.google.com/books?id=MBGYb84A7SAC&pg=PA16 16]
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=MBGYb84A7SAC
}}</ref>
<ref name="Cham">{{cite web |url= news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140616-south-china-sea-vietnam-china-cambodia-champa/ |title=The Cham: Descendants of Ancient Rulers of South China Sea Watch Maritime Dispute From Sidelines |accessdate=29 June 2015|date=18 June 2014 |publisher=National Geographic}}</ref>

Ancient Chinese maps record the "Thousand [[Li (unit)|Li]] Stretch of Sands"; ''Qianli Changsha'' ({{lang|zh-hant|千里長沙}}) and the "Ten-Thousand [[Li (unit)|Li]] of Stone Pools"; ''Wanli Shitang'' ({{lang|zh-hant|萬里石塘}}),<ref>[[commons:File:GeneralMapOfDistancesAndHistoricCapitals.jpg|File: General Map of Distances and Historic Capitals]], Wikimedia Commons.</ref> which China today claims refers to the Spratly Islands. The Wanli Shitang have been explored by the Chinese since the [[Yuan dynasty]] and may have been considered by them to have been within their national boundaries.<ref>{{Citation |author=Jianming Shen |editor1-last=Nordquist |editor1-first=Myron H. |editor2-last=Moore |editor2-first=John Norton |chapter=Territorial Aspects of the South China Sea Island Disputes |date=1998 |title=Security Flashpoints: Oil, Islands, Sea Access and Military Confrontation |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |isbn=978-90-411-1056-5 |pages=165–166 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=DKXRRfWtkw8C&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=%22wang+dayuan%22+spratly#PPA166,M1}}, ISBN 90-411-1056-9 ISBN 978-90-411-1056-5.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/topics/3754/t19231.htm|title=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China|work=fmprc.gov.cn}}</ref> They are also referenced in the 13th century,<ref name="autogenerated1">[[History of Yuan]] geographical records: ''Yuan Dynasty Territorial Map'' (元代疆域图叙)</ref> followed by the Ming dynasty.<ref name="autogenerated4">''Miscellaneous Records of the South Sea Defensive Command'' 《海南卫指挥佥事柴公墓志》</ref> When the Ming Dynasty collapsed, the [[Qing dynasty]] continued to include the territory in maps compiled in 1724,<ref>''Qing dynasty provincial map from [[tianxia]] world map'' 《清直省分图》之《天下总舆图》</ref> 1755,<ref>''Qing dynasty circuit and province map from Tianxia world map'' 《皇清各直省分图》之《天下总舆图》</ref> 1767,<ref>''Great Qing of 10,000-years Tianxia map'' 《大清万年一统天下全图》</ref> 1810,<ref>'' Great Qing of 10,000-years general map of all territory'' 《大清万年一统地量全图》</ref> and 1817.<ref name="autogenerated2">''Great Qing tianxia overview map'' 《大清一统天下全图》</ref>

A Vietnamese map from 1834 also combines the Spratly and Paracel Islands into one region known as "Vạn Lý Trường Sa"{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}, a feature commonly incorporated into maps of the era ({{script|Hani|萬里長沙}}) ‒ that is, a combination of half of the 2 aforementioned Chinese island names, "Wanli" and "Changsha".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nansha.org.cn/maps/7/da_nan_yi_tong_quan_tu.html|title=大南一统全图|work=nansha.org.cn}}</ref> According to [[Hanoi]], Vietnamese maps record Bãi Cát Vàng (''Golden Sandbanks'', referring to both the Spratly and Paracel Islands) which lay near the Coast of the central Vietnam as early as 1838.<ref name="KING" /> 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 the [[Lê dynasty]], 200&nbsp;years earlier. The Vietnamese government conducted several geographical surveys of the islands in the 18th century.<ref name="KING" />

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.<ref name="KING">{{wikicite|reference=King C. Chen, [http://books.google.com/books?id=vY4tBfqGvZ4C China's War with Vietnam] (1979) [http://books.google.com/books?id=vY4tBfqGvZ4C&pg=PA42 ''Dispute over the Paracels and Spratlys, pp. 42–48].|ref={{harvid|King|1979}} }}</ref>

The islands were sporadically visited throughout 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).<ref>MARITIME BRIEFING, Volume I, Number 6: A Geographical Description of the Spratly Island and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys Amongst Those Islands, 1995 by David Hancox and Victor Prescott. Pages 14–15</ref> However, these nations showed little interest in the islands.

British naval captain James George Meads in the 1870s laid claim to the islands, proclaiming a [[micronation]] called [[Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads]]. Descendants of Meads have continued to claim legitimacy over the islands, and continue to attempt to claim ownership of the island's resources.<ref>{{cite book|title=The United States in Asia: A Historical Dictionary|last=Shavit|first=David|url=http://books.google.com/?id=IWdZTaJdc6UC&lpg=PA285&pg=PA285#v=onepage&q=|page=285|year=1990|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-26788-X}}</ref><ref name="fowler">{{cite book |last1=Fowler |first1=Michael |last2=Bunck |first2=Julie Marie |title=Law, Power, and the Sovereign State |pages=54–55 |year=1995 |publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press |isbn=0-271-01470-9 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=oAp_97VvpMIC&pg=PA54&dq=%22James+George+Meads%22}}</ref><ref name="latimes">{{cite news|last=Whiting|first=Kenneth|title=Asian Nations Squabble Over Obscure String of Islands|work=Los Angeles Times|page=A2|date=2 February 1992}}</ref>

In 1883, German boats surveyed the Spratly and the Paracel Islands but eventually withdrew the survey, after receiving protests from the [[Guangdong]] government representing the [[Qing dynasty]]. Many European maps before the 20th century do not even mention this region.<ref>[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/asia_1892_amer_ency_brit.jpg Map of Asia 1892, University of Texas]</ref>

===Military conflict and diplomatic dialogues===
{{further|Spratly Islands dispute}}

The following are political divisions for the Spratly Islands claimed by various area nations (in alphabetical order):
* Brunei: Part of Brunei's Exclusive Economic Zone<ref name="Brunei">[http://web.archive.org/web/20080228205656/http://www.icriforum.org/secretariat/press_061303.html Borneo Post: When All Else Fails] (archived from [http://www.icriforum.org/secretariat/press_061303.html the original]{{dead link|date=May 2014}} on 28 February 2008) Additionally, pages 48 and 51 of "The Brunei-Malaysia Dispute over Territorial and Maritime Claims in International Law" by R. Haller-Trost, Clive Schofield, and Martin Pratt, published by the [http://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/ International Boundaries Research Unit], University of Durham, UK, points out that this is, in fact, a "territorial dispute" between Brunei and other claimants over the ownership of one above-water feature (Louisa Reef)</ref>
* China: Part of [[Sansha]] city, [[Hainan]] province<ref>{{cite news|last=Romero|first=Alexis|title=China fishing boats cordon off Spratlys|url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/08/939648/china-fishing-boats-cordon-spratlys|accessdate=29 October 2013|newspaper=The Philippine Star|date=8 May 2013}}</ref>
* Malaysia: Part of [[Sabah]] state
* Philippines: Part of [[Palawan]] province
* Taiwan (Republic of China): Part of [[Kaohsiung]] municipality
* Vietnam: Part of [[Khánh Hòa Province]]

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 Spratlys.<ref name=Kivimaki2002>{{cite book |title=War Or Peace in the South China Sea? |editor-first=Timo |editor-last=Kivimäki |issue=Issue 45 of NIAS reports |issn=0904-597X |edition=illustrated |year=2002 |others=Contributor: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies |publisher=NIAS Press |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=CNVf9R_L5FAC&pg=PA9 |isbn=8791114012 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |pages= 9–11 }}</ref><ref name="Taylor & Francis">{{cite book |title= Security and International Politics in the South China Sea: Towards a co-operative management regime |editor1-first=Sam |editor1-last=Bateman |editor2-first=Ralf |editor2-last=Emmers |volume= |edition=illustrated |year=2008 |page=43 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=0203885244 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9VrMXX3CgBMC&printsec=frontcover | ref = {{harvid||}} }}</ref>

When the Spratlys and Paracels were being surveyed by Germany in 1883, China issued protests against them. The 1887 Chinese-Vietnamese Boundary convention signed between France and China after the [[Sino-French War]] said that China was the owner of the Spratly and Paracel islands.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Military History |first1=Larry M.|last1=Wortzel |authorlink1=Larry Wortzel |first2=Robin D. S.|last2=Higham |edition=illustrated |year=1999 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rfu-hR8msh4C&pg=PA180 |page= 180 |isbn=0313293376 }}</ref><ref name="Severino2011">{{cite book|author=Rodolfo Severino|title=Where in the World is the Philippines?: Debating Its National Territory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=83BIxG7Ig2cC&pg=PA76&dq=Germany+1883+South+China+sea&hl=zh-TW&sa=X&ei=IlF6U9uPO5Ho8AWvwYKIBg&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false|year=2011|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4311-71-7|pages=76–}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Severino2011>{{cite book |title=Where in the World is the Philippines?: Debating Its National Territory |first=Rodolfo |last=Severino |edition= illustrated |year=2011 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=83BIxG7Ig2cC&pg=PA76|isbn=9814311715|pages= 74, 76 }}</ref>

In 1933, France asserted its claims to the islands<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Paracel_Spratly.html Paracel Islands], worldstatesmen.org</ref> to the Spratly and Paracel Islands on behalf of its then-colony Vietnam.<ref name=encarta>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582978/Spratly_Islands.html Spratly Islands]{{citation broken|date=January 2011}}, [http://encarta.msn.com/ Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008]. All Rights Reserved.</ref> It occupied a number of the Spratly Islands, including [[Taiping Island]], built weather stations on 2 of the islands, and administered them as part of [[French Indochina]]. This occupation was protested by the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] (ROC) government because France admitted finding Chinese fishermen there when French warships visited 9 of the islands.<ref>Todd C. Kelly, [http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/todd.html Vietnamese Claims to the Truong Sa Archipelago]{{dead link|date=May 2014}}, Explorations in Southeast Asian Studies, Vol.3, Fall 1999.</ref> In 1935, the ROC government also announced a sovereignty claim on the Spratly Islands. [[Empire of Japan|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'' ({{lang|ja|新南諸島}}), literally the New Southern Islands, and together with the Paracel Islands ({{lang|zh-hans|西沙群岛}})<!--do not change! only Simplified Chinese uses this form of 岛/島-->, they were put under the governance of the Japanese colonial authority in Taiwan.

Japan occupied the Paracels and the Spratlys from February 1939 to August 1945.<ref name=king1979p43>{{harvnb|King|1979|p=[http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=vY4tBfqGvZ4C&pg=PA43 43]}}</ref> Japan administered the Spratlys via Taiwan's jurisdiction and the Paracels via Hainan's jurisdiction.<ref name=Kivimaki2002/> The Paracels and Spratlys were handed over to Republic of China control from Japan after the 1945 surrender of Japan,<ref name="ed. Morley, Nishihara 1997">{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Morley|first= James W. |last2=Nishihara|first2= Masashi |title=Vietnam Joins the World|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=taOrjN83rLEC&pg=PA124|date= 1997|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-7656-3306-4|page=124}}</ref> since the Allied powers assigned the Republic of China to receive Japanese surrenders in that area.<ref name= Severino2011/>

In November 1946, the ROC sent naval ships to take control of the islands after the [[surrender of Japan]].<ref name=king1979p43 /> 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 the Spratly Islands (including Taiping Island) after accepting the Japanese surrender of the islands based on the [[Cairo Declaration|Cairo]] and [[Potsdam Declaration]]s. The Republic of China then garrisoned Itu Aba (Taiping) island in 1946 and posted Chinese flags and markers on it along with Woody island in the Paracels, France tried, but failed to make them leave Woody island.<ref name=Kivimaki2002/> The aim of the Republic of China was to block the French claims.<ref name=Severino2011/><ref name="The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite web |work= Encyclopædia Britannica |author= Das, Darshana and Lotha, Gloria |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/561209/Spratly-Islands |title=Spratly Islands }}</ref> The Republic of China drew up the map showing the U shaped claim on the entire South China Sea, showing the Spratly and Paracels in Chinese territory, in 1947.<ref name=Severino2011/> 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. The [[Kuomintang|KMT]] force of the ROC government withdrew from most of the Spratly and Paracel Islands after they retreated to Taiwan from the opposing [[Communist Party of China]] due to their losses in the [[Chinese Civil War]] and the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.<ref name=encarta /> The ROC quietly withdrew troops from Taiping Island in 1950, but then reinstated them in 1956 in response to [[Tomás Cloma]]'s sudden claim to the island as part of [[Free Territory of Freedomland|Freedomland]].<ref>Kivimäki, Timo (2002), War Or Peace in the South China Sea?, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), ISBN 87-91114-01-2</ref> {{as of|2013}}, Taiping Island is administered by the ROC.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thediplomat.com/2013/09/taiwans-power-grab-in-the-south-china-sea/|title=Taiwan’s Power Grab in the South China Sea}}</ref>

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 Spratlys and, the Republic of China (now Taiwan) again regarrisoned Itu Aba on 1956.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morley|Nishihara|1997|pp=125–126}}</ref> In 1946, the Americans reminded the Philippines at its independence that the Spratlys was not Philippine territory, both to not anger [[Chiang Kai-shek]] in China and because the Spratlys were not part of the Philippines per the [[Treaty of Paris (1898)|1898 treaty Spain signed with America]].<ref name=Kivimaki2002/> The Philippines then claimed the Spratlys in 1971 under President Marcos, after Taiwanese troops attacked and shot at a Philippine fishing boat on Itu Aba.<ref name=Pak2000>{{cite book |title=The Law of the Sea and Northeast Asia: A Challenge for Cooperation |first= Hŭi-gwŏn |last=Pak |volume=Volume 35 of Publications on Ocean Development |edition=illustrated |year=2000 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=szcywfgKySAC&pg=PA92 |isbn=9041114076|pages=91–92|ref=harv}}</ref>

Taiwan's garrison from 1946–1950 and 1956-now on Itu Aba represents an "effective occupation" of the Spratlys.<ref name=Pak2000/><ref name=Lin2008>{{cite news |last=Lin |first=Cheng-yi |date=22 February 2008 |title= Buffer benefits in Spratly initiative |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JB22Ad02.html |newspaper= Asia Times Online |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}</ref> China established a coastal defence system against Japanese pirates or smugglers.<ref name=Pak2000p81>{{Harvnb|Pak|2000|p=81}}</ref>

North Vietnam recognised China's claims on the Paracels and Spratlys 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 the Americans.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morley|Nishihara|1997|pp=126–127}}</ref>

In 1988, the Vietnamese and Chinese navies engaged in a skirmish in the area of Johnson South Reef (also called Yongshu reef in China and Mabini reef in Philippines).<ref>{{cite news|last=Malig|first=Jojo|title=Chinese ships eye 'bumper harvest' in Spratly|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/16/12/chinese-ships-eye-bumper-harvest-mabini-reef|accessdate=29 October 2013|newspaper=ABS CBN News|date=17 July 2012}}</ref>

Under President [[Lee Teng-hui]], Taiwan stated that "legally, historically, geographically, or in reality", all of the South China Sea and Spratly islands were Taiwan's territory and under Taiwanese sovereignty, and denounced actions undertaken there by Malaysia and the Philippines, in a statement on 13 July 1999 released by the foreign ministry of Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news |author=STRATFOR |date=14 July 1999 |title=Taiwan sticks to its guns, to U.S. chagrin |publisher=Asia Times |work=STRATFOR's Global Intelligence Update |url=http://www.atimes.com/china/AG15Ad01.html |accessdate=10 March 2014}}</ref> Taiwan and China's claims "mirror" each other; during international talks involving the Spratly islands, China and Taiwan have cooperated with each other since both have the same claims.<ref name=Pak2000/><ref>{{cite news |last= Sisci |first= Francesco |date=29 June 2010 |title= US toe-dipping muddies South China Sea |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LG29Ad01.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}</ref>

It was unclear whether France continued its claim to the islands after WWII, since none of the islands, other than Taiping Island, was habitable. The [[South Vietnam]]ese government took over the [[Trường Sa]] administration after the defeat of the French at the end of the [[First Indochina War]]. In 1958, the PRC issued a declaration defining its territorial waters, which 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 the {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|adj=on|abbr=on}} limit of territorial waters.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.cn/mfa_chn/zyxw_602251/W020140608602937535933.zip http://www.mfa.gov.cn]</ref> While accepting the 12-nmi principal with respect to territorial waters, the letter did not actually address the issue of defining actual territorial boundaries.

In 1999, a Philippine navy ship (Number 57 - [[USS Harnett County (LST-821)|BRP ''Sierra Madre'']]) was purposely run aground near [[Second Thomas Shoal]] to enable establishment of an outpost. {{As of|2014}} it had not been removed, and Filipino troops have been stationed aboard since the grounding.<ref>{{cite news|last=Keck|first=Zachary|title=Second Thomas Shoal Tensions Intensify|url=http://thediplomat.com/2014/03/second-thomas-shoal-tensions-intensify/|accessdate=17 March 2014|newspaper=The Diplomat|date=13 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=A game of shark and minnow|url=http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/|accessdate=17 March 2014|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>

Taiwan and China are largely strategically aligned on the Spratly islands issue, since they both claim exactly the same area, so Taiwan's control of Itu Aba (Taiping) island is viewed as an extension of China's claim.<ref name=Wortzel>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Military History |first1=Larry M.|last1=Wortzel |authorlink1=Larry Wortzel |first2=Robin D. S.|last2=Higham |edition=illustrated |year=1999 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rfu-hR8msh4C&pg=PA180 |page= 180 |isbn=0313293376 }}</ref> Taiwan and China both claim the entire island chain, while all the other claimaints only claim portions of them. China has proposed co-operation with Taiwan against all the other countries claiming the islands. Taiwanese lawmakers have demanded that Taiwan fortify Itu Aba (Taiping) island with weapons to defend against the Vietnamese, and both China and Taiwanese NGOs have pressured Taiwan to expand Taiwan's military capabilities on the island, which played a role in Taiwan expanding the island's runway in 2012.<ref name=KastnerAug2012>{{cite news |last= Kastner|first=Jens |date= 10 August 2012 |title= Taiwan pours cement on maritime dispute |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NH10Ad01.html |newspaper= Asia Times Online |accessdate=10 March 2014}}</ref> China has urged Taiwan to co-operate and offered Taiwan a share in oil and gas resources while shutting out all the other rival claimaints. Taiwanese lawmakers have complained about repeated Vietnamese aggression and trespassing on Taiwan's Itu Aba (Taiping), and Taiwan has started viewing Vietnam as an enemy over the Spratly Islands, not China.<ref>{{cite news |last= Kastner |first= Jens |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NF13Ad01.html |title=Taiwan circling South China Sea bait |newspaper= Asia Times Online |date=13 June 2012 |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}</ref> Taiwan's state run oil company CPC Corp's board director Chiu Yi has called Vietnam as the "greatest threat" to Taiwan.<ref name=KastnerAug2012/> Taiwan's airstrip on Taiping has irritated Vietnam.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Peter |date= 29 July 2010 |title=US goes fishing for trouble |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LG29Ad03.html |newspaper= Asia Times Online |page=2 |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}</ref> China views Taiwan's expansion of its military and airstrip on Taiping as benefiting China's position against the other rival claimaints from southeast Asian countries.<ref name=Lin2008/> China's claims to the Spratlys benefit from legal weight because of Taiwan's presence on Itu Aba, while America on the other hand has regularly ignored Taiwan's claims in the South China Sea and does not include Taiwan in any talks on dispute resolution for the area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Womack |first= Brantly |date=14 February 2013 |title= Rethinking the US-China-Taiwan triangle |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHINA-01-140213.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}</ref>

Taiwan performed live fire military exercises on Taiping island in September 2012; reports said that Vietnam was explicitly named by the Taiwanese military as the "imaginary enemy" in the drill. Vietnam protested against the exercises as violation of its territory and "voiced anger", demanding that Taiwan stop the drill. Among the inspectors of the live fire drill were Taiwanese national legislators, adding to the tensions.<ref>I really don't think this many references are required, particularly given that one sub-group appear to be duplicates, and another sub-group appear to refer to a different time period ...
* {{cite news |date= 5 September 2012 |title= Photo: Taiwan military exercises with Vietnam as an imaginary enemy generals admit Taiping Island |url= http://www.newshome.us/news-2144953-Photo:-Taiwan-military-exercises-with-Vietnam-as-an-imaginary-enemy-generals-admit-Taiping-Island.html |publisher= newshome.us |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}
* {{cite web |date= 23 April 2013 |title= Taiwan holds live-fire drill in Spratlys: official |url= http://www.roc-taiwan.org/LV/ct.asp?xItem=372040&ctNode=7925&mp=507 |publisher= Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |agency= Agence France-Presse |date= 1 March 2013 |title= Taiwan to stage live-fire drill on disputed island |url= http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Taiwan_to_stage_live-fire_drill_on_disputed_island_999.html |newspaper= Space Daily |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |agency= Press Trust of India |date= 1 March 2013 |title= Taiwan to stage live-fire drill on disputed island |url= http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/taiwan-to-stage-livefire-drill-on-disputed-island/article4465611.ece |newspaper=Business Line |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |last=Yeh |first=Joseph |date= 23 April 2013 |title= Drills held on Taiwan-controlled Taiping island in South China Sea |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/04/23/376779/Drills-held.htm |newspaper= China Post |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}
* {{cite news |publisher= Bloomberg News |date= 23 August 2012 |title= Vietnam Demands Taiwan Cancel Spratly Island Live Fire Drill |url= http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-23/vietnam-demands-taiwan-cancel-spratly-island-live-fire-drill.html |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |publisher= thanhniennews |date= 27 August 2012 |title= Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url= http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2012/08/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island/ |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |date= 23 August 2012 |title= Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url= http://thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island-5633.html |newspaper= Thanh Nien News |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |agency= Agence France-Presse |date=1 March 2013 |title= Taiwan to hold live-fire drill in Spratlys |url= http://www.interaksyon.com/article/56128/taiwan-to-hold-live-fire-drill-in-spratlys |newspaper= InterAksyon |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |date=5 September 2012 |title= Taiwan unmoved by Vietnam's protest against Taiping drill |url= http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120905000091&cid=1101 |newspaper= Want China Times : "Knowing China through Taiwan" |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |agency= Agence France-Presse |date= 12 August 2012 |title= Vietnam angry at Taiwan as it stages live-fire drill in the Spratlys |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140325175801/http://www.philippinenews.com/read/latest-news/8067-vietnams-angry-at-taiwan-as-it-stages-live-fire-drill-in-the-spratlys.html |newspaper=Philippines News}}
* {{cite news |date=21 August 2012 |title= Taiwan to conduct live-fire Taiping Island drill in Sept. |url= http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-affairs/2012/08/21/351637/Taiwan-to.htm |newspaper= China Post |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}
* {{cite news |date= 21 August 2012 |title= Taiwan plans live-fire drill on Taiping in South China Sea |url= http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/08/21/2003540824 |newspaper= Taipei Times |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}
* {{cite news |last= Carpenter|first=Ted Galen |date=28 February 2013|title= Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url= http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors-8164 |newspaper= The National Interest |accessdate=10 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |last= Carpenter|first=Ted Galen |date=28 February 2013|title= Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url= http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors |newspaper= The National Interest |publisher= Cato Institute |accessdate=10 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |last= Carpenter|first=Ted Galen |date=4 March 2013|title= Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url= http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/03/04/taiwan_challenges_its_neighbors_117254.html |newspaper= Real Clear Politics |publisher= Cato Institute |accessdate=10 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |last= Carpenter|first=Ted Galen |date=28 February 2013|title= Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url= http://libertyvoter.org/2013/02/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors/ |publisher= LibertyVoter.org |accessdate=10 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |author= thanhniennews |date=27 August 2012 |title= Vietnam protests Taiwan’s fire drill exercise plan on island |url= http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2012/08/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island/ |newspaper=Vietnam Breaking News }}
* {{cite news |author=(AFP) |date=12 August 2012 |title= Vietnam's angry at Taiwan as it stages live-fire drill in the Spratlys |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140325175801/http://www.philippinenews.com/read/latest-news/8067-vietnams-angry-at-taiwan-as-it-stages-live-fire-drill-in-the-spratlys.html |newspaper=Philippines News}}
* {{cite news |date=23 August 2012 |title= Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url= http://thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island-5633.html |newspaper= Thanh Nien News |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}</ref>

On 23 May 2011, the [[President of the Philippines]], [[Benigno Aquino III]], warned visiting Chinese Defence Minister [[Liang Guanglie]] of a possible [[arms race]] in the region if tensions worsened over disputes in the [[South China Sea]]. Aquino said he told Liang in their meeting that this could happen if there were more encounters in the disputed and potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands.<ref name="Philippines warns China">{{cite web|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/2247/philippines-warns-of-arms-race-in-south-china-sea|title=Philippines warns of arms race in South China Sea|author=Agence France-Presse|work=inquirer.net}}</ref>

In May 2011, Chinese patrol boats attacked 2 Vietnamese oil exploration ships near the Spratly Islands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/chin-m31.shtml|title=Chinese patrol boats confront Vietnamese oil exploration ship in South China Sea - World Socialist Web Site|author=Joseph Santolan|date=31 May 2011|work=wsws.org}}</ref> Also in May 2011, Chinese naval vessels opened fire on Vietnamese fishing vessels operating off East London Reef (Da Dong). The 3 Chinese military vessels were numbered 989, 27 and 28, and they showed up with a small group of Chinese fishing vessels. Another Vietnamese fishing vessel was fired on near [[Fiery Cross Reef]] (Chu Thap). The Chief Commander of Border Guards in Phu Yen Province, Vietnam reported that a total of 4 Vietnamese vessels were fired upon by Chinese naval vessels.{{Verify source|date=June 2011}} These incidents involving Chinese forces sparked mass protests in Vietnam, especially in [[Hanoi]] and [[Ho Chi Minh City]],<ref>{{cite news |title= South China Sea: Vietnamese hold anti-Chinese protest |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13661779 |date=5 June 2011 |publisher= BBC News Asia-Pacific }}</ref> and in various Vietnamese communities in the West (namely in the US state of [[California]] and in Paris) over attacks on Vietnamese citizens and the intrusion into what Vietnam claimed was part of its territory.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2011/06/110605_viet_protest_la.shtml |date= June 2011 |publisher= BBC News Tiếng Việt |language=Vietnamese |title= Người Việt biểu tình chống TQ ở Los Angeles }}</ref>

In June 2011, the Philippines began officially referring to the South China Sea as the "West Philippine Sea" and the [[Reed Bank]] as "Recto Bank".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/13833/%E2%80%98it%E2%80%99s-west-philippine-sea%E2%80%99 |date=11 June 2011 |accessdate=28 June 2012 |title= It's West Philippine Sea |newspaper=Inquirer.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/14685/name-game-ph-now-calls-spratly-isle-%E2%80%98recto-bank%E2%80%99 |date=14 June 2011 |accessdate=28 June 2012 |title=Name game: PH now calls Spratly isle 'Recto Bank' |newspaper=Inquirer.net}}</ref>

In July 2012, the [[National Assembly of Vietnam]] passed a law demarcating Vietnamese sea borders to include the Spratly and Paracel Islands.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/world/asia/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-dispute-over-islands.html |title= Vietnam Law on Contested Islands Draws China’s Ire |date= 21 June 2012 |author= Jane Perlez |work= The New York Times }}</ref><ref>[http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-dispute-over-islands-641399/ China Criticizes Vietnam in Dispute Over Islands], Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<!-- Bot generated title --></ref>

In 2010 it was reported that former Malaysian Prime Minister [[Mahathir Mohamad]] believed Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China.<ref>{{cite news |date= 27 April 2010 |title= Mahathir: China no threat to Malaysia |url= http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/27/business/6136931&sec=business |newspaper=The Star Online |accessdate= 14 May 2014 }}</ref> In 2011, Mahathir said that China was not a threat to anyone and was not worried about aggression from China, accusing the United States of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China.<ref>{{cite news |last=TSUKAMOTO |first= KAZUTO |date= 9 November 2011 |title= Malaysia's Mahathir says China is no threat |url= http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/around_asia/AJ2011110916910 |newspaper=The Asahi Shimbun |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}</ref> Malaysia displayed no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/why-malaysia-isnt-afraid-of-china-for-now/ |title= Why Malaysia isn't afraid of China (for now) |last= Lockman |first=Shahriman |website=The Strategist : The Australian Strategic Policy Institute Blog |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}</ref>

In August 2013, Malaysia suggested that it might work with China over their South China Sea claims and ignore the other claimants, with Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies."<ref>
* {{cite AV media |people= Amin, Haslinda (reporter) |date= 29 August 2013 |title= Malaysia Breaks Ranks on South China Sea |medium= video |url= http://www.bloomberg.com/video/malaysia-breaks-ranks-on-south-china-sea-wLpV4lb3SnmNuf~~2KQzfA.html |accessdate= 14 May 2014 |publisher=Bloomberg TV |series=First Up }}
* {{cite news |newspaper= Business Mirror |publisher= Bloomberg News |date= 29 August 2013 |title= Malaysia splits with ASEAN on China Sea threat |url= http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/world/18640-malaysia-splits-with-asean-on-china-sea-threat |accessdate= 14 May 2014}}</ref>

The editorial of the Taiwanese news website "Want China Times" accused America for being behind the May 2014 flareup in the South China Sea, saying that Vietnam rammed a Chinese vessel on 2 May over an oil rig drilling platform and the Philippines detained 11 Chinese fishermens occurred because of Obama's visit to the region and that they were incited by America "behind the scenes". "Want China Times" claimed America ordered Vietnam on 7 May to complain about the drilling platform, and noted that a joint military exercise was happening at this time between the Philippines and America, and also noted that the American "New York Times" newspaper supported Vietnam.<ref>[http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1701&MainCatID=17&id=20140513000104 Editorial], 13 May 2014, ''Want China Times''</ref>

In a series of news stories on 16 April 2015, it was revealed, through photos taken by [[Airbus Group]], that [[China]] had been building an airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef, one of the southern islands. The {{convert|10,000|ft|0|adj=mid|-long}} runway covers a significant portion of the island, and is viewed as a possible strategic threat to other countries with claims to the islands, such as [[Vietnam]] and the [[Philippines]].

Various factions of the Muslim [[Moro people]] are [[Moro insurgency in the Philippines|waging a war for independence against the Philippines]]. The website of the separatist [[Moro National Liberation Front]] (MNLF) of [[Nur Misuari]] declared its support for China against the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute, calling both China and the Moro people as victims of Philippine colonialism, and noting China's history of friendly relations with the Moros.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/BYC_08Oct2012_Historical%20&%20Human%20Wrong%20of%20Phil%20Colonialism.htm |title=HISTORICAL AND "HUMAN WRONG" OF PHILIPPINE COLONIALISM: HOW NOT TO RESPECT HISTORIC-HUMAN RIGHTS OF BANGSAMORO AND CHINA?| author= RRayhanR |date= 8 October 2012|website=mnlfnet.com |publisher= Moro National Liberation Front (Misuari faction) |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref> The MNLF website also denounced America's assistance to the Philippines in their colonisation of the Moro people in addition to denouncing the Philippines claims to the islands disputed with China, and denouncing America for siding with the Philippines in the dispute, noting that in 1988 [[Johnson South Reef Skirmish|China "punished" Vietnam]] for attempting to set up a military presence on the disputed islands, and noting that the Moros and China maintained peaceful relations, while on the other hand the Moros had to resist other colonial powers, having to [[Spanish–Moro Wars|fight the Spanish]], [[Moro Rebellion|fight the Americans]], and [[Philippine resistance against Japan#Moro resistance on Mindanao and Sulu|fight the Japanese]], in addition to fighting the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/Editorial_11August2012_Impact%20of%20Possible%20China-Phil%20War%20Within%20Filipino-Moro%20War%20in%20Mindanao.htm |title=IMPACT OF POSSIBLE CHINA-PHILIPPINES WAR WITHIN FILIPINO-MORO WAR IN MINDANAO | author= RRayhanR |date= 11 August 2012|website=mnlfnet.com |publisher= Moro National Liberation Front (Misuari faction) |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref>

Champa historically had a large presence in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese broke Champa's power in [[Cham–Vietnamese War (1471)|an invasion of Champa in 1471]], and then finally conquered the last remnants of the Cham people in an invasion in 1832. A Cham named Katip Suma who received Islamic education in Kelantan declared a [[Jihad]] against the Vietnamese, and fighting continued until the Vietnamese crushed the remnants of the resistance in 1835. The Cham organisation Front de Libération du Champa was part of the [[United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races]], which waged war against the Vietnamese for independence in the [[Vietnam War]] along with the [[Degar|Montagnard]] and [[Khmer Krom]] minorities. The last remaining FULRO insurgents surrendered to the United Nations in 1992. Vietnam has settled over a million ethnic Vietnamese on Montagnard lands in the [[Central Highlands (Vietnam)|Central Highlands]]. The Montagnard staged a massive protest against the Vietnamese in 2001, which led to the Vietnamese to forcefully crush the uprising and seal the entire area off to foreigners.

The Vietnamese government fears that evidence of [[Champa]]'s influence over the disputed area in the South China Sea would bring attention to human rights violations and killings of ethnic minorities in Vietnam such as in the 2001 and 2004 uprisings, and lead to the issue of Cham autonomy being brought into the dispute, since the Vietnamese conquered the Hindu and Muslim [[Cham people]] in a war in 1832, and the Vietnamese continue to destroy evidence of Cham culture and artefacts left behind, plundering or building on top of Cham temples, building farms over them, banning Cham religious practices, and omitting references to the destroyed Cham capital of Song Luy in the 1832 invasion in history books and tourist guides. The situation of Cham compared to ethnic Vietnamese is substandard, lacking water and electricity and living in houses made out of mud.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bray |first=Adam |last2= |first2= |date= 16 June 2014 |title= The Cham: Descendants of Ancient Rulers of South China Sea Watch Maritime Dispute From Sidelines |url= http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140616-south-china-sea-vietnam-china-cambodia-champa/ |archiveurl=http://www.chamtoday.com/index.php/history-l-ch-s/169-the-cham-descendants-of-ancient-rulers-of-south-china-sea-watch-maritime-dispute-from-sidelines|archivedate=2014|journal= National Geographic News |publisher=National Geographic |volume= |issue= |pages= |doi= |accessdate=3 September 2014}}</ref>

The Cham in Vietnam are only recognised as a minority, and not as an indigenous people by the Vietnamese government despite being indigenous to the region. Both Hindu and Muslim Chams have experienced religious and ethnic persecution and restrictions on their faith under the current Vietnamese government, with the Vietnamese state confisticating Cham property and forbidding Cham from observing their religious beliefs. Hindu temples were turned into tourist sites against the wishes of the Cham Hindus. In 2010 and 2013 several incidents occurred in Thành Tín and Phươc Nhơn villages where Cham were murdered by Vietnamese. In 2012, Vietnamese police in Chau Giang village stormed into a Cham Mosque, stole the electric generator, and also raped Cham girls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chamtoday.com/index.php/news-tin-t-c/100-mission-to-vietnam-advocacy-day |title=Mission to Vietnam Advocacy Day (Vietnamese-American Meet up 2013) in the U.S. Capitol. A UPR report By IOC-Campa |publisher=Chamtoday.com |date=14 September 2013 |accessdate=17 June 2014}}</ref> Cham Muslims in the Mekong Delta have also been economically marginalised and pushed into poverty by Vietnamese policies, with ethnic [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese Kinh]] settling on majority Cham land with state support, and religious practices of minorities have been targeted for elimination by the Vietnamese government.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Taylor |first= Philip |last2= |first2= |date= December 2006|title= Economy in Motion: Cham Muslim Traders in the Mekong Delta|url= http://www.chamstudies.com/members/philiptaylor(chammuslimtraders).pdf |journal= The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology|publisher= The Australian National University |volume= 7 |issue= 3|page= 238 |doi=10.1080/14442210600965174 |ISSN=1444-2213 |accessdate=3 September 2014}}</ref>

==Transportation and communication==

===Airports===
{{:List of airports in the Spratly Islands}}

===Telecommunications===
In 2005, a cellular phone base station was erected by the Philippines' [[Smart Communications]] on Pag-asa Island.<ref>[http://wn.com/Kalayaan_Palawan Kalayaan Islands of Palawan Province] (video part 1 of 2), 14 November 2009</ref>

On 18 May 2011, [[China Mobile]] announced that its mobile phone coverage has expanded to the Spratly Islands. The extended coverage would allow soldiers stationed on the islands, fishermen, and merchant vessels within the area to use mobile services, and can also provide assistance during storms and sea rescues. The service network deployment over the islands took nearly one year.<ref>Ian Mansfield, 18 May 2011, [http://www.cellular-news.com/story/49219.php China Mobile Expands Coverage to the Spratly Islands], Cellular News</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">

File:Cây phong ba.JPG|An ancient ''[[Heliotropium foertherianum]]'' on Spratly Island
File:Truong Sa lon.JPG|Young Vietnamese residents of [[Spratly Island]]
File:Truong Sa Đông.JPG|A military cemetery for Vietnamese soldiers on Central London Reef
File:Đảo An Bang.JPG|A view from [[Amboyna Cay]]
File:Đảo Phan Vinh.JPG|The Pearson Reef dock under Vietnam's administration
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|International relations|Islands}}
* [[Chinese reunification]]
* [[Greater Philippines]]
* [[Great wall of sand]]
* [[Islands of Hainan]]
* [[Johnson South Reef Skirmish]]
* [[Junk Keying]]
* [[Kingdom of Humanity]]
* [[List of islands in the South China Sea]]
* [[List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands]]
* [[Paracel Islands]]
* [[South China Sea Islands]]
* [[Spratly Islands dispute]]
* [[SSN (game)|''SSN'']], a computer game set during a conflict over the Spratly Islands.
* [[Zheng He]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Bonnet, Francois-Xavier (2012) [http://www.irasec.com/ouvrage34 ''Geopolitics of Scarborough Shoal''], Irasec, 14.
* Bouchat, Clarence J. (2013) [http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo45589 ''Dangerous Ground: The Spratly Islands and U.S. Interests and Approaches''], [[Strategic Studies Institute]] and [[US Army War College]] Press, Carlisle, PA.
* {{Cite book |last1=Cardenal |first1=Juan Pablo |authorlink1=Juan Pablo Cardenal |last2=Araújo |first2=Heriberto |authorlink2=Heriberto Araújo |title=La silenciosa conquista china |location=Barcelona |publisher=Crítica |year=2011 |url=http://books.google.com.uy/books/about/La_silenciosa_conquista_china.html?id=jQ2fvBVpQpYC&redir_esc=y |pages=258–261|language=es}}
* [[Daniel Dzurek|Dzurek, Daniel J.]] and Clive H.Schofield. (1996) ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=o5P4U4UlucMC The Spratly Islands dispute: who's on first?]''. IBRU. ISBN 978-1-897643-23-5
* Hogan, C. Michael (2011) [http://www.eoearth.org/article/South_China_Sea?topic=49523 ''South China Sea''], Encyclopedia of Earth, National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC.
* Menon, Rajan (11 September 2012) [http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/worry-about-asia-not-europe-7447?page=1 ''Worry about Asia, Not Europe''], [[The National Interest]], Issue: Sept–Oct 2012.
<!-- *Spick, Mike (December 1993) ''Dangerous Ground!'', [[AirForces Monthly]] -->

==External links==
{{Commons category|Spratly Islands}}
* {{wikiatlas|the Spratly Islands}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline}}
* [http://www.425dxn.org/dc3mf/0_sprat.html Mariner's page of the Spratly Islands]
* [http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/year/y05-19.xls Taiwanese List with ~170 entries]
* [ftp://rock.geosociety.org/pub/reposit/2001/2001075.pdf List of atolls with areas]
* {{Wayback|df=yes|url=http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/spratly/thumbs.php|title=Satellite images of all islands and reefs of the Spratly Islands.|date=20101223043232}}
* [http://www.fotw.net/flags/xp-s.html Flags of the World (FOTW)]{{dead link|date=May 2014}} entry with various micronations on the Spratly Islands.
* [http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cartes/spratlymdv1997 Map showing the claims]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/spratly-claims.htm A tabular summary about the Spratly and Paracel Islands]
* [http://community.middlebury.edu/~scs/macand/gazetteer.htm Another overview table of the Spratly Islands]{{dead link|date=May 2014}}
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pg.html CIA World Factbook for Spratly Islands]
* {{PDFlink|[http://travelvietnam.officeisp.net/Shared%20Documents/Countries%20-%20Vietnam/VietnamForeignMinistry81.pdf Vietnamese claims]|1.70&nbsp;MB}}, from Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs
* {{PDFlink|[http://community.middlebury.edu/~scs/docs/Li%20and%20Li-The%20Dotted%20Line%20on%20the%20Map.pdf ''The Dotted Line on the Chinese Map of the South China Sea: A Note'']{{dead link|date=May 2014}}|150&nbsp;KB}}
* [http://www.american.edu/TED/SPRATLY.htm Third Party Summary of the Dispute]{{dead link|date=May 2014}}
* [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112047810770307867127.0004460b96d655257cc9c&ll=11.070603,115.708008&spn=9.563619,20.566406&t=k&z=6 Google Map of Spratly Islands]
* {{Citation |author=Ji Guoxing |title=Maritime Jurisdiction in the Three China Seas: Options For Equitable Settlement |publisher=Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation |date=October 1995 |url=http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=igcc |format=PDF |postscript=.}}
* [http://nguyenthaihocfoundation.org/lichsuVN/m_bienkhao.php A collection of documents on Spratly and Paracel Islands by Nguyen Thai Hoc Foundation]
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258736867_ng_lc_bi_t_xi_l_b_v_s_thay_i_hnh_dng_o_san_h_Trng_Sa_-_Deposition_and_erosion_dynamics_and_shape_change_of_the_Spratly_coral_island?ev=prf_pub Depositional and erosional of the coast and beach, and change of morphology of Spratly coral island]
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258736839_Kt_qu_kho_st_bc_u_nc_ngm_o_san_h_Trng_Sa_-_results_of_preliminary_survey_for_groundwater_in_Spratly_coral_Island?ev=prf_pub Results of premininary survey for the underground water in Spratly coral island]
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258627956_Mt_s_c_im_a_cht_o_san_h_Trng_Sa_-_Some_geological_features_of_Spratly_coral_Island?ev=prf_pub Some geological features of Spratly Island]
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258698786_Bin_o_Vit_Nam_-_Ti_nguyn_v_th_v_nhng_k_quan_a_cht_sinh_thi_tiu_biu_%28Vietnamese_sea_and_islands__position_resources_and_typical_geological_and_ecological_wonders%29?ev=prf_pub Vietnamese sea and islands – position resources, and typical geological and ecological wonders]
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258837316_Mt_s_kt_qu_nghin_cu_a_hnh_v_trm_tch_Qun_o_Trng_Sa_-_Some_researches_on_marine_topography_and_sedimentation_in_Truong_Sa_%28Spratly%29_Islands?ev=prf_pub Some researches on marine topography and sedimentation in Spratly Islands]
*{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.gov/countries/regions-topics.cfm?fips=scs|title=Analysis Brief : Spratly Islands|publisher=[[Energy Information Administration|U.S. Energy Information Administration]]}}

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[[Category:Disputed islands]]
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