Scarborough Shoal
 | |
| Other names | Scarborough Reef Panatag Shoal Huangyan Island |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Location | West Philippine Sea |
| Coordinates | 15°11′N 117°46′E / 15.183°N 117.767°E |
| Archipelago | 150 square kilometres (58 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
none | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | none |
 | This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. (June 2011) |
Scarborough Shoal or Scarborough Reef[1] (Philippine name: Panatag Shoal; Chinese name: Huangyan Island; simplified Chinese: 黄岩岛; traditional Chinese: 黃岩島; pinyin: Huángyán Dǎo), more correctly described as a group of islands and reefs in an atoll shape than a shoal, is located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon, Philippines in the South China Sea. As with most of the landforms in this sea, the sovereignty of the area is disputed. The Philippines, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) all lay claim to the shoal. Most references exclude this atoll from inclusion in the Spratly Islands, of which the closest is 350 km to the southwest.
The shoal was named after a tea-trade ship Scarborough which was wrecked on the rock with everyone perished on board in the late 18th century.[2]
Geography
The shoal forms a triangle shaped chain of reefs and islands (but mostly rocks) 55 kilometres (34 mi) around with an of area 150 square kilometers. It has a lagoon with area of 130 km² and depth of about 15 metres (49 ft). The shoal is a protrusion in a 3,500 m deep abyssal plain. Several of the islands including "South Rock" are 1/2 m to 3 m high and many of the reefs are just below water at high tide. Near the mouth of the lagoon are the ruins of an iron tower, 8.3 m high. The nearest landmass is Palauig, Zambales, on Luzon Island in the Philippines, 137 miles (220 km) away. It is about 123 miles (198 km) west of Subic Bay.
Activities in the surrounding area
The shoal and its surrounding area are rich fishing grounds. A significant number of Chinese fishermen have already been arrested by Philippine officials in this area, particularly during 1998-2001. Most arrests were for using illegal methods of fishing and catching endangered and protected species that destroy the area's marine habitat and ecological sustainability. Thick layers of guano lie on the rocks in the area. Several Filipino-sponsored and Chinese-sponsored diving excursions and amateur ham radio operations, DXpeditions (1994, 1995, 1997 and 2007), were carried out in the area. [citation needed]
Sovereignty dispute
The Philippines
The Philippines claims that as early as the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, Filipino fishermen were already using the area as a fishing ground and shelter during bad weather. In 1957, The Philippine government conducted an oceanographic survey of the area and together with the US Navy force based in then U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay in Zambales, used the area as an impact range for defense purposes. An 8.3 meter high flag pole flying a Philippine flag was raised in 1965. A small lighthouse was also built and operated the same year.[3] In 1992, the Philippine Navy rehabilitated the lighthouse and reported it to the International Maritime Organization for publication in the List of Lights. As of 2009, the military-maintained lighthouse is non-operational.[4] In 1997, The Philippines again, officially expressed its claim to Scarborough Shoal; a flag was again raised; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources together with the University of the Philippines conducted scientific, topographic and marine studies in the shoal.[citation needed]
The Philippines bases its claim on its proximity and the principle of terra nullius, which holds that it was previously unclaimed by a sovereign state, which is also applied by the Philippines in its claims to the Spratly Islands. By virtue of the PD No.1599 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on June 1978, the Philippines claims an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the baselines from which their territorial sea is measured. In 2009, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo enacted the Philippine Baselines Law of 2009 (RA 9522). The new law classifies the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal as a regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines.[5]
The People's Republic of China and Republic of China
The People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) basis for claims are that the shoal was first mapped in the Yuan Dynasty as early as 1279 and was historically used by Chinese fishermen. In 1279, Guo Shoujing, a Chinese astronomer, performed surveying of the South China Sea for Kublai Khan, and the surveying point was reported to be the Scarborough Shoal. In 1935, China regarded the shoal as part of the Zhongsha Islands. In 1947, China published a map drawing a U-shaped line of claim across South China Sea; the shoal lies within the claim administered from Hainan province. China further asserted its claim shortly after the departure of the US Navy force from Subic, Zambales, Philippines. China states that the territorial claim by the Philippine government is new.
References
- ^ "The 'Spratly deal': facts & figures". The Philippine Star. March 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-06. [dead link]
- ^ Bayly, Richard. Diary of Colonel Bayly: 12th regiment. 1796-1830. Army and Navy Co-operative Society, 1896, pg. 108.[dead link]
- ^ http://philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008040198&type=2 What’s become of the MMDA?, Philippine Star, 2 April 2008
- ^ http://www.coastguard.gov.ph/LHS_Luzon.htm COAST GUARD DISTRICT NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION - CENTRAL LUZON LIGHTSTATIONS
- ^ Philippine Baselines Law of 2009 signed: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/152232/President-Arroyo-signs-baselines-bill-into-law
External links
- VirtualInformationCenter - includes many more references
- Map of the South China Sea showing Scarborough Shoal
- Google Map showing relative position of Scarborough Shoal with Philippines and China
- Scarborough Shoal, a new Sino-Philippine conflict
- Chinese marker in Panatag Shoal
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