Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 20 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
AreaNA but less than 5 km2
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Populationas each edition published it
Not in this edition
2,000 in 2000
Geography
13 fieldsLand area
less than 5 km2; includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea
Disputes
- all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam;
- parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines;
- in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive economic zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the island
Land use
- arable land 0%;
- permanent crops 0%;
- meadows and pastures 0%;
- forest and woodland 0%;
- other 100%
Note
strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard
People
1 fieldGovernment
1 fieldEconomy
2 fieldsOverview
- Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing, proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the Spratlys region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves;
- commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Communications
2 fieldsrunways over 2,439 mnonerunways | 1,220-2,439 m1
Defense Forces
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Spratly Islands.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/spratly-islands/1992.