Spratly Islands
Proper noun
Meaning
Spratly Islands
A group of islands, atolls, reefs, and cays in the South China Sea.
Synonyms
Examples
Apart from China, the Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands, which are among the more frequently disputed territories in the South China, are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
China's assertion of control over the Spratly Islands and the entire South China Sea has elicited concern from Vietnam and its Southeast Asia neighbors.
Malaysia's claim over a portion of the Spratly Islands is also based on sharing a continental shelf with Sabah. citation The Philippines has a territorial claim over much of the eastern part of Sabah.
Before the early 19th century, the present-day Spratly Islands were treated as features of Hoàng Sa.
In 1988, more than 70 Vietnamese troops were killed during a confrontation with Chinese forces, when China occupied several islands under Vietnamese control in 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.