The Spratly Islands are located in Southeastern Asia.  The Spratly Islands are a group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to southern Philippines.  The Spratly Islands are made up of less than five square kilometers, these 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts are scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 square kilometers in the South China Sea.  There is no surface water on the islands.  There is a total of 926 kilometers of coastline.  The climate of the Spratly Islands is tropical.  The terrain of the Spratly Islands is flat.  The lowest point of the Spratly Islands is at the South China Sea at zero meters.  The highest point of the Spratly Islands is an unnamed location on Southwest Cay at four meters tall.  The natural resources of the Spratly Islands is fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential.  100% of the Spratly Islands is used for other uses.  The natural hazards of the Spratly Islands is typhoons and serious maritime hazards because of numerous reefs and shoals.  On a geography note, the Spratly Islands are strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea.  The Spratly Islands includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs.

 

There is no indigenous inhabitants on the Spratly Islands.  There are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states, which is a July 2003 estimate.  The conventional short fom of the Spratly Islands is the Spratly Islands.

 

The economy of the Spratly Islands is limited to commercial fishing due to its location and the limited space it occupies.  There is a possibility of oil and gas production, but there is currently no plans to harness the oil and gas reserves.  The region of the Spratly Islands is largely unexpolored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves (and there is no commercial exploitation of the reserves of oil and gas).  There are no waterways on the Spratly Islands and there are no ports or harbors.  There is three airports though, one is paved, and two are unpaved.

 

On a military note, the Spratly Islands consist of more than hundred small islands or reefs, forty-five of which are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.  The are a few international disputes.  One is that all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.  Parts of the Spratly Islands are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines.  In 1984 the nation of Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses the Louisa Reefs in the southern part of the Spratly Islands, but Brunie has yet to claim the land. Everyone whom claimed the islands, in 2002 signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.  This mechanism eased the tension between the nations, but fell short of a legally binding code of conduct.