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South China Sea
*** Shopping-Tip: South China Sea
Image:SouthChinaSea.png thumb|270px|The '''South China Sea''', showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans
The '''South China Sea''' is a
marginal sea, part of the
Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from
Singapore to the
Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km². It is the largest sea body after the five oceans. The minute
South China Sea Islands, collectively an
archipelago, number in the hundreds. The sea and its mostly uninhabited islands are subject to several competing claims of
sovereignty by neighboring nations. These competing claims are also reflected in the variety of names used for the sea.
Names for the sea
''South China Sea'' is the dominant term used in
English language English for the sea, and the name in most European languages is equivalent, but it is commonly called by different names in neighboring countries, often reflecting historical claims to hegemony over the sea.
The English name is a result of early European interest in the sea as a route from
Europe and
South Asia to the trading opportunities of China. In the sixteenth century
Portugal Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (''Mare da China''); later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water lead to calling it the South China Sea.
[Tønnesson, Stein (2005). Locating the South China Sea. In Kratoska, Paul et al., eds. ''Locating Southeast Asia: geographies of knowledge and politics of space''. Singapore: Singapore University Press. p. 203-233.]
In China, the traditional name for the sea is ''Southern Sea'' (å?—æµ·; NánhÇŽi). In contemporary Chinese publications, it is commonly called ''South China Sea'' (å?—ä¸åœ‹æµ·, Nán ZhÅ?nggúo HÇŽi), and this name is often used in English-language maps published by China. In Vietnam, the sea is usually called the ''Eastern Sea'' (Biển Ä?ông); this name is sometimes used by Vietnamese mapmakers in foreign-language publications as well.
In the Philippines, it is sometimes called the Luzon Sea, after the major Philippine island of
Luzon.
Geography
Image:South China Sea.jpg 250px|thumb|South China Sea, natural resources and competing national interests.
The
International Hydrographic Organization defines the sea as stretching in a southwest to northeast direction, whose southern border is 3 degrees South latitude between South
Sumatra and
Kalimantan (
Karimata Strait), and whose northern border is the
Strait of Taiwan from the northern tip of
Taiwan to the
Fujian coast of
mainland China. The
Gulf of Thailand covers the western portion of the South China Sea.
States and territories with borders on the sea (clockwise from north) include: the
mainland China,
Macao,
Hong Kong,
Taiwan, the
Philippines,
Malaysia,
Brunei,
Indonesia,
Singapore,
Thailand,
Cambodia, and
Vietnam.
Islands and seamounts
{{main articles|
South China Sea Islands and
list of islands in the South China Sea}}
Within the sea, there are over 200 identified islands and reefs, most of them within the
Spratly Islands. The Spratly Islands spread over an 810 by 900 km area covering some 175 identified insular features, the largest being
Taiping Taiping Island (Itu Aba) at just over 1.3 km long and with its highest elevation at 3.8 metres.
There is a 100-
kilometre km wide
seamount called
Reed Tablemount in NE Spratlys, separated from
Palawan Island of the
Philippines by the Palawan Trench. Now about 20m under the sea level it was an island until it sunk about 7,000 years ago due to the increasing sea level after the last
ice age.
Rivers
Many rivers flow into the
South China Sea, including:
*
Pearl River (China) Pearl River
*
Min River
*
Jiulong River
*
Red River (Vietnam) Red River
*
Mekong
*
Rajang River
*
Pahang River, etc.
{{listdev}}
Resources
It is an extremely significant body of water in a geopolitical sense. It is the second most used
sea lane in the world, while in terms of world annual merchant fleet tonnage, over 50% passes through the
Straits of Malacca, the
Sunda Strait, and the
Lombok Strait. Over 1.6 million m³ (10 million barrels) of
crude oil a day are shipped through the Strait of
Malacca, where there are regular reports of
piracy, but much less frequently than before the mid-
20th century.
The region has proven
Petroleum oil reserves of around 1.2 km³ (7.7 billion
barrel (unit) barrels), with an estimate of 4.5 km³ (28 billion barrels) in total.
Natural gas reserves are estimated to total around 7,500 km³ (266 trillion cubic feet).
Territorial claims
Competing territorial claims over the South China Sea and its resources are numerous. Because the
1982 United Nations Law of the Sea allows for a country's
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to extend 200 nm (370.6 km) beyond territorial waters, all the nations surrounding the sea can lay claim to great portions of it. The People's Republic of China (PRC) has stated its claim to almost the entire body. Recent reports indicate the PRC is building an
aircraft carrier battle group to secure energy lines in the South China Sea. Areas with potential problems include:
*Indonesia and the PRC over waters NE of the Natuna Islands.
*The Philippines and the PRC over the
Malampaya and
Camago gas fields.
*Vietnam and the PRC over waters west of the Spratly Islands. Some or all of the islands themselves are also disputed between Vietnam, the PRC, the ROC, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
*The
Paracel Islands are disputed between the PRC/ROC and Vietnam.
*Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam over areas in the
Gulf of Thailand.
*Singapore and Malaysia along the Straits of Johore and the Straits of Singapore.
The PRC and Vietnam have both been vigorous in prosecuting their claims. The Paracel Islands was seized by China in
1974 and 18 soldiers were killed. The
Spratly Islands have been the site of a naval clash, in which over seventy Vietnamese sailors were killed just south of
Chigua Reef in March
1988. Disputing claimants regularly report clashes between naval vessels.
ASEAN in general, and Malaysia in particular, has been keen to ensure that the territorial disputes within the South China Sea do not escalate into armed conflict. As such,
Joint Development Authorities have been setup in areas of overlapping claims to jointly develop the area and dividing the profits equally without settling the issue of sovereignty over the area. This is true, particularly in the Gulf of Thailand.
The overlapping claims over Pulau
Pedra Branca or Pulau Batu Putih by both Singapore and Malaysia has been brought to the
International Court of Justice. The Court ruled in Singapore's favour.
See also
*
List of islands in the South China Sea
References
Further reading
*Zou, Keyan (2005). ''[http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0420/2004016026.html Law of the sea in East Asia: issues and prospects]''. London/New York: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0415350743
External links
-
South China Sea Virtual Library
-
Weekly Piracy Report
-
South China News
category:South China Sea
Category:Seas
ca:Mar de la Xina Meridional
da:Sydkinesiske Hav
de:Südchinesisches Meer
et:Lõuna-Hiina meri
es:Mar de la China Meridional
fr:Mer de Chine méridionale
ko:남중êµí•´
id:Laut China Selatan
is:Suður-KÃnahaf
ms:Laut China Selatan
nl:Zuid-Chinese Zee
ja:�シナ海
no:Sørkinahavet
pl:Morze Południowochińskie
pt:Mar da China Meridional
ru:Южно-КитайÑ?кое море
su:Laut Cina Kidul
sv:Sydkinesiska havet
tl:Dagat Luzón
th:ทะเลจีนใต้
vi:Biển Ä?ông
uk:Південно-КитайÑ?ьке море
zh:å?—ä¸å›½æµ·
see
South China Sea
{{catmore}}
Category:Disputed waters
category:Pacific Ocean
category:Seas
*** Shopping-Tip: South China Sea
