Southwest Cay

Southwest Cay
Disputed island
Southwest Cay
Southwest Cay is located in Spratly Islands
Southwest Cay
Southwest Cay
Other names
Đảo Song Tử Tây (Vietnamese)
Pugad Island (Philippine English)
Pulo ng Pugad (Filipino)
南子島 / 南子岛 Nánzi Dǎo (Chinese)
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates11°25′46″N 114°19′53″E / 11.42944°N 114.33139°E / 11.42944; 114.33139
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Administration
DistrictTrường Sa District, Khánh Hòa
CommuneSong Tử Tây Commune
Claimed by
Demographics
Population32
Landsat 7 image (2000)
Nautical chart (1911)

Southwest Cay, also known as Vietnamese: Đảo Song Tử Tây; Pugad Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Pugad, lit.'Island of Nest'); Mandarin Chinese: 南子島/南子岛; pinyin: Nánzi Dǎo, is an island on the northwestern edge of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It is part of the atoll North Danger Reef, and just 1.75 miles (2.82 km) southwest of Northeast Cay. With an area of 12 hectares (30 acres), it is the sixth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands, and the second largest of the Vietnamese-occupied islands. Southwest Cay has the archipelago's highest point, at 4 meters above sea level. It was once a breeding place for birds, and was covered with trees and guano; export of guano had been carried out "on a considerable scale".[1]

The island is also claimed by China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), and the Philippines.

  1. ^ "Digital Gazetteer of Spratly Islands". Archived from the original on 2010-08-27. Retrieved 2008-03-22.