Woody Island (South China Sea)

See also: Sansha

Woody Island
Disputed island
Aerial view of Woody and Rocky Islands
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Location of the major islands in Sansha administrative area of PRC.

Legend：
Black：α – Yongxing Island (Woody Island) (seat of Sansha)
Red：β – Chigua Reef (Johnson South Reef)
Green：γ – Dongmen Reef (Hughes Reef)
Yellow：δ – Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal)
Red：ε – Huayang Reef (Cuarteron Reef)
Blue：ζ – Meiji Reef (Mischief Reef)
Blue：η – Nanxun Reef (Gaven Reefs)
Black：θ – Zhongjian Island (Triton Island)
Green：κ – Yongshu Reef (Fiery Cross Reef)

Purple：λ – Zhubi Reef (Subi Reef)
Other namesYongxing Island,
Phú Lâm Island
Geography
Coordinates16°50′3″N 112°20′15″E / 16.83417°N 112.33750°E / 16.83417; 112.33750
Area2.6 km2 (1.0 sq mi)
Length1.850 km (1.1495 mi)
Width1.160 km (0.7208 mi)
Administration
ProvinceHainan
CitySansha
Claimed by
 Republic of China (Taiwan)
 Vietnam
Demographics
Population1,443[1] (2014)

Woody Island, also called Yongxing Island (simplified Chinese: 永兴岛; traditional Chinese: 永興島; pinyin: Yǒngxīng Dǎo; lit. 'Eternal Prosperity Island') by China and Taiwan and Phú Lâm Island (Vietnamese: Đảo Phú Lâm) by Vietnam (and formerly French: Île Boisée, lit. 'Wooded Island' by French Indochina), is the largest of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea (SCS), with an area of 2.1 square kilometres (0.81 sq mi).[2] As of 2014, it has a population of almost 1,500, with roads, banks and an air strip.[3][4][5][6]

The Paracel Islands are a group of islands, reefs, banks and atolls in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. Woody Island is part of the Amphitrite Group in the eastern Paracels and is approximately equidistant from Hainan and the Vietnam coast.

The island has been under the control of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 1956. Sansha City, which administers PRC-controlled territories in Spratly and Paracel Islands, has its administrative seat located on the island.[7] The island is claimed by the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) and Vietnam.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference School2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Beckman, Robert (1 September 2013). "The Unconvention on the Law of the Sea and the maritiome disputes in the South China Sea" (PDF). American Journal of International Law. 107: 142. doi:10.5305/amerjintelaw.107.1.0142. S2CID 140403142. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Airport classifications" (PDF). Indiana aviation authority. Indiana government. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Lecture – Airfield classifications based on capacity" (PDF). MIT lectures – aeronautics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Agenda Item 1 – Civil aviation statistics – ICAO classification and definition" (PDF). ICAO working papers – Montreal conference 2009. ICAO. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  6. ^ 我国年内将开通海南到西沙永兴岛旅游航线 [China to Open Tourism Route Between Hainan Island and Yongxing Island This Year]. Xinkuai Bao (in Chinese). Sina.com. 29 March 2012.
  7. ^ Kivimäki 2002, p. 13.