South China Sea
The South China Sea is an ocean region in the south of China. It is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean; a vital area for shipping, fishing, and natural resources, and strategically important for regional security.
| South China Sea | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Map of the South China Sea | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 南中國海 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 南中国海 | ||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Nán Zhōnggúo Hǎi | ||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||
| Vietnamese | Biển Đông | ||||||||||
| Malay name | |||||||||||
| Malay | Laut China Selatan | ||||||||||
| Filipino name | |||||||||||
| Tagalog | Timog Dagat Tsina ('Dagat Kanlurang Pilipinas', meaning "West Philippine Sea", for the portion within Philippine waters) | ||||||||||
| Portuguese name | |||||||||||
| Portuguese | Mar da China Meridional | ||||||||||
The sea and its islands and reefs are claimed by many nations, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.[1] These claims are mirrored in the many names used for the islands and the sea.
Geography
The name of the sea as used internationally is "South China Sea."[2] In Vietnam the sea is called "Biển Đông" (which exactly means "East Sea").[3][4][5]
The South China Sea runs from Singapore to the Taiwan Strait The sea has an area of around 3,500,000 km². It is located in the western arm of the Pacific Ocean; one of the largest seas after the five oceans. There are hundreds of small South China Sea Islands. Some of the bigger islands have people living on them. They are inhabited. Most of the islands are small and uninhabited.
UNCLOS
The eastern border of the South China Sea, traditionally called called "Luzon Sea" along the west coast of Luzon island, is claimed by the Philippine government as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Generally, a state's exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, extending seaward to a distance of no more than 200 nmi (370 km) out from its coastal baseline. The zone is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)[6] which awards the country sovereignty of its maritime area [7] and rights to its natural resources.[8]
The Philippine government renamed its western coastline in 2012 to reinforce its zone, with the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal including the waters off the island of Palawan, as the West Philippine Sea.[9][10] Despite this, China counter-claims the entire South China Sea without exception as its own, which overlaps with the Philippines' EEZ.[11][12]
South China Sea islands
South China Sea Media
Millions of barrels of crude oil are traded through the South China Sea each day
Map of various countries occupying the Spratly Islands
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Related pages
References
- ↑ "Stirring up the South China Sea (II): Regional Responses," Archived 2013-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Asia Report N°229, 24 July 2012; retrieved 2013-4-17.
- ↑ Tønnesson, Stein. Locating Southeast Asia: Geographies of Knowledge and Politics of Space (2005)Singapore University Press. p. 204. ISBN 9971-69-288-0.
- ↑ VN and China pledge to maintain peace and stability in East SeaSocialist Republic of Vietnam Government Web Portal. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ↑ FM Spokesperson on FIR control over East Sea (March 11, 2001)Embassy of Vietnam in USA.
- ↑ The Map of VietnamSocialist Republic of Vietnam Government Web Portal.
- ↑ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea | Cour Permanente d'Arbitrage (in en).
- ↑ Maritime Zones and Boundaries | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (in en).
- ↑ Oceans & Law of the Sea | United Nations (in en).
- ↑ http://www.the-diplomat.com/new-leaders-forum/2011/12/15/the-west-philippine-sea/
- ↑ Quismundo, Tarra (2011-06-13). "South China Sea renamed in the Philippines". Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110613-283772.html. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
- ↑ John Zumerchik. Seas and Waterways of the World: An Encyclopedia of History, Uses, and Issues (2010)ABC-CLIO. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-85109-711-1.
- ↑ Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea | Global Conflict Tracker (in en).