Disputed
Date claimed Not applicable
Capital Not applicable
Population Unknown
Population density No data

 

 

 

 

 


DESCRIPTION

Scattered across a large area of the South China Sea, the reefs, islands and atolls that make up the Spratly Islands have become one of Southeast Asia's most serious security issues. Claimed, all or in part, by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines, 44 of the larger islands now have garrisons from some of the claimant nations. The reasons for this interest, and the occasional skirmish, are twofold. Strategically, the islands control some of the world's most important shipping lanes. In addition, surveys suggest that some of the largest oil and gas reserves yet found lie in the Spratlys' territorial waters.