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| Spratly Islands |
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Occupied by China (PRC)
Occupied by Malaysia
Occupied by the Philippines
Occupied by Taiwan (ROC)
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Lankiam Cay (Tagalog: Panata, literally "oath"; Chinese: 杨信沙洲; pinyin: Yangxin Shazhou; Vietnamese: Cồn San Hô Lan Can) is the smallest island of Spratly islands. It is the seventh largest among Philippine-occupied islands. It has an area of 0.44 hectares (4,400 sq. m). It is located 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Philippine-occupied Loaita Island. This island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan.
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A few years ago this island has a surface area of more than 5 hectares but strong waves brought by a strong typhoon washed out the sandy surface (beach) of the island leaving behind today the calcarenite foundation that can be seen at low tide. It has a wide lagoon where Philippine Marines used to raise up to five sharks at a time.
This island is claimed by the People's Republic of China, Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam. It is guarded by soldiers stationed at nearby Loaita Island. The island is too small and manning it 24 hours is a difficult task. Hence, the soldiers at Loaita Island guard it afar by regularly "watching" it from a tall structure (to increase the horizon distance). They also regularly visit this island.