Flat Island (Spratly)

Flat Island

Disputed island
Nanshan Island in the south & Flat Island in the north.
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	10°49′00″N 115°49′20″E / 10.81667°N 115.82222°E / 10.81667; 115.82222 (Flat Island)Coordinates: 10°49′00″N 115°49′20″E / 10.81667°N 115.82222°E / 10.81667; 115.82222 (Flat Island)
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administered by
Philippines
Municipality	Kalayaan, Palawan
Claimed by
People's Republic of China
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Vietnam

Part of a series on the
Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands military occupations map
Related articles
Spratly Islands dispute Dangerous Ground (South China Sea) Great wall of sand History of the Spratly Islands List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands Philippines and the Spratly Islands Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
Confrontations
Southwest Cay incident (1975) Johnson South Reef skirmish (1988)
Military occupations
Occupied by China Cuarteron Reef · Huayang Reef Fiery Cross Reef · Yongshu Reef Gaven Reefs · Nanxun Reef and Xinan Reef Hughes Reef · Dongmen Reef Johnson South Reef · Chigua Reef Mischief Reef · Meiji Reef Subi Reef · Zhubi Reef Occupied by Malaysia Ardasier Reef · Ubi Reef Dallas Reef · Laya Reef Erica Reef · Siput Reef Investigator Shoal · Peninjau Shoal Louisa Reef · Semarang Barat Kecil Reef Mariveles Reef · Mantanani Reef Swallow Reef · Layang-Layang Island Occupied by the Philippines Thitu Island · Pagasa Island West York Island · Likas Island Northeast Cay · Parola Island Nanshan Island · Lawak Island Loaita Island · Kota Island Flat Island · Patag Island Lankiam Cay · Panata Island Irving Reef · Balagtas Reef Second Thomas Shoal · Ayungin Shoal Occupied by Taiwan Itu Aba Island · Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef Occupied by Vietnam Spratly Island · Truong Sa Island Southwest Cay · Song Tu Tay Island Sin Cowe Island · Sinh Ton Island Sand Cay · Son Ca Island Namyit Island · Nam Yet Island Amboyna Cay · An Bang Island Collins Reef · Co Lin Reef Ladd Reef · Lat Reef

Flat Island (Chinese: 费信岛; pinyin: Feixin Dao; Tagalog: Patag Island; Vietnamese: Đảo Bình Nguyên) is the second smallest of the Spratly Islands. It has an area of 0.57 hectares (1.4 acres) (5,700 sq. m), and is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Philippine-occupied Nanshan Island.

It is the sixth largest of the Philippine-occupied Spratly islands, and is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan. The island is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam.

Environment

The island is a low, flat, sandy cay, 240m by 90m, and is subject to erosion. It changes its shape seasonally. The sand build up depends largely on the direction of prevailing winds and waves; it has taken an elongated shape for some years, the shape of a crescent moon for a few years, and the shape of a letter "S". Like Lankiam Cay, it is also barren of any vegetation. No underground water source has been found in the area.

Philippine Occupation

Presently, the island serves as a military observation post, and is guarded by Philippine soldiers stationed at nearby Nanshan Island. The soldiers regularly visit the island, and it is kept under observation from a tall structure on Nanshan Island.

In August 2011, the Philippine Navy Seabees (Naval Combat Engineering Brigade) finished construction of a second star shell-like structure which is intended to shelter and protect troops.^[1]

See also

• Spratly Islands Dispute
• Policies, activities and history of the Philippines in Spratly Islands

References

External links

• Google Map of Flat Island