Spratly Island

In April 1930, France sent the dispatch boat (aviso), la Malicieuse, to the archipelago and raised the flag of France on a high mound on Spratly Island, also known as île de la Tempête.{{cite web |url=http://nghiencuubiendong.vn/download/doc_download/132-white-paper-on-the-hoang-sa-paracel-and-truong-sa-spratly-islands-part-1 |title=White Paper on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands (1975) [part 1, split by uploading site] |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Vietnam) |access-date=January 31, 2013}} According to an official announcement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France occupied Spratly Island on April 13, 1930.{{in lang|vi}} {{cite journal |last=Tran |first=Dang Dai |title=Các văn kiện chính thức xác nhận chủ quyền Việt Nam trên hai quần đảo Hoàng Sa và Trường Sa từ thời Pháp thuộc tới nay |journal=Tập san Sử Địa [Journal of History and Geography] |volume=29 |year=1975 |publisher=Văn Hữu Printing-house |location=Saigon}}

On 21 December 1933, the Governor of Cochinchina, Jean-Félix Krautheimer, signed Decree No. 4702-CP merging Spratly Island, Amboyna Cay, Itu Aba Island, Northeast Cay, Southwest Cay, Loaita Island, Thitu Island and other dependent islands with Ba Ria province (present-day Vietnam's Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province).{{cite web|url=http://biengioilanhtho.gov.vn/eng/truongsaarchipelagobelongstoba-nd-ceb8b204.aspx |title=Truong Sa archipelago belongs to Ba Ria province (1933) |publisher=Website on Viet Nam's sovereign boundaries |access-date=August 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317204139/http://biengioilanhtho.gov.vn/eng/truongsaarchipelagobelongstoba-nd-ceb8b204.aspx |archive-date=March 17, 2012 }}

In April 1939 Japan occupied the island provoking protests from the French.

Spratly Island, Evening Star, New Zealand, 3 April 1939 Page 11 The Japanese also laid claim to 1000 square miles of the South China sea between 7 and 12 degrees north and 111 to 112 degrees east.Islands Annexed, Evening Post, Wellington, New Zealand, 19 April 1939, Page 9 During the occupation of the island by the Imperial Japanese Navy at the time of the Pacific War, the island was known by the Japanese as {{nihongo|Nishitori jima|西鳥島||lit. "Western bird island"}}.

After World War II, the Republic of China Navy sent a fleet of vessels to the South China Sea to take over the occupation of islands from Japan. In 1946, the Republic of China government announced the sovereignty of this island, set a milestone, and named it "Nanwei Island". (Nanwei is the name of the Chairman of Guangdong Province in China in 1946 – Chinese: 南威島).{{cite web|url=http://www.quhua.com/zhanzhenggushi/83789.html |title=1946年林遵亲率中国海军收复南沙诸岛始末-战争故事_战争故事 |access-date=2015-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528144444/http://www.quhua.com/zhanzhenggushi/83789.html |archive-date=2015-05-28 }}

During the early 1960s, the Republic of Vietnam Navy stopped off at the island several times. In 1963, three ships (HQ-404 Huong Giang, HQ-01 Chi Lang and HQ-09 Ki Hoa) visited and systematically rebuilt steles on a number of islands in the archipelago. On May 19, 1963, they built one on Spratly Island.{{cite web |url=http://nghiencuubiendong.vn/download/doc_download/131-white-paper-on-the-hoang-sa-paracel-and-truong-sa-spratly-islands-part-2 |title=White Paper on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands (1975) [part 2, split by uploading site] |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of Vietnam) |access-date=January 31, 2013}} However, the war on the mainland led to the absence of Vietnamese troops on the island until 1974 when South Vietnam set up a permanent garrison there after the Crescent Group of the Paracel Islands was lost to China. On April 29, 1975, the Vietnam People's Army evicted South Vietnam's troops and occupied the island.

File:Cổng chào đảo Trường Sa Lớn.jpg.]]

File:Truong Sa lon.JPG

Under the South Vietnamese regime, Spratly Island was placed under the administration of Khánh Hòa province. In 2007, the Vietnamese government upgraded the island's status to a commune-level town which is in charge of administering all nearby Vietnamese-controlled features such as Amboyna Cay and Barque Canada Reef.{{in lang|vi}} {{cite web|title=Nghị định số 65/2007/NĐ-CP ngày 11 tháng 04 năm 2007 (...) |url=http://vbqppl.moj.gov.vn/vbpq/Lists/Vn%20bn%20php%20lut/View_Detail.aspx?ItemID=14454 |publisher=Ministry of Justice's Portal (Vietnam) |access-date=November 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622191231/http://vbqppl.moj.gov.vn/vbpq/Lists/Vn%20bn%20php%20lut/View_Detail.aspx?ItemID=14454 |archive-date=June 22, 2013 }} On the island lies Trường Sa District's administrative center.

Spratly Island is shaped like an isosceles triangle. According to a document published by the Political Department of Vietnam's Navy Command, the island is {{convert|630|m|ft}} in length, up to {{convert|300|m|ft}} in width and has an area of {{convert|0.15|km2|acre}} while several foreign documents often use a slightly smaller number of {{convert|0.13|km2|acre}}.{{cite book|author1=Hancox, David |author2=Prescott, Victor |title=A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys amongst Those Islands |year=1995 |publisher=University of Durham, International Boundaries Research Unit|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/publications/view/?id=229 |series=Maritime Briefings |volume=1 |isbn=978-1897643181 |page=14}} It is 3.4 to 5 metres above sea level during low tide. The island has a variety of vegetation with a source of brackish water which can be utilized for bathing, washing and watering plants. The fringing reefs that lie at all three corners are up to {{convert|200|m}} wide and uncovered at low tide.

Spratly Island has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). With the typical meteorological characteristics of an archipelago, the Spratly Islands have a cool summer and a warm winter. The dry season, spanning from February to May, is characterized by a higher temperature from 4:30 AM to 19:00 PM. May–January is the time of the rainy season, when temperatures are lower during daytime, but thunderstorms are more likely to occur.

{{Weather box

| location = Spratly Islands

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

| Jan record high C = 31.7

| Feb record high C = 31.3

| Mar record high C = 32.7

| Apr record high C = 34.5

| May record high C = 34.1

| Jun record high C = 34.5

| Jul record high C = 32.9

| Aug record high C = 34.0

| Sep record high C = 33.4

| Oct record high C = 33.0

| Nov record high C = 32.2

| Dec record high C = 31.0

|year record high C = 34.5

| Jan high C = 27.6

| Feb high C = 28.4

| Mar high C = 29.9

| Apr high C = 31.2

| May high C = 31.6

| Jun high C = 30.5

| Jul high C = 30.0

| Aug high C = 29.9

| Sep high C = 29.9

| Oct high C = 29.9

| Nov high C = 29.2

| Dec high C = 28.0

|year high C = 29.7

| Jan mean C = 26.4

| Feb mean C = 26.7

| Mar mean C = 27.8

| Apr mean C = 28.9

| May mean C = 29.3

| Jun mean C = 28.7

| Jul mean C = 28.2

| Aug mean C = 28.1

| Sep mean C = 28.1

| Oct mean C = 28.0

| Nov mean C = 27.6

| Dec mean C = 26.7

|year mean C = 27.9

| Jan low C = 25.2

| Feb low C = 25.5

| Mar low C = 26.3

| Apr low C = 27.2

| May low C = 27.5

| Jun low C = 26.5

| Jul low C = 26.1

| Aug low C = 26.1

| Sep low C = 26.0

| Oct low C = 26.0

| Nov low C = 25.7

| Dec low C = 25.2

|year low C = 26.1

| Jan record low C = 22.1

| Feb record low C = 21.5

| Mar record low C = 21.4

| Apr record low C = 23.1

| May record low C = 21.2

| Jun record low C = 22.9

| Jul record low C = 21.9

| Aug record low C = 22.2

| Sep record low C = 21.9

| Oct record low C = 22.6

| Nov record low C = 22.0

| Dec record low C = 21.7

|year record low C = 21.2

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 117

| Feb precipitation mm = 68

| Mar precipitation mm = 43

| Apr precipitation mm = 51

| May precipitation mm = 109

| Jun precipitation mm = 238

| Jul precipitation mm = 237

| Aug precipitation mm = 236

| Sep precipitation mm = 247

| Oct precipitation mm = 285

| Nov precipitation mm = 409

| Dec precipitation mm = 373

|year precipitation mm = 2412

| Jan precipitation days = 15.9

| Feb precipitation days = 9.9

| Mar precipitation days = 6.3

| Apr precipitation days = 7.3

| May precipitation days = 12.5

| Jun precipitation days = 17.3

| Jul precipitation days = 18.5

| Aug precipitation days = 19.4

| Sep precipitation days = 17.7

| Oct precipitation days = 20.5

| Nov precipitation days = 23.2

| Dec precipitation days = 22.7

|year precipitation days = 191.1

| Jan humidity = 85.7

| Feb humidity = 84.4

| Mar humidity = 81.4

| Apr humidity = 78.5

| May humidity = 78.6

| Jun humidity = 81.1

| Jul humidity = 82.0

| Aug humidity = 83.0

| Sep humidity = 82.7

| Oct humidity = 82.0

| Nov humidity = 84.5

| Dec humidity = 86.5

|year humidity = 82.5

| source 1 = Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180722172120/http://ibst.vn/DATA/nhyen/QCVN%2002-2009%20BXD%20So%20lieu%20tu%20nhien.pdf

| archive-date = 22 July 2018

| url = http://ibst.vn/DATA/nhyen/QCVN%2002-2009%20BXD%20So%20lieu%20tu%20nhien.pdf

| title = Vietnam Building Code Natural Physical & Climatic Data for Construction

| publisher = Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology

| language = vi

| access-date = 22 July 2018}}

}}

The island's plants are mostly Barringtonia asiatica, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Heliotropium foertherianum, and some kinds of bush and grass which grow poorly due to the harsh climate. Spratly Island is home to some birds and has guano deposits. Islanders try to cultivate banana, papaya, chili pepper and a variety of vegetables and herbs. There are also hundreds of dogs and much poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese.{{in lang|vi}}{{cite news |title=Nhật ký Trường Sa - Kì 2 [Truong Sa Diary - Part 2] |author=Đỗ Sơn |url=http://www.tienphong.vn/xa-hoi/phong-su/540712/Cap-dao-Truong-Sa-Lon-tpp.html |publisher=Tiền phong online |date=June 7, 2011 |access-date=January 31, 2013}}

{{Infobox airport

| name = Trường Sa Airport

| image =

| image-width =

| IATA =

| ICAO =

| type = Military

| latd =

| longd =

| pushpin_map = South China Sea

| pushpin_label =

| pushpin_map_caption =

| owner =

| operator = Vietnam

| city-served =

| location = Spratly Island

| elevation-m =

| website =

| metric-elev = y

| metric-rwy = y

| r1-number = 04/22

| r1-length-m = 1200

| r1-surface = Concrete

| footnotes =

}}

The original runway was built in 1976–77. From 2004, the configurations included a {{convert|600|m|ft}} landing strip that could accommodate small fixed-wing propeller aircraft (PZL M28 Skytruck, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter).http://soha.vn/quan-su/may-bay-van-tai-c-295m-cua-vn-co-the-ha-canh-o-san-bay-truong-sa-20150511140210163.htm (Vietnamese) Aircraft were parked on a small tarmac area next to the runway which runs the entire length of the island, with both ends ending on beachfront. Homes surround the two sides of the runway and a small two-story building with a control tower on the roof is located by the apron.

Since 2016, photos and reports were published showing extensive land-reclamation and construction work at Spratly Island, with new harbours and extension of the runway to at least {{convert|1200|metres}}.{{cite web |date=2016-12-01 |title=Vietnam Responds with Spratly Air Upgrades |url=https://amti.csis.org/vietnam-responds/ |access-date=2017-07-05 |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies}} The island also has a helicopter pad.

File:Cột mốc đảo Trường Sa Lớn.jpg

Built in 1977, the meteorological station on Spratly Island has station index number 48920 as assigned by the World Meteorological Organization.

Vietnam Military Telecommunications Corp., known commonly as Viettel, established mobile coverage in the Spratlys Island in 2007 to assert sovereignty and allow soldiers to speak with their families back home.{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-20/vietnam-protests-china-mobile-s-plans-for-service-to-spratlys |title = Vietnam Protests China Mobile Move to Disputed Islands, VNA Says|date = 20 May 2011}}

Energy is provided by solar panels and wind turbines. Additional facilities included a small jetty with two piers, a clinic, a cultural house, a radio tower and a Buddhist pagoda. A primary school has been in operation since April 2013.{{cite web |title= Khánh thành Trường Tiểu học Trường Sa |author= Trần Công Thi |url=http://www.baokhanhhoa.com.vn/xa-hoi/201304/Khanh-thanh-Truong-Tieu-hoc-Truong-Sa-2232167/ |publisher=Báo Khánh Hoà |date=2013-04-21 |access-date=2013-04-23}} There is a 5.5 m-high obelisk at the southern tip.

• Spratly Islands dispute
• Richard Spratly
• Dongsha Island Airport (Pratas Island)
• Yongxing Island Airport (Woody Island in the Paracel Islands)
• List of airports in the Spratly Islands
• List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands
• Taiping Island Airport
• Layang-Layang Airport

{{clear}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://amti.csis.org/spratly-island/ Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker]

{{Spratly Islands topics}}

{{South China Sea}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spratly Island (Proper)}}

Category:Islands of the Spratly Islands

Category:World War II occupied territories

Category:Disputed islands of Asia