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. 

The sea and its islands and reefs are claimed by many nations, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. "Stirring up the South China Sea (II): Regional Responses,"  Asia Report N°229, 24 July 2012; retrieved 2013-4-17. 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." In Vietnam the sea is called "Biển Đông" (which exactly means "East Sea").

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) which awards the country sovereignty of its maritime area  and rights to its natural resources.

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.http://www.the-diplomat.com/new-leaders-forum/2011/12/15/the-west-philippine-sea/ Despite this, China counter-claims the entire South China Sea without exception as its own, which overlaps with the Philippines' EEZ.

South China Sea islands

Related pages 
 Paracel Islands
 Spratly Islands

References

Other websites
  "China's Jurisdiction over the South China Sea," Beijing Review, July 3, 2012



Category:Bodies of water of China
Category:Seas of the Pacific Ocean