Sand Cay

Sand Cay

Disputed island
Geography
From right to left: Sand Cay, Zhongzhou/Ban Than Reef and Itu Aba Island
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	10°22′42″N 114°28′34″E / 10.3783°N 114.476°E / 10.3783; 114.476Coordinates: 10°22′42″N 114°28′34″E / 10.3783°N 114.476°E / 10.3783; 114.476
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administered by
Vietnam
Claimed by
People's Republic of China
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)

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

Sand Cay 10°23′N 114°29′E / 10.383°N 114.483°E / 10.383; 114.483, also known as Son Ca Island (Tagalog: Bailan; Chinese: 敦谦沙洲; pinyin: Dunqian Shazhou; Vietnamese: đảo Sơn Ca) is a cay in the Tizard Bank of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. With an area of 7 hectares (17 acres), it is the ninth largest, and the fourth largest Vietnamese-occupied, of the Spratly Islands. The island has been occupied by Vietnam since 1974, (first by the Republic of Vietnam, then by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after 1975). It is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and the Philippines.

Geography

Part of the Tizard Bank,^[1] Sand Cay lies 6.2 nautical miles (11.5 km; 7.1 mi) east of Itu Aba Island, which is occupied by the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is 450 metres (1,480 ft) long, 102 metres (335 ft) wide, and has an elevation of 3.5 metres (11 ft) to 3.8 metres (12 ft) at low tide.^[2] There is a 41 metres (135 ft) high light house on the islet.^[3] Sand Cay is commonly confused with Sandy Cay which is a sandy shoal (coral reef) near Thitu Island.

Ecology

Sand Cay has no source of natural fresh water, but the islet's coral sand is covered with a thin layer of fertile humus mixing with guano. The vegetation mainly composes of Barringtonia asiatica, Ipomoea pes-caprae and Casuarinaceae's species as well as some kinds of grass.^[2] In recent years, islanders have cultivated fruit trees such as pomelo, jackfruit, dragonfruit, sugar-apple and guava.^[4] Sand Cay is usually visited by seabirds, and its surrounding water is rich with fish, sea snails and sea cucumbers.^[2]

See also

• Great wall of sand
• List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands
• Spratly Islands dispute
• Truong Sa District

References