Part 774

Land use: arable land : 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs

@Spratly Islands:People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons

@Spratly Islands:Government

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands

Data code: PG

Economy

Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

Industries: none

@Spratly Islands:Communications

Telephone system: domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: NA

@Spratly Islands:Transportation

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 4 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total : 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military - note: about 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Transnational Issues