Cornwallis South Reef

Cornwallis South Reef, also known as Vietnamese: Đá Núi Le; Osmeña Reef (Tagalog: Bahura ng Osmeña); Mandarin Chinese: 南华礁; pinyin: Nanhua Dǎo, is a coral atoll reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It covers an area of about 10 km by 5 km, and is entirely submerged at high tide.[1]

Cornwallis South Reef
Disputed atoll
Satellite image
Cornwallis South Reef is located in Spratly Islands
Cornwallis South Reef
Cornwallis South Reef
Other names
Đá Núi Le (Vietnamese)
Nanhua Reef (南华礁) (Chinese)
Osmeña Reef (Philippine English)
Bahura ng Osmeña (Filipino)
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates8.7191081°N 114.1819513°E / 8.7191081; 114.1819513
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Administration
DistrictTrường Sa district
Claimed by
 China
 Philippines
 Taiwan
 Vietnam

Territorial claims

The atoll is controlled by Vietnam, but is claimed by China as part of its claim to the entire Spratly Islands. In 2009, Vietnam, in a submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), accepted that its continental shelf did not include Cornwallis and therefore they have no entitlement to exploit it.[1]

Development

The atoll has been subjected to a small amount of development by Vietnam. Structures have been built at three points on the atoll, in 2014/15 two access channels were dredged to allow ships enter the lagoon, and in 2015 small-scale land reclamation was started beside the new access channels.[1] Much of the reclamation work was washed away by Typhoon Melor in December 2015.[2]

References
  1. "Washed Away". Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  2. Zou Luxiao (2016-02-02). "Typhoon Blows Away Illegal Island Made by Vietnam in South China Sea". People's Daily. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
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