Bouvet Island (2004) | Spratly Islands (2003) | |
Airports | - | 3 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 58.5 sq km
land: 58.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: less than 5 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea |
Area - comparative | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC | NA |
Background | This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named. No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In 1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island the previous year. In 1971, Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters were designated a nature reserve. Since 1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station on the island. | The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 50 islands are occupied by China (about 450 soldiers), Malaysia (70-90), the Philippines (about 100), and Vietnam (about 1,500). Brunei is a claimant but has no outposts. (2002) |
Climate | antarctic | tropical |
Coastline | 29.6 km | 926 km |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands |
Dependency status | territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo | - |
Disputes - international | none | all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the island; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea", a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding "code of conduct" |
Economy - overview | no economic activity; declared a nature reserve | 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. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Olav Peak 935 m |
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Flag description | the flag of Norway is used | - |
Geographic coordinates | 54 26 S, 3 24 E | 8 38 N, 111 55 E |
Geography - note | covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve | strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (93% ice) (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Legal system | the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply | - |
Location | island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) | Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines |
Map references | Antarctic Region | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 4 nm | NA |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Norway | Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam |
Natural hazards | NA | typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals |
Natural resources | none | fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential |
Population | uninhabited (July 2004 est.) | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (July 2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | none; offshore anchorage only |
Terrain | volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible | flat |
Waterways | - | none |