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Itu Aba Island
Disputed island; Native name: Taiping Island, 太平島; Other names: Ligaw, Ligao, Tàipíng Dǎo, Đảo Ba Bình, Huángshānmǎ Jiāo (黃山馬礁), Huángshānmǎ Zhì (黃山馬峙), Changdao (長島)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	10°22′30″N 114°22′0″E / 10.375°N 114.366667°ECoordinates: 10°22′30″N 114°22′0″E / 10.375°N 114.366667°E
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Length	1,400 metres (4,600 ft)
Width	400 metres (1,300 ft)
Administered by
	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Claimed by
	People's Republic of China
	Philippines
	Republic of China (Taiwan)
	Vietnam
Demographics
Population

Itu Aba Island or Taiping Island (Tagalog: Ligaw/Ligao; Chinese: 太平島; pinyin: Tàipíng Dǎo; Vietnamese: Đảo Ba Bình), is the largest of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The island is elliptical in shape being 1.4 km in length and 0.4 km in width. It is part of the Tizard Bank (Zheng He Reefs) one of seven reefs in the Spratly Islands near the centre of the South China Sea.

The island is controlled and governed by the Republic of China (Taiwan). The governments of the People's Republic of China, the Philippines and Vietnam also claim the island. The distance from Taiwan to Taiping Island is about 1,600 km (1,000 miles).

[edit] Names

The Vietnamese name for the island is đảo Ba Bình (Ba Bình Island), while in Filipino it is called Ligaw ("lost" or "wild") Island. The islands were formerly called Huángshānmǎ Jiāo (黃山馬礁) or Huángshānmǎ Zhì (黃山馬峙) by Chinese fishermen.

During the Japanese occupation of the island of 1939-45, it was known as Changdao (長島, Long Island).

The name most commonly used in English is Itu Aba, from the Malay for "What's that?" (spelled itu apa in the current orthography), or said to be named after two Vietnamese maids (Tu and Ba) of a French Indochina official charged with mapping the Spratly Islands.

[edit] History

Part of a series on
Spratly Islands

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The island derives its Chinese name from the battle ship Taiping ("peace") sent to recover the island after Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. On other western navigation maps, the island is named "Itu Aba Island" [1].

It was claimed by the French in 1887 and later occupied in 1932 as part of their assertion of control over their colonies in Vietnam and in reaction to the 1932 protest by China of their sovereignty of the Paracels.^[1]

During World War II, it was invaded by Japan and converted to a submarine base. It was administratively attached to the municipality of Takao (Kaohsiung) in the Japanese colony of Taiwan. Japan renounced its control in 1946 and turned over the island to China.^{[citation needed]}

On 12 December 1946, the island was placed under the administration of China's Guangdong Province. However, during the split between mainland China and Taiwan during the revolution, Taiwan's military retained control of the garrison.^[2]

In 1952, a Philippine civilian began to mine sulfur from Itu Aba and that same year, a note attached to the Treaty of Taipei provided for Taiwanese sovereignty over the island.

Presently a detachment of the Coast Guard Administration is stationed at this island, replacing a Republic of China Marine Corps detachment in 2000. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau also has employee presence on the island. The total population of the island is about 600 with no civilians.

The government of Taiwan planned to build an airstrip on the island. In 2005 Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a representative to Taiwan and requested the Republic of China to stop the construction. In early 2006, Taiwan announced it would continue with its plans^[3] and the airstrip was completed in December 2007. A C-130 Hercules transporter airplane first landed on the island on 21 January 2008. On 2 February 2008, Taiwan's president Chen Shui-bian personally visited the island accompanied by a significant naval force including two fleets with Kidd-class destroyer flagships and two submarines.^[4]

[edit] Government and politics

The island, along with the rest of the Spratlys, is disputed by four countries on historical, geographic or technical grounds, as well as due to fishing rights, shipping lanes, and the potential of petroleum and natural gas beneath the South China Sea.

Although there are no long term inhabitants on the island, Itu Aba is administered under the Municipality of Kaohsiung City, Qijin District, by the Taiwanese. Postal service is provided by Chunghwa Post with under the assigned area code "819". 4 pay phones and internet connection are also available.

[edit] Geography

Flora and fauna include swallows, papaya plant, coast oak, terminalia trees, lotus leaf tung tree, goodeniaceae, sea lemon, long stem chrysanthemum, long-saddle rattan, gray grass, coconut tree, banana tree, White-tailed Tropical Bird, Sparrow hawk, tropical fish, jelly fish and others.

[edit] See also

South China Sea
South China Sea Islands
Dongsha Islands or Pratas Islands
List of islands of the Republic of China

[edit] Notes

^ http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Paracel_Spratly.html
^ "Spratly Islands". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwrenG7k.
^ "MND admits strategic value of Spratly airstrip." Taipei Times. 6 January 2006. p. 2
^ Shih Hsiu-chuan, Hsu Shao-hsuan, and Jimmy Chuang. "President visits disputed islands." Taipei Times. 3 February 2008. p. 1.

[edit] External links

[0] ttp://www.worldstatesmen.org/Paracel_Spratly.html

[1] "Spratly Islands". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwrenG7k.

[2] "MND admits strategic value of Spratly airstrip." Taipei Times. 6 January 2006. p. 2

[3] Shih Hsiu-chuan, Hsu Shao-hsuan, and Jimmy Chuang. "President visits disputed islands." Taipei Times. 3 February 2008. p. 1.

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