Macclesfield Bank

Macclesfield Bank
Disputed islands
Other names: Middle Sand Islands[1]
Macclesfield Bank
Geography
Location South China Sea
Coordinates 16°00′N 114°30′E / 16.000°N 114.500°E / 16.000; 114.500 (South China Sea Islands center)Coordinates: 16°00′N 114°30′E / 16.000°N 114.500°E / 16.000; 114.500 (South China Sea Islands center)
Total islands 0
Major islands None
Area 6,448 square kilometres (2,490 sq mi) total, 0 km² land surface/islets
Length About 130 kilometres (81 mi)
Width About 70 kilometres (43 mi)
Highest point
  • Unnamed point below sea level
  • −9.2 metres (−5.0 fathoms)
Administered by
People's Republic of China
Prefecture-level city
Province		 Sansha[2]

Hainan
Claimed by
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Municipality Kaohsiung
Philippines
Demographics
Population None
1920 nautical chart - depths in fathoms

Macclesfield Bank is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in the South China Sea. It lies east of the Paracel Islands, southwest of the Pratas Islands and north of the Spratly Islands. Its length exceeds 130 km (81 mi) southwest-northeast, with a maximal width of more than 70 km (43 mi). With an ocean area of 6,448 km2 (2,490 sq mi) within the outer rim of the reef,[3] although completely submerged without any emergent cays or islets, it is one of the largest atolls of the world.[4] The Macclesfield Bank is part of what China calls the Zhongsha Islands, which includes a number of geographically separate submarine features, and also refers to a county-level administrative division.

History

Macclesfield banks were named after the British naval ship, HMS Macclesfield, which ran aground in the vicinity of these shoals in 1804.[5][6][7]

Geography

The broken coral reef rim of Macclesfield Bank, with a width of up to 8 km (5 mi), has depths of 11.8 m (39 ft) at Pygmy Shoal on the northeast end of the bank and depths of 11.6 to 18 m (59 ft) elsewhere. Within the lagoon, Walker Shoal marks the least known depth of 9.2 metres (30 ft). In general, the central lagoon is very deep, with depths up to 100 metres (330 ft).[3]

The elongated atoll consists of the following shoals, clockwise starting in the northeast, and at the end the six named shoals in the lagoon:

English
Name		Romanized
Name		Chinese
Name		Coordinatesleast
depth
(fathoms)
Pigmy (Pygmy) ShoalBiwei Ansha比微暗沙16°13′N 114°44′E / 16.217°N 114.733°E / 16.217; 114.733 (Pigmy Shoal)7
Engeria (Egeria) BankYinji Tan隱磯灘16°03′N 114°56′E / 16.050°N 114.933°E / 16.050; 114.933 (Engeria Bank)10
Howard ShoalWuyong Ansha武勇暗沙15°52′N 114°47′E / 15.867°N 114.783°E / 15.867; 114.783 (Howard Shoal)10
Learmonth ShoalJimeng Ansha濟猛暗沙15°42′N 114°41′E / 15.700°N 114.683°E / 15.700; 114.683 (Learmonth Shoal)9
Plover ShoalHaijiu Ansha海鳩暗沙15°36′N 114°28′E / 15.600°N 114.467°E / 15.600; 114.467 (Plover Shoal)10
Addington PatchAnding Lianjiao安定連礁15°37′N 114°24′E / 15.617°N 114.400°E / 15.617; 114.400 (Addington Patch)10
Smith ShoalMeixi Ansha美溪暗沙15°27′N 114°12′E / 15.450°N 114.200°E / 15.450; 114.200 (Smith Shoal)9
Bassett ShoalBude Ansha布德暗沙15°27′N 114°10′E / 15.450°N 114.167°E / 15.450; 114.167 (Bassett Shoal)9
Balfour ShoalBofu Ansha波洑暗沙 or 伏洑暗沙15°27′N 114°00′E / 15.450°N 114.000°E / 15.450; 114.000 (Balfour Shoal)8
Parry ShoalPaibo Ansha排波暗沙15°29′N 113°51′E / 15.483°N 113.850°E / 15.483; 113.850 (Parry Shoal)8
Cawston ShoalGuodian Ansha果淀暗沙15°32′N 113°46′E / 15.533°N 113.767°E / 15.533; 113.767 (Cawston Shoal)10
Penguin BankPaihong Tan排洪灘15°38′N 113°43′E / 15.633°N 113.717°E / 15.633; 113.717 (Penguin Bank)9
Tancred ShoalTaojing Ansha濤靜暗沙15°41′N 113°54′E / 15.683°N 113.900°E / 15.683; 113.900 (Tanered Shoal)10
Combe ShoalKongpai Ansha控湃暗沙15°48′N 113°54′E / 15.800°N 113.900°E / 15.800; 113.900 (Combe Shoal)7
Cathy (Cathay) ShoalHuaxia Ansha華夏暗沙15°54′N 113°58′E / 15.900°N 113.967°E / 15.900; 113.967 (Cathy Shoal)7
Siamese ShoalSimen Ansha西門暗沙15°58′N 114°03′E / 15.967°N 114.050°E / 15.967; 114.050 (Siamese Shoal)9
Bankok ShoalBengu Ansha本固暗沙16°00′N 114°06′E / 16.000°N 114.100°E / 16.000; 114.100 (Bankok Shoal)7
Magpie ShoalMeibin Ansha美濱暗沙16°03′N 114°13′E / 16.050°N 114.217°E / 16.050; 114.217 (Magpie Shoal)8
Carpenter ShoalLuban Ansha魯班暗沙16°04′N 114°18′E / 16.067°N 114.300°E / 16.067; 114.300 (Carpenter Shoal)8
Oliver ShoalZhongbei Ansha中北暗沙16°07′N 114°24′E / 16.117°N 114.400°E / 16.117; 114.400 (Oliver Shoal)7
Hardy Patches1Shitang Lianjiao石塘連礁16°02′N 114°46′E / 16.033°N 114.767°E / 16.033; 114.767 (Hardy Patches)8
Hand Shoal1Zhizhang Ansha指掌暗沙16°00′N 114°39′E / 16.000°N 114.650°E / 16.000; 114.650 (Hand Shoal)9
Margesson Shoal1Nanfei Ansha南扉暗沙15°55′N 114°38′E / 15.917°N 114.633°E / 15.917; 114.633 (Margesson Shoal)8
Walker Shoal1Manbu Ansha漫步暗沙15°55′N 114°29′E / 15.917°N 114.483°E / 15.917; 114.483 (Walker Shoal)5
Phillip's Shoal1Lexi Ansha樂西暗沙15°52′N 114°25′E / 15.867°N 114.417°E / 15.867; 114.417 (Phillip's Shoal)9
Payne Shoal1Pingnan Ansha屏南暗沙15°52′N 114°34′E / 15.867°N 114.567°E / 15.867; 114.567 (Payne Shoal)8

1 inside lagoon

Territorial claims

South China Sea

Macclesfield Bank is claimed, in whole or in part, by China[8] and Taiwan (Republic of China).[9][10]

Some sources[10][11] state that the Philippines claims this underwater feature. However, Jose Zaide, a Filipino diplomat of ambassadorial rank, has written that the Philippines does not claim the Macclesfield Bank.[12] Moreover, Macclesfield Bank is not within UNCLOS 200 or Philippines EEZ.[13]

As the bank is entirely underwater, some scholars have raised questions regarding the legality of territorial claims upon it with regards to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).[14][15][16][17] However, the Philippines filed claim for another underwater feature, the Benham Plateau, in 2008 in compliance with the requirements of UNCLOS and UN officially approved the claim in April 2012.[18][19][20][21]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Jones, Gareth Wyn (2002). "Provinces". In Boland-Crewe, Tara; Lea, David. The Territories of the People's Republic of China. London: Europa Publications. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-203-40311-2.
  2. ↑ 中华人民共和国民政部 (People's Republic of China Ministry of Civil Affairs) (21 June 2012). "民政部关于国务院批准设立地级三沙市的公告 (Ministry of Civil Affairs on the State Council approved the establishment of the level of Sansha's notice)" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 25 June 2012.
  3. 1 2 List of data for various geographic features (2001), The Geological Society of America.
  4. ↑ "Philippines protests China's moving in on Macclesfield Bank". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Timeline". History of the Spratlys. www.spratlys.org. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Chemillier-Gendreau, Monique (2000). Sovereignty Over the Paracel and Spratly Islands. Kluwer Law International. ISBN 9041113819.
  7. ↑ China Sea pilot, Volume 1 (8th Edition). Taunton: UKHO - United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. 2010.
  8. ↑ "Vietnam Law on Contested Islands Draws China's Ire". The New York Times. June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Taiwan renews sovereignty claim over South China Sea islands". Focus Taiwan. May 5, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Limits in the Seas - No. 127 Taiwan's Maritime Claims" (PDF). United States Department of State. November 15, 2005. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Philippines protests China's moving in on Macclesfield Bank". Inquirer.net. July 6, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ Zaide, Jose (July 10, 2012). "Saan Siya?". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Allocation of South China Sea features". southchinasea.org.
  14. ↑ Poling, Gregory (2012-07-05). "Time to End Strategic Ambiguity in the South China Sea". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  15. ↑ Seoung-Yong Hong; Jon M. Van Dyke (2009). Maritime Boundary Disputes, Settlement Processes, and the Law of the Sea (Publications on Ocean Development). Brill. p. 149.
  16. ↑ Chi-kin Lo (1989). China's Policy Towards Territorial Disputes: The Case of the South China Sea Islands. Routledge. p. 25.
  17. ↑ Clive Ralph Symmons (1995). Some Problems Relating to the Definition of "insular Formations" in International Law: Islands and Low-tide Elevations. International Boundaries Research Unit. p. 12. ISBN 9781897643105.
  18. ↑ "UN approves PH territorial claim to Benham Rise". Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  19. ↑ UN to decide on Phl claim on 13-M hectare Benham Rise, August 16, 2011, Philippine Star.
  20. ↑ UN approves PH territorial claim to Benham Rise, April 28, 2012, Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  21. ↑ "DOE to assess resource potential of Benham Rise". The Philippine Star. June 9, 2014.
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