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The Spratly Islands (, (マレー語:Kepulauan Spratly), (タガログ語:Kapuluan ng Kalayaan), (ベトナム語:Quần đảo Trường Sa)) are a disputed group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea.〔 The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain Richard Spratly who sighted Spratly Island in 1843, the islands contain approximately 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) of land area spread over a vast area of more than 425,000 km2 (164,000 sq mi). The Spratlys are one of the major archipelagos in the South China Sea that comprise more than 30,000 islands and reefs, and which complicate governance and economics in this part of Southeast Asia due to their location in strategic shipping lanes. The islands have no indigenous inhabitants, but offer rich fishing grounds and may contain significant oil and natural gas reserves.〔Owen, N. A. and C. H. Schofield, 2012, ''Disputed South China Sea hydrocarbons in perspective.'' Marine Policy. vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 809-822.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349 )〕 and as such are important to the claimants in their attempts to establish international boundaries. The northeast of Spratlys is known to mariners as Dangerous Ground and is characterized by its many low islands, sunken reefs, and atolls with coral often rising abruptly from ocean depths greater than - all of which makes the area dangerous for navigation. In addition to various territorial claims, some of the features have civilian settlements, but of the approximately 45 islands, reefs, cays and other features that are occupied all contain structures that are occupied by military forces (from China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia). Additionally, Brunei has claimed (but does not occupy) an exclusive economic zone in the southeastern part of the Spratlys, which includes the Louisa Reef. These claims and occupations have led to escalating tensions between these countries over the status and "ownership" of the islands. ==Geographic and economic overview== The Spratly Islands contain almost no significant arable land, have no indigenous inhabitants, and very few of the islands have a permanent drinkable water supply. Natural resources include fish and guano, as well as the possible potential of oil and natural gas reserves.〔Note, however, that a 2013 US EIA report questions the economic viability of many of the potential reserves.〕 Economic activity has included commercial fishing, shipping, guano mining, and more recently, tourism. The Spratlys are located near several primary shipping lanes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Spratly Islands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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