Rocky Island (; Vietnamese: ''Đảo Đá'') is one of the
Paracel Islands
The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands () and the Hoang Sa Archipelago ( vi, Quần đảo Hoàng Sa, lit=Yellow Sand Archipelago), are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.
The archipelago includes about 130 small coral ...
in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
. It is under the administration of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and guarded by the
PLA Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chines ...
. The island is also claimed by
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.
Geography
Until 2016–2017, Rocky Island was connected to
Woody Island by an 800-metre concrete causeway. Land reclamation in 2016-2017 has joined the two islands by a larger area of land. The north part of causeway is now part of an infill construction project while the south end provides protection of the roadway from the sea.
History
A signals intelligence station was built on Rocky Island in 1995, mainly because the island is the highest point in the Paracel Islands.
See also
*
Sansha
*
South China Sea Islands
The South China Sea Islands consist of over 250 islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs and seamounts in the South China Sea. The islands are mostly low and small, and have few inhabitants. The islands and surrounding seas are subject to overla ...
References
External links
Satellite image of Rocky Island by Google Maps.
Paracel Islands
Disputed territories in Asia
Territorial disputes of the Republic of China
Territorial disputes of Vietnam
{{Asia-geo-stub