Union Banks (Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs) is a large drowned

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

in the center of Dangerous Ground in the

Spratly Islands The Spratly Islands ( fil, Kapuluan ng Kalayaan; zh, c=南沙群島/南沙群岛, s=, t=, p=Nánshā Qúndǎo; Malay, id, Kepulauan Spratly; vi, Quần đảo Trường Sa) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed o ...

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 Phil ...

, west of the

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

coast, containing

islands An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

and

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

whose ownership remains disputed and controversial. The closest atoll is

Tizard Bank The Tizard Bank, is a partially sunken atoll and one of the significant maritime features of the north-western part of the Spratly Islands. It is claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China, and Vietnam, and various parts of it ...

, due north of Union Banks. There are only two natural islands on the rim of the reef,

Sin Cowe Island Sin Cowe Island , also known as Sinh Ton Island ( vi, Đảo Sinh Tồn); Rurok Island ( tl, Pulo ng Rurok, lit=Island of Peak ); Mandarin , is an island in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. With an area of , it is the seventh largest ...

and Sin Cowe East Island. The atoll is long from

Johnson South Reef Johnson South Reef, also known in Mandarin ; Mabini Reef ( tl, Bahura ng Mabini, lit=Reef of Mabini); vi, Đá Gạc Ma), is a reef in the southwest portion of the Union Banks in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. It is controlled by t ...

in the southwest to

Whitson Reef Whitsun Reef, also known as Whitson Reef, Whitsum Reef, and Julian Felipe Reef ( tl, Bahura ng Julian Felipe; Mandarin ; vi, Đá Ba Đầu), is a reef at the northeast extreme limit of the Union Banks in the Spratly Islands of the South China S ...

in the northeast, and up to wide. Its total area measures . The central lagoon is up to deep.

Islands and reefs comprising Union Banks

Union Banks consists of the following islands and reefs, clockwise starting in the southwest corner:
- Version dated 19 August 2011 is available at: Key: yellow = occupied by PRC; violet = occupied by Vietnam

References

{{South China Sea Banks of the Spratly Islands

Islands and reefs comprising Union Banks

See also

References