Erica Reef, also known as ''Enola Reef;'' ms, Terumbu Siput, lit=Shell Reef; Gabriela Silang Reef ( tl, Bahura ng Gabriela Silang, lit=); vi, đá Én Ca;
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, is located in the SW of
Dangerous Ground, 24km east-northeast of
Mariveles Reef 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 ...
.
It is small, almost circular, with an outside radius about 1 km. It dries entirely at low tide, enclosing a shallow lagoon. A few rocks remain visible on the east side at high water but there is no obvious point of reference. The lagoon is too shallow to be of much interest and the outer reef is a steep slope rather than a drop-off, but it descends into very deep water. Healthy stony corals harbouring a myriad of reef creatures descend into the depths and many shoals of semi-pelagic fish are seen in the clear visibility. On each reef the south walls are precipitous while their other boundaries are slopes, the walls are a result of prevailing currents and the direction of maximum sunlight encouraging coral growth.
It is one of the areas in the Spratly Islands occupied by
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. The
Royal Malaysian Navy has maintained an
"offshore naval station" there called "Station Sierra" since 1999.
The reef is also claimed by 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 ...
,
Republic of China (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 northeast ...
, the
Philippines
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 ...
, 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 ...
. The
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
(
Tagalog) name is named after
Philippine revolutionary leader,
Gabriela Silang.
References
External links
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker
Reefs of the Spratly Islands
{{Malaysia-geo-stub