Lankiam Cay, also known as Panata Island ( fil, Pulo ng Panata, lit=Island of Oath;
Mandarin ; vi, đá An Nhơn), is the smallest of the naturally occurring
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 has an area of (4,400 sq. m), and is located about east-northeast of Philippine-occupied
Loaita (Kota) Island,
just west of the north of
Dangerous Ground.
[NGA Chart 93044]
shows the area NW of Dangerous Ground.
The island is administered by 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 ...
as part of
Kalayaan, Palawan
Kalayaan, officially the Municipality of Kalayaan ( tgl, Bayan ng Kalayaan), is a 6th class municipality in the South China Sea under the jurisdiction of the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...
, and is the eighth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It 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 List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, the
Republic of China
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 northeas ...
(Taiwan), 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 ...
.
Environment
At one time the island had a surface area of more than , but strong waves brought by a strong typhoon washed out the sandy surface (beach) of the island leaving behind the
calcarenite
Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported) sand-size (0.0625 to 2 mm in diameter), carbonate grains. The grains consist of sand-size grains of either corals, shells, oo ...
foundation that can be seen at low tide. It has a wide lagoon.
Philippine occupation
The island is guarded by soldiers stationed at nearby Loaita Island who regularly visit. It is kept under observation from a tall structure on Loaita Island.
The location of this outpost, which the Philippines calls Panata Island, is often misreported as being on Lankiam Cay, to the east of Loaita Island. While reports suggest Lankiam was once a small sandy cay, it appears to have been washed away, leaving only a submerged reef and a small, shifting sand bar. If there was ever a Filipino facility there, it was moved to
Loaita Cay and took the name “Panata Island” with it.
PHILIPPINES LAUNCHES SPRATLY RUNWAY REPAIRS
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
See also
*
References
External links
Google Map of Lankiam Cay
Islands of the Spratly Islands
Kalayaan, Palawan
Loaita Bank
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