Loaita Island also known as Kota Island ( fil, Pulo ng Kota; Mandarin , and vi, Đảo Loại Ta), with an area of -- is the tenth largest 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 ...
, and the fifth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is located just to the west of the northern part of Dangerous Ground, and is southeast of Philippine-occupied
Thitu Island
Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa Island ( tl, Pulo ng Pag-asa, lit=Island of Hope; pag, Ilalo, having an area of , is the second largest of the naturally occurringNote that in 2014 the PRC embarked on a number of reclamation projects in the ...
''(Pag-asa)'' and north-northeast of Taiwan-occupied
Itu Aba Island
Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, and also known by various other names, is the largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The island is elliptical in shape being in length and in width, with an area of . I ...
.
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 ...
.
The island 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 ...
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 ...
.
Environment
The island fringes the
Loaita Bank
The Loaita Bank () is one of the significant maritime features in the Spratly Islands. It is about long on its NE-SW axis, and extends from Loaita Island to the NW of Dangerous Ground.shoals and
reef
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 o ...
s. Its calcarenite outcrop is visible along its western side at low tide. The present shape of the island indicates sand buildup along its eastern side. The anchor-shaped side will eventually connect with the northern portion as the sand buildup continues, thereby creating another mini-
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
in the process. The presence of migrating sea birds adds to the high
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
content of the island's sand. Occasionally, giant sea turtles lay their eggs on the island. The island is covered with mangrove bushes, above which rise coconut palms and other small trees.
History
On 22 May 1963, a sovereignty stele was rebuilt on Loaita Island by crew members of the three vessels Huong Giang, Chi Lang and Ky Hoa of the South Vietnam.
Several Philippine soldiers have been stationed on the island since 1968 when the Philippines occupied it. There are only a few structures, which serve as shelters for the soldiers.
The soldiers also guard the nearby
Lankiam Cay
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. It has an area of (4,400 sq. m), and is located about east-northeas ...
''(Panata)'' which lies about to the east-northeast. The cay is under observation from a tall structure on the island, and the Philippine soldiers also regularly visit it.
Loaita Nan and
Loaita Cay
Loaita Cay, also known as Melchora Aquino Island ( fil, Pulo ng Melchora Aquino; vi, Đảo Loại Ta Tây; Mandarin ), is an island in the Spratly Islands.largely controlled by the Philippines.
See also
*
List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands
This page features a series of lists of maritime features in the Spratly Islands.
Features by area
Of the hundreds of maritime features in the Spratly Islands, relatively few have land permanently above sea-level that is larger than protruding ...
*
Policies, activities and history of the Philippines in Spratly Islands
Philippines and the Spratly Islands – this article discusses the policies, activities and history of the Republic of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands from the Philippine perspective. Non-Philippine viewpoints regarding Philippine occupat ...