Namyit Island

Island

10°10′46″N 114°22′00″E / 10.17944°N 114.36667°E / 10.17944; 114.36667ArchipelagoSpratly IslandsAdministration

Vietnam

DistrictTrường Sa DistrictCommuneSinh Tồn CommuneClaimed by

China

Philippines

Taiwan

Vietnam

NASA's satellite photo of Namyit Island

Namyit Island, also known as Vietnamese: Đảo Nam Yết; Binago Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Binago, lit. 'Island of Changed'); Mandarin Chinese: 鴻庥島/鸿庥岛; pinyin: Hóngxiū Dǎo, is the third-largest island on Tizard Bank in the northwest of the Spratly Islands in South China Sea. With an area of 5.3 hectares (13 acres), it is the twelfth-largest naturally-occurring Spratly island, and the fifth-largest among the Vietnamese-administered islands. The island is also claimed by China (PRC), the Philippines, and Taiwan (ROC).

History in the 20th century

Although two South Vietnamese warships (the HQ-04 Tuy Dong and HQ-05 Tay Ket) stopped at Namyit Island in 1962,^[1] South Vietnamese troops did not set up a permanent garrison on the islet until August 1973. On 6 September 1973, the Republic of Vietnam's Ministry of the Interior signed Decree No. 420-BNV/HCĐP/26 merging some Spratly islands, including Namyit, into Phuoc Hai Commune, Dat Do District, Phuoc Tuy Province.^[2] South Vietnam continued to administer the entity until 27 April 1975 when their troops were evicted by the Vietnam People's Army.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

11 nautical miles (20 kilometres) to the south of Itu Aba Island,^[3] Namyit Island is a small oval-shaped coral island which is 600 metres (660 yards) long and 125 metres (137 yards) wide. The coral reef on which the island lies is 0.2 metres (7.9 inches) to 0.4 metres (1 foot 4 inches) above the sea during low tide.^[3] There is a heliport at the end of island.^[4]

Namyit Island Light is a white round tower with red bands standing 23 metres (75 feet) in height.

Ecology

Namyit Island has no source of fresh water, and its coral sand is not suitable for plants in general. The island is covered with small trees, bushes and grass and is inhabited by sea birds.^[4] The surrounding water is home to 492 species of plankton, 86 species of seaweed, two species of seagrass, 225 species of benthic organisms, 160 species of coral, 414 species of reef fish and two species of sea turtles.^[5]

References

^ "White Paper on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands (1975) [part 2, split by uploading site]". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of Vietnam). Retrieved 21 March 2013.
^ "A number historical and juridical documents on Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes- Part 3". Authority of Foreign Information Service, Ministry of Information and Communications (Vietnam). 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
^ ^a ^b (in Vietnamese) Những điều cần biết về hai quần đảo Hoàng Sa, Trường Sa và khu vực thềm lục địa phía nam [What you need to know about Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands and southern continental shelf]. Political Department, Naval Command (Vietnam). 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Digital Gazetter of Spratly Islands". Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
^ (in Vietnamese) Nguyễn Đình Quân (15 September 2012). "Lập Khu bảo tồn biển Nam Yết". Tiền phong online. Retrieved 21 March 2013.

External links

Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker
Namyit Island, Google Maps

Spratly Islands

Confrontations

Regions

Occupied features

Brunei	Louisa Reef
China	Cuarteron Reef Fiery Cross Reef Gaven Reefs Hughes Reef Johnson South Reef Mischief Reef Subi Reef
Malaysia	Ardasier Reef Dallas Reef Erica Reef Investigator Shoal Mariveles Reef Swallow Reef
Philippines	Commodore Reef Flat Island Irving Reef Lankiam Cay Loaita Cay Loaita Island Nanshan Island Northeast Cay Second Thomas Shoal Thitu Island West York Island
Taiwan	Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef
Vietnam	Alison Reef Amboyna Cay Barque Canada Reef Bombay Castle Central London Reef Collins Reef Cornwallis South Reef Discovery Great Reef East London Reef Grierson Reef Ladd Reef Lansdowne Reef Namyit Island Pearson Reef Petley Reef Sand Cay Sin Cowe Island South Reef Southwest Cay Spratly Island Tennent Reef West London Reef

Unoccupied features

South China Sea

Pratas Island

Pratas Island
North Vereker Bank
South Vereker Bank

Paracel Islands

Amphitrite Group	Rocky Island Tree Island West Sand Woody Island Qilian Yu
Crescent Group	Money Island Robert Island Yagong Island
Other features	Bombay Reef Triton Island

Northeastern SCS

Spratly Islands

Dangerous
Ground

NW	North Danger Reef Northeast Cay Southwest Cay Thitu Reefs Thitu Island Subi Reef Loaita Bank Lankiam Cay Loaita Cay Loaita Island Tizard Bank Gaven Reefs Namyit Island Sand Cay Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef NNW Irving Reef West York Island WNW Western Reef
NE	Flat Island Nanshan Island Reed Tablemount Third Thomas Shoal
SE	Commodore Reef First Thomas Shoal Mischief Reef Sabina Shoal Second Thomas Shoal
SW	Union Banks Collins Reef Hughes Reef Johnson South Reef Sin Cowe Island Ardasier Reef Cornwallis South Reef Dallas Reef Erica Reef Investigator Shoal Mariveles Reef