Spratly Island 3.52

Spratly Island, also known as Storm Island, with a natural area of 15ha, is the fourth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and the largest of the Vietnamese-occupied/claimed Spratly islands. It is also claimed by the PRC and Republic of China.In 2016 the Vietnamese embarked on a land reclamation program at ten locations in the Spratly Islands. At Spratly Island 37 acres have been reclaimed, which has allowed for the addition of a harbour and the doubling of the length of the island's runway to a length of about 4,000ft.LocationSpratly island lies west of the SW of Dangerous Ground in the western half of the Spratly Islands. It is neighboured by Ladd Reef to the west, the London Reefs to the east, and others.History in the 20th centuryIn April 1930, France sent the dispatch boat (aviso), la Malicieuse, to the archipelago and raised the flag of France on a high mound on Spratly Island, also known as île de la Tempête. According to an official announcement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France occupied Spratly Island on April 13, 1930.On 21 December 1933, the Governor of Cochinchina, Jean-Félix Krautheimer, signed Decree No. 4702-CP merging Spratly Island, Amboyna Cay, Itu Aba Island, Northeast Cay, Southwest Cay, Loaita Island, Thitu Island and other dependent islands with Ba Ria province (present-day Vietnam's Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province).