Zhongsha Islands

Zhongsha Islands
County-level division
Zhongsha District
Country	China
Province	Hainan
Prefecture-level city	Sansha
Government
• Type	County-level division
Time zone	UTC+8 (China)

Zhongsha Islands (simplified Chinese: 中沙群岛; traditional Chinese: 中沙群島; pinyin: Zhōngshā Qúndǎo; lit. 'Central Sandy Islands') are several geographical features in the South China Sea. They're administered as Zhongsha District (Chinese: 中沙群岛的岛礁及其海域; pinyin: Zhōngshā Qúndǎo De Dǎojiāo Jíqí Hǎiyù), a county-level division of the Sansha prefecture-level city, in Hainan province, China. It has one township-level division, Zhongsha Dao and Jiao Neighborhood Committee. Aquaculture research has been conducted on Walker Shoal.

Geography

Zhongsha Islands include some geographically separate features:

• Macclesfield Bank
  • Walker Shoal

To the east, near the Philippines are:

• Scarborough Shoal (Nanyan Dao 南巖島 or Huangyan Dao 黃岩島; 15°11′N 117°46′E)
• Truro Shoal (Sianfa Ansha or Shianfa Ansha 特魯暗沙; 16°20′N 116°44′E)

Far to the north are:

• Helen Shoal (Itung Ansha or Yitong Ansha 一統暗沙; 19°12′N 113°53′E) - It is a few kilometers south of Hong Kong.
• Stewart Shoal (Ssu-ti-wa-erh-t'e Ansha 管事暗灘; 17°20′N 118°50′E)
• Huangyan Seamount (黃岩海山)
• Shixing Seamount (石星海山)
• Xianbei Seamount (憲北海山)
• Xiannan Seamount (憲南海山)
• Zhangzhong Seamount (漲中海山)
• Zhenbei Seamount (珍貝海山)

To the south, near the Spratly Islands, are:

• Dreyer Shoal (Zhongnan Ansha, 中南暗沙)
• Zhongnan Seamount (中南海山)
• Longnan Seamount (龍南海山)
• Changlong Seamount (長龍海山)