Dongsha Islands:
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) confirmed recently that it had dispatched vessels to repel both a Chinese coast guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat operating near Dongsha Island.
- The Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, are a small group of three islands located in the northern part of the South China Sea.
- It lies approximately 445 km southwest of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and 320 km southeast of Hong Kong.
- The Dongsha Islands are governed by Taiwan. There are no permanent residents. But Taiwanese marines are stationed
- These islands are characterized by a circular coral atoll structure.
- They are composed primarily of clastic coral and reef flats approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) in diameter, enclosing a lagoon about 10 miles (16 kilometers) in diameter.
- The island group includes Dongsha Island, being the only island above sea level, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) long and a little over 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) wide, and Northern Vereker and Southern Vereker atolls, both of which are below sea level.
