West York Island
| Disputed island | |
|---|---|
 | |
| West York Island | |
| Geography | |
  | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 11°05′N 115°0′E / 11.083°N 115.000°ECoordinates: 11°05′N 115°0′E / 11.083°N 115.000°E |
| Archipelago | Spratly Islands |
| Administered by | |
| Philippines | |
| Municipality | Kalayaan, Palawan |
| Claimed by | |
| People's Republic of China | |
| Philippines | |
| Republic of China (Taiwan) | |
| Vietnam | |
| Part of a series on the |
| Spratly Islands |
|---|
 Spratly Islands military occupations map |
| Related articles |
| Confrontations |
| Military occupations |
 Occupied by China Occupied by Malaysia Occupied by the Philippines Occupied by Taiwan |
West York Island is also known as Likas Island Tagalog: Likas, simplified Chinese: 西月岛; traditional Chinese: 西月島; pinyin: Xīyuè Dǎo, Vietnamese: đảo Bến Lạc) and several other names.
Having an area of 18.6 hectares, it is the third largest of the naturally occurring[1] Spratly Islands and the second largest of Philippine-occupied naturally occurring Spratly Islands. It is 530 yards (485 m) wide, and 330 yards (302 m) long. Its highest elevation is 30 feet (9 m).
The island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan; it is located 47 miles (76 km) northeast of Pagasa Island (Thitu Island), the location of the Philippine defined major town of Kalayaan.
Likas is the Tagalog rootword of kalikasan which means nature. Filipino soldiers are stationed on the island.
The island is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam.
Structures and environment
West York Island is covered with low vegetation and scrub. Outcrops are visible on the southern and eastern portion of the island during low tides. It is a sanctuary for giant sea turtles that lay their eggs on the island all year round. The high salinity of the ground water in the island retards the growth of introduced trees like coconuts, ipil-ipil, and other types. Only those plants indigenous to the area, (mostly beach types of plants), thrive and survive the hot and humid condition, especially during the dry season.
There are no buildings on the island, except for the ruins of houses built by Japanese soldiers during World War II, and a small Philippine observation post where Filipino soldiers are stationed.
Plans
West York Island (Likas) is part of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan. However, because there is no civilian population on the island, it cannot qualify for any political subdivision that the Philippines has. Kalayaan, Palawan is the only municipality in the Philippines to have a single barangay. Barangays are political subdivisions that comprise Philippine municipalities and cities. Kalayaan's lone barangay is Pagasa Island (Thitu) which has a civilian population of about 300 people.
Because it is the second largest island among Philippine-occupied Spratly islands, Kalayaan municipal officials proposed that this island be populated with civilian settlers within the coming years. If accomplished, Likas will be the second barangay of Kalayaan. However, Likas' land area is only 50% of Pagasa's and only naval vessels are currently capable of reaching the island. An estimate of 300 million pesos (US$7.5M) will be needed to construct an airstrip, a docking site, some land reclamation and other structures necessary to support an isolated community.
See also
- Spratly Islands
- Kalayaan, Palawan
- List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands
- Policies, activities and history of the Philippines in Spratly Islands
References
- ↑ Note that in 2014 the PRC embarked on a number of reclamation projects in the Spratly Islands. It appears that the largest of these, at Fiery Cross Reef is of at least 60 hectares, and according to some unverifiable sources, possibly as large as 150 ha. Kristine Kwok and Minnie Chan (2014-06-08). "China plans artificial island in disputed Spratlys chain in South China Sea". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2014-09-28.