Vietnam and China
9°43′N 114°17′E
Union Banks
Part of Spratly Islands
Union Banks (Filipino: Pampang ng Pagkakaisa; Vietnamese: Cụm Sinh Tồn; Chinese: 九章群礁; pinyin: Jiǔzhāng Qúnjiāo) is a large drowned atoll in the center of Dangerous Ground in the Spratly Islands in South China Sea, 230 kilometres (120 nautical miles) west of the Philippine coast, containing islands and reefs whose ownership remains disputed and controversial.
Overview
Union Banks (Filipino: Pampang ng Pagkakaisa; Vietnamese: Cụm Sinh Tồn; Chinese: 九章群礁; pinyin: Jiǔzhāng Qúnjiāo) is a large drowned atoll in the center of Dangerous Ground in the Spratly Islands in South China Sea, 230 kilometres (120 nautical miles) west of the Philippine coast, containing islands and reefs whose ownership remains disputed and controversial. The closest atoll is Tizard Bank, 25 kilometres (13 nautical miles) due north of Union Banks. There are only two natural islands on the rim of the reef, Sin Cowe Island and Sin Cowe East Island. The atoll is 55 kilometres (34 miles) long from Johnson South Reef in the southwest to Whitson Reef in the northeast, and up to 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) wide. Its total area measures 461 square kilometres (178 square miles). The central lagoon is up to 53 metres (174 feet) deep.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Census, cataloged
- Major islands1
- Minor islands0
- Islets1
- Rocks & skerries0
Major islands
Sin Cowe East Island
- Area
- 0.13 km²
- High point
- 3 m
Grierson Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Burunyugan 14); Sin Cowe East Island (Vietnamese: Đảo Sinh Tồn Đông); Mandarin Chinese: 染青沙洲; pinyin: Rǎnqīng shāzhōu, is a cay on the eastern part of the Union Banks of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The island has been occupied by Vietnam since 1978.
Islets
- Sin Cowe Island0.08 km²
Also in the area
Inside the group's outline but not confirmed as members by any source.
- Unnamed island0.71 km²
- Unnamed island20 m · 0.13 km²
- Johnson South Reef8 m · 0.11 km²
- 东门岛0.08 km²
- Đảo Len Đao0.05 km²
- 牛轭礁礁1号沙洲0.3 ha
- Unnamed island0.2 ha
- Unnamed island<0.1 ha
- Unnamed island<0.1 ha
- Unnamed island<0.1 ha
Figures
Comparative heights
- Johnson South Reef: 8 m
- Sin Cowe East: 3 m
To the same scale
Islands by area
| Unnamed island | 0.71 km² |
| Unnamed island | 0.13 km² |
| Sin Cowe East Island | 0.13 km² |
| Johnson South Reef | 0.11 km² |
| 东门岛 | 0.08 km² |
| Sin Cowe Island | 0.08 km² |
| Đảo Len Đao | 0.05 km² |
| 牛轭礁礁1号沙洲 | 0.3 ha |
| Unnamed island | 0.2 ha |
| Unnamed island | <0.1 ha |
| Unnamed island | <0.1 ha |
| Unnamed island | <0.1 ha |