Pattle Island
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Shānhú dǎo,
San Hô đảo,
Đảo Hoàng Sa
| Disputed island | |
|---|---|
 Paracel Islands | |
          Location of the major islands in Sansha Legend：  Black：Sansha (Pref. seat) Woody Island (South China Sea)  Pink：Scarborough Shoal  Green：Fiery Cross Reef  Blue：Mischief Reef  Purple：Subi Reef  Orange：Cuarteron Reef  Yellow：Gaven Reefs  Red：Johnson South Reef  Brown：Hughes Reef | |
| Other names | 珊瑚岛, Shānhú dǎo, San Hô đảo, Đảo Hoàng Sa |
| Geography | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 16°32′05″N 111°36′30″E / 16.53472°N 111.60833°E |
| Archipelago | Paracel Islands |
| Total islands | Over 30 |
| Major islands | Woody, Rocky, Tree, Money, Robert, Pattle, Triton, Duncan, Lincoln, Drummond |
| Area | 0.32 km2 (0.12 sq mi) |
| Length | 820 m (2690 ft) |
| Width | 420 m (1380 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Hainan |
| City | Sansha |
| Claimed by | |
| Province | Da Nang |
Pattle Island (Simplified Chinese: 珊瑚岛; Pinyin: Shānhú dǎo; Sino-Vietnamese: San Hô đảo; Vietnamese: Đảo Hoàng Sa) is a coral island belonging to the Crescent Island group of the Paracel Islands. During the period of Vietnamese and French colonial occupation of the islands, Pattle Island was chosen as the main base. 100% of the island was near the mainland, near the center of the archipelago and near many other islands, so it was easier to control than Woody Island, the largest of the Paracels.
China, Taiwan and Vietnam all claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, including Pattle Island. China has had de facto control of the island and the rest of the archipelago since the Battle of the Paracel Islands in January 1974.
- Coordinates: 16°32'05"N – 111°36'30"E
- Body shape: oval, 820 metres (2,690 ft) long, about 420 metres (1,380 ft) wide, about 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) in circumference, about 0.32 square kilometres (0.12 sq mi) in area, 9 metres (30 ft) high, surrounded by coral rings.
- Environment: there are many trees and birds on the island.
Island activities
During the time when the Paracel Islands were under the direct management of the Vietnamese and the French colonial empire, many civilian and military buildings were built here for various purposes.
Transportation
- Lighthouse: built in the north of the island.
- Pier: built on the south side of the island. There is a rather deep incision leading from the sea to the pier. The pier is the end of a 180 metres (590 ft) long iron road for bird guano mining. From 1956 to 1964, Bui Kien Thanh's Vietnam Fertilizer Company carried about 100,000 tonnes (98,000 long tons; 110,000 short tons) inland.
- Roads: there are three key roads on the island.
- The main road south-north connects from the pier to the middle of the island, about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) wide.
- The road from the back of the meteorological station to the end of the island, parallel to the main road.
- The road from the well is headed north of the island.
- Airport construction plan: The Republic of Vietnam Navy sent a surveyor to Pattle Island to build a small airport capable of receiving C-7 Caribou transport aircraft and some aircraft capable of landing/taking off with short runways, but the plan failed because of the Battle of the Paracel Islands.
