te: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several
claimant states

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands

Data code: PG

Economy

Economy--overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial
fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary
basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the
region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of
potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

Transportation

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 4 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Military

Military--note: Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small
islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by
China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia
and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive
fishing zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly
Islands, but has not publicly claimed the island

======================================================================

@Sri Lanka
---------

Geography

Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of
India

Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 65,610 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
water: 870 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,340 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March);
southwest monsoon (June to October)

Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems,
phosphates, clay

Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 15%
permanent pastures: 7%