Flat Island (Spratly)
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Flat Island or Patag Island (Tagalog: Patag; Chinese: 费信岛; pinyin: Feixin Dao; Vietnamese: Đảo Bình Nguyên) is the fourteenth largest and second smallest Spratly island. It is the sixth largest among the Philippine-occupied Spratly islands. It has an area of 0.57 hecatres (5,700 sq. m). It is about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Philippine-occupied Lawak Island (Nanshan Island). This island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan. Patag is the Tagalog word for flat.
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[edit] Environment
Patag Island is a low, flat, sandy cay, 240 by 90 m, and is subject to erosion. It changes its shape seasonally. The sand build up will depend largely on the direction of prevailing wind and waves. It takes the shape of an elongated one for some years now and a shape like that of a crescent moon for few years ago and it formed the shape of a letter "S" in the past. Like Panata Island (Lankiam Cay), it is also barren of any vegetation. No underground water source is found in the island. Presently, this island serves only as a military observation post for the Municipality of Kalayaan.
[edit] Philippine Occupation
This island is claimed by the China, Taiwan, Vietnam with the Philippines currently occupying it. It is guarded by soldiers stationed at nearby Lawak Island (Nanshan Island). Patag Island is too small and manning it 24 hours is a difficult task. Hence, soldiers at Lawak Island guard Panata afar by regularly "watching" it from a tall structure (to increase the horizon distance). Lawak soldiers also regularly visit Patag and most of the time it is manned by a soldier who take shed in a small structure built over the island (visible on the Google Map provided in the External Links).
[edit] See Also
- Spratly Islands
- Kalayaan, Palawan
- Policies, activities and history of the Philippines in Spratly Islands
