Macclesfield Bank

Macclesfield Bank or Zhongsha Islands (Chinese 中沙群島 Pinyin: Zhongsha Qundao; Vietnamese: Quần đảo Trung Sa, literally Central Sand Islands) is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in South China Sea and part of the disputed South China Sea Islands, centered around 16°00′N, 114°30′E, east of the Paracel Islands. Its length exceeds 130 km southwest-northeast, with a maximal width of more than 70 km. With an area of 6448 km² within the outer rim of the reef[1], although completely submerged without any emergent cays or islets, it is one of the largest atolls of the world.

The broken coral reef rim of Macclesfield Bank, with a width of up to 8 km, has depths of 11.8 m at Pygmy Shoal on the northeast end of the bank and depths of 11.6 to 18 m elsewhere. Within the lagoon, Walker Shoal marks the least known depth of 9.2 meters. In general, the central lagoon is very deep, with depths up to 100 meters [2].

Macclesfield Bank is claimed by the People's Republic of China and Republic of China (Taiwan). It is located east of the Paracel Islands, distantly southwest of the Pratas Islands and north of the Spratly Islands.

There are no military stations there. It is a rich fishing ground and difficult to navigate due to the shallow submerged reefs.

The elongated atoll consists of:

South China Sea with Macclesfield Bank English
Name Romanized
Name Chinese
Name CoordinatesSiamese Shoal Simen Ansha 西門暗沙 15°58′N, 114°03′EBankok Shoal Bengu Ansha 本固暗沙 16°00′N, 114°06′EMagpie Shoal Meibin Ansha 美濱暗沙 16°03′N, 114°13′ECarpenter Shoal Luban Ansha 魯班暗沙 16°04′N, 114°18′EOliver Shoal Lifu Ansha 立夫暗沙 15°57′N, 115°24′EPigmy (Pygmy) Shoal Biwei Ansha 比微暗沙 16°13′N, 114°44′EEngeria (Egeria) Bank Yinji Ansha 隱磯灘 16°03′N, 114°56′EHoward Shoal Wuyong Ansha 武勇暗沙 15°52′N, 114°47′ELearmonth Shoal Jimeng Ansha 濟猛暗沙 15°42′N, 114°41′EPlover Shoal Haijiou Ansha 海鳩暗沙 15°36′N, 114°28′EAddington Patch Anding Lianjiau 安定連礁 15°37′N, 114°24′ESmith Shoal Meisi Ansha 美溪暗沙 15°27′N, 114°12′EBassett Shoal Bude Ansha 布德暗沙 15°27′N, 114°10′EBalfour Shoal Pofu Ansha 波洑暗沙 or
伏洑暗沙 15°27′N, 114°00′EParry Shoal Paipo Ansha 排波暗沙 15°29′N, 113°51′ECawston Shoal Guodian Ansha 果淀暗沙 15°32′N, 113°46′EPenguin Bank Paihong Ansha 排洪灘 15°38′N, 113°43′ETanered Shoal Taojing Ansha 濤靜暗沙 15°41′N, 113°54′ECombe Shoal Kongpai Ansha 控湃暗沙 15°48′N, 113°54′ECathy (Cathay) Shoal Huasia Ansha 華夏暗沙 15°54′N, 113°58′EHardy Patches Shihtanglian Lianjiau 石塘連礁 16°02′N, 114°46′EHand Shoal Jhihjhang Ansha 指掌暗沙 16°00′N, 114°39′EMargesson Shoal Nanfei Ansha 南扉暗沙 15°55′N, 114°38′EWalker Shoal Manbu Ansha 漫步暗沙 15°55′N, 114°29′EPhillip's Shoal Lesi Ansha 樂西暗沙 15°52′N, 114°25′EPayne Shoal Pingnan Ansha 屏南暗沙 15°52′N, 114°34′E

The Chinese term for the Macclesfield Bank has a wider meaning than the geographic feature or atoll; it includes some geographically separate features:

To the east, near the Philippines are

Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal), (Nanyan Dao, Huangyan Dao), 南巖島, 黃岩島, 15°11′N, 117°46′E), is occupied by the Philippines
Truro Shoal (Sianfa Ansha, Shianfa Ansha, 特魯暗沙, 16°20′N, 116°44′E)

Far to the north is