The largest island in the South China Sea.

The largest island in the South China Sea is Meiji Island.

meiji island is located in the central and eastern waters of Nansha islands in the south China sea of China. it is an artificial island built by reclamation on an oval coral atoll. The top is entirely made of coral, with a total area of about 5.66 square kilometers. It is a rare large-scale natural shelter harbor in Nansha, with high strategic value.

meiji island is located about 18 nautical miles (33.336 kilometers) southeast of the triangle reef, 9 degrees 54 minutes seconds north latitude and 115 degrees 32 minutes seconds east longitude. It is more than 7 nautical miles (14 kilometers up and down) to Chigua Reef Base in the west and 295 kilometers to Yongshu Island Base in the west. It is about 9 kilometers from east to west and 6 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of about 56.6 square kilometers.

topographical features

At low tide, the surrounding reefs are 6 feet (182.88 cm) above the water surface, about 1 km away from the reef plate, with a water depth of over 1, meters and a reef area of 1 square kilometers. The lagoon in the atoll covers an area of about 36 square kilometers and the water depth is 2-3 meters. There are three reef gates in the south and southwest, and the Nanmen West Waterway is 37 meters wide, 275 meters long and more than 18 meters deep, through which large ships can enter the lagoon at high tide.

The lagoon in mischief reef is about 25 meters deep, which is deeper than the lagoon in the center of Diego Garcia, so it is more suitable for short-term berthing of giant ships and large warships. According to the memories of the expedition team members who participated in the first expedition, there was no wind and three feet of waves around mischief reef, and the highest wave reached more than 2 meters. However, there was only one meter of waves on the water surface of the lagoon, which was very calm, and it was a large natural shelter from the wind.

above content reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Meiji Island