SCARBOROUGH SHOAL – GEOGRAPHY

News: Manila accuses Beijing of placing floating barrier in South China Sea

 

What's in the news?

       The Philippines on Sunday accused China’s coast guard of installing a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Scarborough Shoal:

       Scarborough Shoal is located in the eastern part of the South China Sea.

       It is uninhabited and shaped like an atoll consisting mainly of rocks and barely consists of any land except for very small islands.

       It is located at about 220 kilometers from the Philippines and is located inside the Exclusive Economic zone of the Philippines.

       Its location is much closer to the Philippines’ shore as compared to China's shore.

       It is also referred to as ‘Bajo de Masingloc’ and ‘Panatag’ by the Philippines and ‘Huangyan Island’ by China.

       The present name Scarborough was given after an East India company’s ship named ‘Scarborough’ got grounded on one of the rocks in the atoll.

 

Further Reference - South China Sea