Macclesfield Bank
Macclesfield Bank is an inhabitable region of underwater reefs and shoals in South China Sea (see South China Sea Islands). It is claimed by the Republic of China, the People's Republic of China, and the Phillipines. It is called Central Sand Islands (中沙群島 Pinyin: Zhongsha Qundao) in Chinese. It is located immediately west of the Paracel Islands, distantly south of the Pratas Islands and north of the Spratly Islands.There are no military stations here, except some small satellite stations. It is rich in fishery but very difficult to navigate due to the shallowly submerged reefs.
The cluster close to the Paracels several large shoals:
- Carpenter Shaol (魯班暗灘)
- Oliver Shoal (立父暗沙)
- Bankok Shoal (本固暗沙)
- Siamese Shoal (西門暗沙)
- Cathy Shoal (華夏暗沙)
- Penguin Shoal (排洪灘)
- Balfour Shoal (伏洑暗沙 or 波洑暗沙)
- Pigmy Shoal (比微暗沙)
- Kngeria Shoal (隱磯灘)
- Howard Shoal (武勇暗沙)
- Philip's Shoal (樂西暗沙)
- Learmouth Shoal (濟猛暗沙)
- Plover Shoal (海鳩暗沙)
- Smith Shoal (美溪暗沙)
- Traro Shaol (特魯暗沙)
- Stewart Shoal (管事暗灘)
- Seaborough Shoal (南巖 or 黃岩島)
- Huangyan Seamount (黃岩海山)
- Shixing Seamount (石星海山)
- Xianbei Seamount (憲北海山)
- Xiannan Seamount (憲南海山)
- Zhangzhong Seamount (漲中海山)
- Zhenbei Seamount (珍貝海山
- Zhongnan Shaol (中南暗沙)
- Zhongnan Seamount (中南海山)
- Longnan Seamount (龍南海山)
- Changlong Seamount (長龍海山)