Swallow Reef

Swallow Reef
Disputed atoll;
	Satellite image of Swallow Reef by NASA.
	Swallow Reef
Other names	; Pulau Layang-Layang (Malay); Đá Hoa Lau (Vietnamese) ; 彈丸礁, 燕子島, 拉央拉央岛 (Chinese); Celerio Reef (Philippine English); Bahura ng Celerio (Filipino)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	7°22′20″N 113°50′30″E / 7.37222°N 113.84167°E
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Area	35 ha (86 acres)
Administration
	Malaysia
State	Sabah
Claimed by
	China
City	Sansha, Hainan
	Malaysia
State	Sabah
	Taiwan
Municipality	Cijin, Kaohsiung
	Vietnam
District	Truong Sa, Khanh Hoa
Additional information
	Malaysian population: 70; Malaysian postal code: 88005

Swallow Reef, also known as Malay: Pulau Layang-Layang; Vietnamese: Đá Hoa Lau; Mandarin Chinese: 燕子島; pinyin: Yànzi Dǎo; Celerio Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Celerio), is an oceanic atoll of the Spratly Islands administered by Malaysia, which is situated approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The atoll is about 7 km long and 2 km wide with a central lagoon. The part of the atoll above sea level is a reef on the south-east rim which had an original land area of approximately 6.2 hectares (15 acres), but with reclaimed land now covers 35 hectares (86 acres),^[3] measuring over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long and 200 m (656 ft) wide.^[4]

The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has maintained a presence on the reef since 1983, but as with all of the Spratly Islands, the ownership is disputed, and it is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam. The Philippines does not lay claim to Swallow Reef.^[5]

The island has gained recognition as a destination for scuba divers.^[6] Layang Layang is especially known for the hammerhead sharks during the May mating season.^[7] Its air transport needs are served by the Layang-Layang Airport.

^ "Layang Layang Atoll".
^ Cite error: The named reference MY postal code was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "WantChinaTimes(Taiwan)". Retrieved 16 March 2015.
^ "History of Station Lima at Swallow Reef (Terumbu Layang-Layang)". Konflikdanmiliter. Blogspot. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^ The Philippines does not lay claim to Swallow Reef; it is outside of the Kalayaan Island Group which was defined by Presidential Decree No. 1596 signed by Ferdinand Marcos - "Philippine Presidential Decree No. 1596" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
^ Musa, Ghazali (October 2006). "Layang Layang: An Empirical Study on Scuba Divers' Satisfaction". ResearchGate.
^ "Scuba Diving in Layang Layang". DiveGlobal.

[1] "Layang Layang Atoll".

[MY_postal_code-2] Cite error: The named reference MY postal code was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "WantChinaTimes(Taiwan)". Retrieved 16 March 2015.

[Konflikdanmiliter-4] "History of Station Lima at Swallow Reef (Terumbu Layang-Layang)". Konflikdanmiliter. Blogspot. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2015.

[5] The Philippines does not lay claim to Swallow Reef; it is outside of the Kalayaan Island Group which was defined by Presidential Decree No. 1596 signed by Ferdinand Marcos - "Philippine Presidential Decree No. 1596" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2012.

[recognition-6] Musa, Ghazali (October 2006). "Layang Layang: An Empirical Study on Scuba Divers' Satisfaction". ResearchGate.

[LayangLayang-7] "Scuba Diving in Layang Layang". DiveGlobal.

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