View source for Gaven Reefs

{{Short description|Reefs in the South China Sea}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=geo|ガベン礁|date=May 2015}}
{{Expand Vietnamese|topic=geo|Ga Ven|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox islands
| disputed                   = yes
| name                       = Gaven Reefs
| type                       = reef
| other_names                = <br>南薰礁 Nánxūn Jiāo ''(Chinese)''<br>西南礁 Xīnán Jiāo ''(Chinese)''<br>Burgos Reefs ''(Philippine English)''<br>Mga Bahura ng Burgos ''(Filipino)''<br>Đá Ga Ven ''(Vietnamese)''<br>Đá Lạc ''(Vietnamese)''
| image_name                 = Gaven Reefs.png
| image_caption              = Gaven Reefs
| pushpin_map                = Spratly Islands relief
| location                   = [[South China Sea]]
| coordinates                = {{coord|10|12|30|N|114|13|30|E|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago                = [[Spratly Islands]]
| country                    = {{CHN}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[Provinces of China|Province]]
| country_admin_divisions    = [[Hainan]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[List of cities in China|City]]
| country_admin_divisions_1  = [[Sansha]]
| country1                   = {{CHN}}
| country2                   = {{PHI}}
| country3                   = {{TWN}}
| country4                   = {{VNM}}
}}

The '''Gaven Reefs''', also known as the '''Burgos Reefs''' ({{langx|fil|Mga Bahura ng Burgos|lit=Reefs of [[José Burgos|Burgos]]}}), is a group of two [[reef]]s in the [[Tizard Bank]] of the [[Spratly Islands]] in the [[South China Sea]]. The two individual reefs are known as {{zh|t=|s=|p=Nánxūn Jiāo|c=南薰礁|labels=no}} and {{zh|t=|s=|p=Xīnán Jiāo|c=西南礁|labels=no}} in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], and {{langx|vi|Đá Ga Ven|label=none}} and {{langx|vi|Đá Lạc|label=none}} in [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]).

They are occupied and controlled by [[China]] (PRC) as part of [[Sansha]], and claimed by [[Taiwan]] (ROC), the [[Philippines]] and [[Vietnam]]. They have a supply platform and a reef fortress.

The northern reef (Nánxūn Jiāo) comprises {{convert|86|ha|abbr=off}} and its highest point is {{convert|1.9|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea level. The southern reef (Xīnán Jiāo) comprises {{convert|67|ha|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Qu9fi-luTYC|title=A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys Amongst Those Islands, Volume 1|author=D. J. Hancox, John Robert Victor Prescott|publisher=IBRU|year=1995|access-date= 2012-07-25}}</ref> Since 2014, north reef has been subject to significant reclamation activities.<ref name=reclamation/>

==Geographical features==
On 12 July 2016, the tribunal of the [[Permanent Court of Arbitration]] concluded that for purposes of Article 121(3) of the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea|Convention]], the high-tide features at Gaven Reef (North) are rocks that cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own and accordingly shall be entitled to 12 nm of territorial sea measured from its baseline but have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.<ref name=PCA20130712>{{cite web |title=Award |date=12 July 2016 |publisher=Permanent Court of Arbitration |url=https://pca-cpa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/175/2016/07/PH-CN-20160712-Award.pdf |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129031833/https://pca-cpa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/175/2016/07/PH-CN-20160712-Award.pdf |archive-date=29 January 2019 |url-status=dead }} p.259</ref> PCA also concluded that the features at Gaven Reef (South) are, or in their natural condition were, exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide and are, accordingly low-tide elevations that do not generate entitlement to a territorial sea, exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.<ref name=PCA20130712/>

==Military development==

The supply platform at the reef has [[anti-aircraft gun]]s, [[naval gun]]s, [[search radar]]s and radio communications equipment,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=689184&publicationSubCategoryId=63 |title=China builds more Spratly outposts |author=DJ Sta. Ana, News5 |date=2011-05-24 |access-date=2012-07-25 |work=[[The Philippine Star]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605060231/http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=689184&publicationSubCategoryId=63 |archive-date=2016-06-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and reclamation work during 2014–15 expanded its area to {{convert|0.136|km2}}.<ref name=reclamation>{{cite web | url=http://amti.csis.org/gaven-reefs/ | title=Gaven reef tracker| publisher=[[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] | access-date=13 July 2017}}</ref>

In late 2016, photographs emerged which suggested that Hughes Reef has been armed with anti-aircraft weapons and a [[CIWS]] missile-defence system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://amti.csis.org/chinas-new-spratly-island-defenses/|title=China’s New Spratly Island Defenses|publisher=[[Center for Strategic and International Studies]]|date=2016-12-13|access-date=2016-12-17}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Great wall of sand]]
* [[Nine-dotted line]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://amti.csis.org/gaven-reefs/ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker]

{{Spratly Islands topics}}
{{South China Sea}}

[[Category:Reefs of the Spratly Islands]]
[[Category:Reefs of the South China Sea]]
[[Category:Reefs of China]]
[[Category:Reefs of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Reefs of Vietnam]]
[[Category:Tizard Bank]]
[[Category:Landforms of Khánh Hòa province]]
[[Category:Artificial islands of Asia]]
[[Category:Disputed reefs]]

{{Asia-geo-stub}}