Sansha - Smallest City in China at once the widest

In July 2012, China announced a new city called Sansha prefecture-level central government which lies in the so-called Yongxing Island, in the South China Sea, approximately 350 kilometers southeast of Hainan Island. Yongxing Island, known on the international map as Woody Island, is so small that the runway along the 2,700 meters of the Chinese military was built and completed in 1990, sticking almost half its length into the sea.

As quoted from versesofuniverse.blogspot.com, Sansha Government manages several groups of islands and atolls, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands (Woody Island is the largest), Macclesfield Bank were completely under water and the surrounding sea are really spacious , Sansha means "three sandbanks" in Mandarin and refers to the three groups of islands and atolls. Sansha total land area of ​​less than 13 square kilometers, but the territorial waters claimed by the city covering nearly 2 million square kilometers. This makes the city of Sansha became the smallest and the largest city in China - the smallest in land area and population, but the largest in total area.

The islands in the South China Sea contested by some countries - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and China. Paracel islands are claimed by Vietnam, but is now fully controlled by China. Spratly group also claimed in whole or in part by Vietnam, which occupies the largest number of islands, as well as by Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Macclesfield Bank, an area that is completely submerged atoll but rich in marine products in east Paracel also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

By establishing Sansha city in the disputed region which is rich in marine resources in the South China Sea, China is basically asserts its right to be islands, and also his right to fish and large oil reserves are believed to be in the seabed. This area is also very significant in terms of geopolitics, into waterways second most widely used in the world. One third of the world's shipping transiting through these waters.

Since the announcement of Sansha, Wood Island development has been running very fast, though Vietnam and the Philippines continue to voice their protest. Philippines says does not recognize the city or jurisdiction, and Vietnam said China's actions violated international law. The US government also voiced its concern by stating, "we are concerned, if there is such a unilateral move that seems to be problematic."

Living facilities on Woody Island has been built with official building, bank, library, an observatory, hotels, hospitals and other important buildings. The city also recently started to attract tourists, and for the purpose it was built two museums. Other tourist attractions include some of the monuments and towers left by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

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