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'Macclesfield Bank' or 'Zhongsha Islands' (Chinese 中沙群島 Pinyin: Zhongsha Qundao, literally ''Central Sand Islands'') is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in South China Sea and part of the disputed South China Sea Islands, centered around , east of the Paracel Islands. Its length exceeds 130 km southwest-northeast, with a maximal width of more than 70 km. With an area of 6448 km² within the outer rim of the reef[ftp://rock.geosociety.org/pub/reposit/2001/2001075.pdf], although completely submerged without any emergent cays or islets, it is one of the largest atolls of the world.
The broken coral reef rim of Macclesfield Bank, with a width of up to 8 km, has depths of 11.8 m at Pygmy Shoal on the northeast end of the bank and depths of 11.6 to 18 m elsewhere. Within the lagoon, Walker Shoal marks the least known depth of 9.2 meters. In general, the central lagoon is very deep, with depths up to 100 meters [ftp://rock.geosociety.org/pub/reposit/2001/2001075.pdf].
Macclesfield Bank is claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China, and Vietnam. It is located east of the Paracel Islands, distantly southwest of the Pratas Islands and north of the Spratly Islands.
There are no military stations there. It is a rich fishing ground and difficult to navigate due to the shallow submerged reefs.
The elongated atoll consists of:

English Name	Romanized Name	Chinese Name	Coordinates
Siamese Shoal	Simen Ansha	西門暗沙
Bankok Shoal	Bengu Ansha	本固暗沙
Magpie Shoal	Meibin Ansha	美濱暗沙
Carpenter Shoal	Luban Ansha	魯班暗沙
Oliver Shoal	Lifu Ansha	立夫暗沙
Pigmy (Pygmy) Shoal	Biwei Ansha	比微暗沙
Engeria (Egeria) Bank	Yinji Ansha	隱磯灘
Howard Shoal	Wuyong Ansha	武勇暗沙
Learmonth Shoal	Jimeng Ansha	濟猛暗沙
Plover Shoal	Haijiou Ansha	海鳩暗沙
Addington Patch	Anding Lianjiau	安定連礁
Smith Shoal	Meisi Ansha	美溪暗沙
Bassett Shoal	Bude Ansha	布德暗沙
Balfour Shoal	Pofu Ansha	波洑暗沙 or 伏洑暗沙
Parry Shoal	Paipo Ansha	排波暗沙
Cawston Shoal	Guodian Ansha	果淀暗沙
Penguin Bank	Paihong Ansha	排洪灘
Tanered Shoal	Taojing Ansha	濤靜暗沙
Combe Shoal	Kongpai Ansha	控湃暗沙
Cathy (Cathay) Shoal	Huasia Ansha	華夏暗沙
Hardy Patches	Shihtanglian Lianjiau	石塘連礁
Hand Shoal	Jhihjhang Ansha	指掌暗沙
Margesson Shoal	Nanfei Ansha	南扉暗沙
Walker Shoal	Manbu Ansha	漫步暗沙
Phillip's Shoal	Lesi Ansha	樂西暗沙
Payne Shoal	Pingnan Ansha	屏南暗沙

The Chinese term for the Macclesfield Bank has a wider meaning than the geographic feature or atoll; it includes some geographically separate features:
To the east, near the Philippines are

★ Scarborough Shoal (Nanyan Dao, Huangyan Dao, 南巖島, 黃岩島, ), occupied by the Philippines

★ Truro Shoal (Sianfa Ansha, Shianfa Ansha, 特魯暗沙, )
Far to the north is

★ Helen Shoal (Itung Ansha, Yitong Ansha, 一統暗沙, )

Contents

See also

External link

See also

★ South China Sea

★ South China Sea Islands

External link

★ ROC's page

★ Nautical Information

★ Taiwanese List

★ Chinese page with coordinates