Swallow Reef
Swallow Reef, also known as Malay: Pulau Layang-Layang; Vietnamese: Đá Hoa Lau; Mandarin Chinese: 燕子島; pinyin: Yànzi Dǎo; Celerio Reef (Tagalog: 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), measuring over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long and 200 m (656 ft) wide.
| 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 |
| Archipelago | Spratly Islands |
| Area | 35 ha (86 acres) |
| Administration | |
| State | Sabah |
| Claimed by | |
| City | Sansha, Hainan |
| State | Sabah |
| Municipality | Cijin, Kaohsiung |
| District | Truong Sa, Khanh Hoa |
| Additional information | |
| Malaysian population: 70 Malaysian postal code: 88005 | |
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.
The island has gained recognition as a destination for scuba divers. Layang Layang is especially known for the hammerhead sharks during the May mating season. Its air transport needs are served by the Layang-Layang Airport.