Definition of "Dongsha"
Dongsha
proper noun
Quotations
Several groups of tiny islands in the South China Sea—including the Dongsha (Pratas) and Sisha (Paracels) groups—have been placed under Guangdong's provincial jurisdiction, but are the subject of claims by other countries. Long considered insignificant, they have become a matter of serious contention because of the probability of offshore oil deposits in the area.
1979, Frederic M. Kaplan, Julian M. Sobin, Stephen Andors, Encyclopedia of China Today, Eurasia Press, page 19
In addition, the ROC maintains a historical claim to four groups of islands scattered over a vast area in the South China Sea that is surrounded by rich fishing grounds and gas and oil deposits. These are the Dongsha (Pratas) Islands 東沙群島, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands 南沙群島, the Xisha (Paracel) Islands 西沙群島, and the Zhongsha Islands (Macclesfield Bank) 中沙群島. Currently, the ROC's effective jurisdiction includes the Dongsha Islands, where a national park was established in 2007, as well as Taiping Island 太平島 and Zhongzhou Reef 中洲礁 of the Nansha Islands.The Dongsha Islands are located 444 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung and comprise Dongsha Island 東沙島—a coral atoll with an area of 2.38 square kilometers—and two coral reefs. In addition to being a source of fish and minerals, the islands are used as a coast guard outpost. A hospital, a power station, a satellite tracking facility and a runway have also been built on Dongsha Island.. .In keeping with the ROC's peaceful intentions, the Dongsha Islands, Taiping Island and Zhongzhou Reef have been transferred from military to civilian control. In 2000, responsibility for defending these islands passed from the Ministry of National Defense to the Coast Guard Administration, while the administration of the islands has been given to the Kaohsiung City government.
2011, “Geography”, in The Republic of China Yearbook 2011, New Taipei: Government Information Office, pages 24–25