Thitu Island

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Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Pag-asa, lit. 'Island of Hope'), Đảo Thị Tứ (Vietnamese: Đảo Thị Tứ), and Zhongye Island (Chinese: 中业岛/中業島; pinyin: Zhōngyè Dǎo), is the second largest of the naturally occurring islands in the Spratly Islands, having an area of 37.2 hectares (92 acres). It lies about 500 kilometers (310 mi) west of Puerto Princesa. Its neighbors are the North Danger Reef to the north, Subi Reef to the southwest, and the Loaita and Tizard Banks to the south. The island serves as the administrative center of the Kalayaan municipality of Palawan province in the Philippines; it also administers nearly a dozen other islets, cays, and reefs in the Spratlys. Thitu is 270 nautical miles (500 km; 310 mi) west of Palawan. In 1971, following a typhoon, the island was seized by the Philippines from Taiwan. In May 2020, a new sheltered port and harbor were built on the island, as well as a beaching ramp at the tip of the airstrip. In early 2023, the runway was paved in concrete. Civilian infrastructure on the island includes the airstrip, a lighthouse, a clinic, a communication tower, and a small integrated elementary and high school. Thitu is the largest of the Philippine-administered islands in the Spratlys. While most of the occupants of the Spratlys are military personnel or tourists, Thitu is the only one with a permanent civilian population. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam also claim the island.