New satellite imagery of remote islands in the South China Sea shows several Chinese island-building projects are finished. In five of seven island projects, attention has turned to the next phase: building bases with potential military uses on the islands. — washingtonpost.com
Taking a cue from the Gulf states, China has been engaged in a massive island-building project in the South China Sea. New images from the Washington Post show the staggering progress that is being made, with the first buildings cropping up. While relatively small, the South China Sea is one of the most important shipping channels in the world – and may also hold a massive reserve of oil and gas deposits. Control of the waterway has become a source of increasing geopolitical tension in the region and internationally, with the United States and other countries asking China to cease island-building operations. But according to the Chinese, the artificial islands are a legal expression of their sovereignty.
While artificial islands may seem incredibly modern – if not downright sci-fi – there's evidence that humans have been doing it for some time now. The massive Aztec city of Tenochtitlan largely consisted of artificial islands, or chinamitl, surrounding a smaller natural island in Lake Texcoco. Ellis Island is largely reclaimed land, as is Dejima, an island outside of Nagasaki that served as a trading post for European merchants. In any case, artificial islands are a good example of how humans collectively constitute a geologic force.
Check out more pictures here.
3 Comments
I have said it elsewhere, but really have to wonder how/if the Chinese are accounting for sea level rise/climate change through this process...
the irony is, they are causing rising sea levels by building that fucking island...the more they build the higher the water is gonna rise...babel?
^ Nope, built from dredging the sea floor.
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