Why in news
China said on Saturday a small civilian vessel from the Philippines had “illegally placed itself on the beach” of an atoll in the South China Sea that both countries claim.
The vessel, which landed on the Spratly Islands atoll on Friday, was there for supply purposes, the China Coast Guard posted on the Weixin platform
What is Atoll?
An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of closely spaced small coral islands, enclosing or nearly enclosing a shallow lagoon.
They are formed through the growth of coral reefs around submerged volcanic islands or seamounts.
As the volcano slowly subsides, the reef continues to grow upwards towards the water's surface, eventually forming a ring-shaped island with a lagoon in the center.
Spratly Islands location
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