Thitu Island

Philippines , Philippines

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Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa Island, is the second-largest naturally occurring island in the Spratly Islands chain within the disputed South China Sea, covering 37.2 hectares with low-lying terrain, trees, shrubs, sandy beaches, and surrounding coral reefs dotted by shipwrecks.

Located about 500 km west of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Philippines—near North Danger Reef to the north, Subi Reef to the southwest (24-27 km away with a Chinese military base), and Loaita and Tizard Banks to the south—it serves as the administrative center (poblacion) of Kalayaan municipality, overseeing nearby islets and reefs.

Administered by the Philippines since 1971 with civilian settlement starting in the mid-1990s, it supports around 250-400 Filipino residents including a fishing village, school, Rancudo Airfield, large harbor, lighthouse, and recently a new coast guard base to assert sovereignty amid territorial claims by China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Malaysia.