Lawak Island

Nanshan Island, also known as Lawak Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Lawak, lit. 'Island of Vastness'; Mandarin Chinese: 馬歡島/马欢岛; pinyin: Mǎhuān Dǎo; Vietnamese: Đảo Vĩnh Viễn), is the eighth largest natural island of the Spratly Islands, and the fourth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands (none of the Philippine-occupied islands have any significant amount of reclaimed land). It has an area of 7.93 hectares (19.6 acres). It is located 98 miles (158 km) east of Thitu Island (Pag-asa). On April 5, 2024, the island is administered by the Kalayaan Island Group, Philippines as a part of Kalayaan, Palawan by virtue of the Memorandum of Agreement signed by Governor Victorino Dennis M. Socrates, Chairman, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff in partnership with United States Agency for International Development through its “Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Ocean, and Landscapes (Sibol)” project. In September 2022, the PCSD declared it as a critical habitat.