Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – As the 21st century is considered an era of sea and ocean,many countries, including Vietnam, have paid heed to developing the sea-based economyand exploiting sea resources and spaces to promote their socio-economic growthwhile working to safeguard sovereignty and sovereign rights over sea andislands.
Vietnamhas over 3,260 kilometres of coastline. The country’s exclusive economic zonecovers about one million square kilometers, which is three times larger than itsmainland area.
Onaverage, each square kilometer of mainland goes with approximately 4 squarekilometers of territorial sea, and every 100 square kilometers of mainland has onekilometer of coastline.
Coastallocalities across the country have a combined area of 208,560 squarekilometers, accounting for 51 percent of the country’s total area, and apopulation of more than 40 million, half of the country’s total.
Vietnamalso has more than 3,000 islands and islets, mostly in the Northwest of theTonkin Gulf, some lying near the coast of the central and south central regions,and two offshore archipelagos, which are Hoang Sa (Paracel) in the central cityof Da Nang, and Truong Sa (Spratly) in the south central province of Khanh Hoa.
Accordingto the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the total area of localitiesbordering the sea is about 6 million hectares, including more than 2 millionhectares of farming land and about 1.8 hectares of forests.
Thereare about 250,000 hectares of mangrove forests spanning in the southern and northerncoast and few are found to grow in the central region. A total area of 40,000hectares of lagoon area spans central areas from Thua Thien - Hue to Binh Thuan,which is a good environment for aquaculture to thrive.
Alongside,there are about 290,000 hectares of tidal flat and tens of thousands ofhectares of sand area along the central coasts.
Vietnam’ssea surface is from the coast of the northern district of Mong Cai to southernmostHa Tien province while underground water in coastal areas and islands is plentiful,estimated to provide 14 million cubic meters per day.
Especially,oil reserves in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone have beenevaluated to be abundant, having about 4 billion cubic meters of equivalent oil(as of the end of 2010).
Natural minerals in coastal areas as well as on islands have been valued asmore than 300 mines and ore containing places, including 59 titan mines andplaces, have been discovered so far.
Statisticsshow that Vietnam has over 600 million tonnes of ilmenit titan ore, along with13 mines of crystal sand with a reserve of over 144 million cubic meters. The coastalregion also boasts a rich resource of minerals that are used to make constructionmaterials, including limestone and rocks.
Upto 11,000 species of animals and plants have been found in more than 20 typicalecosystems in six different waters regions across the country. Among thespecies, about 6,000 species live in the seabed, and there are over 2,000species of fish, 653 species of seaweeds and 657 species of zooplankton and 537species of phytoplankton.
Thereare also 94 mangrove plants, 225 species of sea shrimp, 14 species of sea grass,15 species of sea snakes, 12 species of sea animals and five species of turtle.
Coralreefs and seaweeds as well as other resources with high value have also beenexploited in service of the socio-economic development of the coastal andisland localities.
Inaddition to that, many other sea-related resources, including seaports, windpower, solar and tidal power, have also been explored to serve people’s life.
Generally,the quality of water in coastal localities, estuary and offshore is good, meetingthe socio-economic development requirements. Typical ecosystems, includingislands, sand dunes, estuaries, mangrove forests and lagoons, have contributed tothe diversity of Vietnam’s sea, making the country one of the biodiversity hubsof the world.-VNA
Vietnamhas over 3,260 kilometres of coastline. The country’s exclusive economic zonecovers about one million square kilometers, which is three times larger than itsmainland area.
Onaverage, each square kilometer of mainland goes with approximately 4 squarekilometers of territorial sea, and every 100 square kilometers of mainland has onekilometer of coastline.
Coastallocalities across the country have a combined area of 208,560 squarekilometers, accounting for 51 percent of the country’s total area, and apopulation of more than 40 million, half of the country’s total.
Vietnamalso has more than 3,000 islands and islets, mostly in the Northwest of theTonkin Gulf, some lying near the coast of the central and south central regions,and two offshore archipelagos, which are Hoang Sa (Paracel) in the central cityof Da Nang, and Truong Sa (Spratly) in the south central province of Khanh Hoa.
Accordingto the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the total area of localitiesbordering the sea is about 6 million hectares, including more than 2 millionhectares of farming land and about 1.8 hectares of forests.
Thereare about 250,000 hectares of mangrove forests spanning in the southern and northerncoast and few are found to grow in the central region. A total area of 40,000hectares of lagoon area spans central areas from Thua Thien - Hue to Binh Thuan,which is a good environment for aquaculture to thrive.
Alongside,there are about 290,000 hectares of tidal flat and tens of thousands ofhectares of sand area along the central coasts.
Vietnam’ssea surface is from the coast of the northern district of Mong Cai to southernmostHa Tien province while underground water in coastal areas and islands is plentiful,estimated to provide 14 million cubic meters per day.
Especially,oil reserves in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone have beenevaluated to be abundant, having about 4 billion cubic meters of equivalent oil(as of the end of 2010).
Natural minerals in coastal areas as well as on islands have been valued asmore than 300 mines and ore containing places, including 59 titan mines andplaces, have been discovered so far.
Statisticsshow that Vietnam has over 600 million tonnes of ilmenit titan ore, along with13 mines of crystal sand with a reserve of over 144 million cubic meters. The coastalregion also boasts a rich resource of minerals that are used to make constructionmaterials, including limestone and rocks.
Upto 11,000 species of animals and plants have been found in more than 20 typicalecosystems in six different waters regions across the country. Among thespecies, about 6,000 species live in the seabed, and there are over 2,000species of fish, 653 species of seaweeds and 657 species of zooplankton and 537species of phytoplankton.
Thereare also 94 mangrove plants, 225 species of sea shrimp, 14 species of sea grass,15 species of sea snakes, 12 species of sea animals and five species of turtle.
Coralreefs and seaweeds as well as other resources with high value have also beenexploited in service of the socio-economic development of the coastal andisland localities.
Inaddition to that, many other sea-related resources, including seaports, windpower, solar and tidal power, have also been explored to serve people’s life.
Generally,the quality of water in coastal localities, estuary and offshore is good, meetingthe socio-economic development requirements. Typical ecosystems, includingislands, sand dunes, estuaries, mangrove forests and lagoons, have contributed tothe diversity of Vietnam’s sea, making the country one of the biodiversity hubsof the world.-VNA
VNA
