science

Tennent Reef

Tennent Reef is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tennent Reef rather than just read about it. In short: Tennent Reef, also known as Pigeon Reef, (Filipino: Bahura ng Lopez-Jaena); Tiên Nữ Reef (Vietnamese: Đá Tiên Nữ, lit. 'Fairy Rock or Andromeda Rock'); Mandarin Chinese: 无乜礁; pinyin: Wúmiē jiāo, is an atoll on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The atoll has been occupied by Vietnam since 1988.

Key takeaways

Tennent Reef belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tennent Reef to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tennent Reef from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tennent Reef, also known as Pigeon Reef, (Filipino: Bahura ng Lopez-Jaena); Tiên Nữ Reef (Vietnamese: Đá Tiên Nữ, lit. 'Fairy Rock or Andromeda Rock'); Mandarin Chinese: 无乜礁; pinyin: Wúmiē jiāo, is an atoll on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The atoll has been occupied by Vietnam since 1988. It is also claimed by China (PRC), the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan (ROC).

Characteristics

Geography Tennent Reef is the easternmost entity among the geographical features controlled by Vietnam in the Spratly Islands. It is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of the Union Banks, 162 nautical miles (300 km; 186 mi) east of Spratly Island, and 27 nautical miles (50 km; 31 mi) east-northeast of the nearest entity managed by Vietnam, Cornwallis South Reef. Tennent Reef has a triangular shape, with its three sides measuring approximately 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi), 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi), and 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi). When the tide recedes to 0.1 metres (3.9 in), the entire outer edge of the coral emerges above the sea surface. The total area of this atoll is around 15.56 square kilometres (6.01 sq mi), including a lagoon covering 5.93 square kilometres (2.29 sq mi). The easternmost point of Tennent Reef is located at 8°52′31″N 114°41′01″E. And this is also the easternmost maritime point of Vietnam.

Island belong Tien Nu A Island (before 2021, it was called Tien Nu Islet): 8°51′00″N 114°38′20″E, located at the western part of Tennent Reef. Including a permanent building and a multi-functional cultural house. This islet began its expansion through land reclamation in April 2024, reaching an area of approximately 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) and transforming into an island. Tien Nu B Island: 8°51′13.9″N 114°39′50.9″E, located at the eastern part of Tennent Reef. This island has been undergoing land reclamation since December 2021. As of now, it covers an area of approximately 55 hectares (140 acres). Vietnam has the potential to construct a runway on this island.

Lighthouse In 2000, Vietnam built a lighthouse on the eastern side of Tennent Reef, geographic coordinates: 8°52′16.1″N 114°40′50.8″E. The tower stands over 22 metres (72 ft) tall and is entirely painted lemon yellow. Its base consists of a three-story building, located 5.2 kilometres (3.2 mi) from Tien Nu A Island, where the Vietnamese Navy maintains a garrison. The lighthouse emits a flashing light with a characteristic 2+1 group pattern, following a 10-second cycle. Its effective range is 14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi) during the day and 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) at night.

History In late 1987 and early 1988, the Vietnam People's Navy planned to deploy forces to occupy Tennent Reef, Discovery Great Reef, West London Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef. However, China moved ahead and seized Fiery Cross Reef on January 26, 1988. On January 25, 1988, the HQ-613 vessel from Vietnam's Naval Region 4 transported Brigade 146 and Engineer Regiment 83 to Tien Nu Islet (today, it is called Tien Nu A Island), where they built stilt houses and organized island defense. By February 6, 1988, the stationed forces had completed level-3 housing and continued to hold their position on the island. On 13 October 1999, a Philippine aircraft flying too low to observe a three-story infrastructure on the Tennent Reef were fired upon by Vietnamese gunners stationed at the garrison, the aircraft returned safely. Two weeks later, the Philippine government protested the incident, while the Vietnamese government told that their soldiers only fired warning shots as the aircraft was flying too close for comfort.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tennent Reef

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tennent Reef claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tennent Reef before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tennent Reef ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tennent Reef

In research: Tennent Reef appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tennent Reef in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tennent Reef is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Asia geography stubs, Atolls of Vietnam, Atolls of the Spratly Islands, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tennent Reef outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tennent Reef in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tennent Reef means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tennent Reef out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tennent Reef in simple terms?

Why does Tennent Reef matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tennent Reef?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tennent Reef.