Paracel Islands
Paracel Islands is the name for a number of uninhabited atolls and reefs in the South China Sea. They are about 330 kilometres (210 mi) from Hainan and about 400 kilometres (250 mi) from Vietnam. Currently, many countries claim these territories as their own, and most of the land remains uninhabited. However, a small number of people can be found living there, mostly marines from Vietnam and other nations.
| Disputed islands | |
|---|---|
| |
| Paracel Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 16°30′N 112°00′E / 16.500°N 112.000°E |
| Total islands | >30 |
| Major islands | Rocky Island, Tree Island, Woody Island |
| Area | 15,000 km² (ocean surface) |
| Coastline | 518 kilometres (322 mi) |
| Highest point | on Rocky Island 14 metres (46 ft) |
| Administered by | |
 People's Republic of China
| |
| Province | Hainan |
| Claimed by | |
 Viet Nam
| |
| Prefecture-level city | Da Nang |
 Republic of China
| |
| Municipality | Kaohsiung |
| Paracel Islands | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 西沙群島 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 西沙群岛 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||
| Vietnamese | Quần đảo Hoàng Sa | ||||||||||
| Hán-Nôm | 群島黃沙 | ||||||||||
The islands are located in the South China Sea consisting of over 30 islets, sandbanks and reefs with about 15,000 square kilometres (5,800 sq mi) of the ocean surface. The archipelago is approximately equidistant from the coastlines of Vietnam and China, 180 nautical miles (330 km; 210 mi) southeast of Hainan Island, and about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines. Turtles live on the islands, and seabirds have left nests and guano deposits, but there are no permanent human residents except military personnel and fishermen.[1]
The islands are divided into two main groups. The Amphitrite group is in the northeast and the Crescent group is in the southwest, and they are located about 70 km (43 mi) from one another. Subject to hot and humid climate, with abundant rainfall and frequent typhoons, the archipelago is surrounded by productive fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves.
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