The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied all the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. China built a military installation on Woody Island with an airfield and artificial harbor. The islands also are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines
16 30 N, 112 00 E
Southeast Asia
total: 7.75 sq kmca.
land: 7.75 sq kmca.
water: 0 sq km
country comparison to the world: 244
land area is about 13 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC
0 km
518 km
NA
tropical
mostly low and flat
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m
none
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.)
arable land: 0% (2011 est.)/permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.)/permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.)
forest: 0% (2011 est.)
other: 100% (2011 est.)
0 sq km (2012)
a population of over 1,000 Chinese resides on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracels; there are scattered Chinese garrisons on some other islands
typhoons
China's use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands harms reef systems; ongoing human activities, including military operations, infrastructure construction, and tourism endangers local ecosystem including birds, fish, marine mammals, and marine reptiles
composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group
1,440 (2014 est.)
note: Chinese activity has increased in recent years, particularly on Woody Island, where the population exceeds 1,000; there are scattered Chinese garrisons on some other islands
country comparison to the world: 234
a population of over 1,000 Chinese resides on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracels; there are scattered Chinese garrisons on some other islands
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands
etymology: Portuguese navigators began to refer to the "Ilhas do Pracel" in the 16th century as a designation of low lying islets, sandbanks, and reefs scattered over a wide area; over time the name changed to "parcel" and then "paracel"
The islands have the potential for oil and gas development. Waters around the islands support commercial fishing, but the islands themselves are not populated on a permanent basis.
occupied by China
1 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 233
total: 1 (2017)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2017)
small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island
occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam