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 they are under the control of the People's Republic of China, but Taiwan and Vietnam also claim them. The islands are uninhabited.[1]
| 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.[2]
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.
Paracel Islands Media
Location of the Paracel Islands showing the more significant PRC settlements
Aerial photo of the Crescent group
Paracel Islands as shown in Zheng He Voyage Map (suggested by some to be the islands to the left at the bottom)
Harbor developments between the Duncan Islands (December 2012)
Atlas produced by Belgian geographer Philippe Vandermaelen (1795-1869), published in 1827 in Belgium, showing Paracel Islands is a part of Vietnam
Letter from South Vietnam's General Staff of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, dated 02-18-74, concerning the Battle of the Paracel Islands
Money Island (Paracel Islands) photographed by ESA's Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-04
Pattle Island, Paracel Islands. Photo number: ISS004-E-7150. Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center
Robert Island, Paracel Islands. Photo number: ISS004-E-7150. Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center
_2023-04-04.jpg)
Related pages
References
- ↑ "Paracel Islands" at CIA World Factbook Archived 2014-09-24 at the Wayback Machine; excerpt, "no indigenous inhabitants"; retrieved 2013-4-19.
- ↑ Paracel Islands Population - Demographics
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