Paracel Islands
Background
The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island. China has occupied all the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. China has built a military installation on Woody Island with an airfield and artificial harbor, and it has scattered garrisons on some of the other islands. Taiwan and Vietnam also claim the Paracel Islands.
Area
Coastline
518 km
Elevation
Geographic coordinates
Geography - note
composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Location
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
Map references
Southeast Asia
Natural hazards
typhoons
Natural resources
Terrain
mostly low and flat
Net migration rate
-0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Population distribution
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
Population growth rate
0.75% (2021 est.)
Population
- meta
- {"year":2024}
Climate
tropical
Environmental issues
harm to reef systems from China's use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands; damage to ecosystem from human activities, including military operations, infrastructure construction, and tourism
Land use
other: 100% (2018 est.)
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands
Airports
2 (2025)
Heliports
7 (2025)
Military - note
occupied by China, which is assessed to maintain 20 outposts or bases in the Paracels (Antelope, Bombay, and North reefs; Drummond, Duncan, Lincoln, Middle, Money, North, Pattle, Quanfu, Robert, South, Tree, Triton, Woody, and Yagong islands; South Sand and West Sand; Observation Bank); Woody Island is the main military base and includes an airstrip with aircraft hangers, naval facilities, surveillance radars, and defenses such as surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles (2025)