Paracel Islands

Paracel Islands
Disputed islands
Nautical chart of the Paracel Islands
Paracel Islands is located in South China Sea
Paracel Islands
Paracel Islands
Location of the Paracel Islands within the South China Sea
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates16°40′N 112°20′E / 16.667°N 112.333°E / 16.667; 112.333[1]
Total islandsOver 30
Major islandsWoody, Rocky, Tree, Money, Robert, Pattle, Triton, Duncan, Lincoln, Drummond
Area7.75 km2 (2.99 sq mi) (15,000 sq km ocean surface)
Coastline518 km (321.9 mi)
Highest elevation14 m (46 ft)
Highest pointRocky Island
Administration
 China (de facto since 1974[a])
ProvinceHainan
Prefecture-level citySansha
DistrictXisha District
Claimed by
MunicipalityKaohsiung
MunicipalityDa Nang
Demographics
PopulationOver 1,000 (2014)
Additional information
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese西沙群岛
Traditional Chinese西沙群島
Literal meaningWestern Sandy Archipelago
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXīshā Qúndǎo
Wade–GilesHsi-sha Ch'ün-tao
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingSai1-saa1 Kwan4-dou2
Southern Min
Hainanese RomanizationSa-so Kún-tō
Vietnamese name
VietnameseQuần đảo Hoàng Sa
Hán-Nôm

The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands (simplified Chinese: 西沙群岛; traditional Chinese: 西沙群島; pinyin: xīshā qúndǎo; lit. 'West Sand Archipelago')[2] and the Hoàng Sa Archipelago (Vietnamese: Quần đảo Hoàng Sa, lit.'Yellow Sand Archipelago'), are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea currently under de facto administration by the People's Republic of China.

The word paracel is of Portuguese origin, meaning placer (a submerged bank or reef), and appears on 16th-century Portuguese maps. The archipelago includes about 130 small coral islands and reefs, most grouped into the northeastern Amphitrite Group or the western Crescent Group. They are distributed over a maritime area of around 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 sq mi), with a land area of approximately 7.75 square kilometers (2.99 sq mi). The archipelago is located about 220 miles (350 km) southeast of Hainan Island, equidistant from the coastlines of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Vietnam, and approximately one-third of the way between central Vietnam and the northern Philippines.[3] A feature of the Paracel Islands is Dragon Hole, the second deepest blue hole (underwater sinkhole) in the world.[4][5][6] Sea turtles and seabirds are native to the islands, which have a hot and humid climate, abundant rainfall and may experience annual typhoons. The archipelago is surrounded by productive fishing grounds and a seabed containing potential, but still unexplored, oil and gas reserves.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nga was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Jones, Gareth Wyn (2002). "Provinces". In Boland-Crewe, Tara; Lea, David (eds.). The Territories of the People's Republic of China. London: Europa Publications. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-203-40311-2.
  3. ^ "Paracel Islands". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  4. ^ "China Exclusive: South China Sea "blue hole" declared world's deepest". New China. news.xinhuanet.com. July 23, 2016. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  5. ^ "Researchers just discovered the world's deepest underwater sinkhole in the South China Sea". Washington Post. July 26, 2016. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  6. ^ Alcérreca-Huerta, Juan Carlos; Reyes-Mendoza, Oscar F.; Sánchez-Sánchez, Joan A.; Álvarez-Legorreta, Teresa; Carrillo, Laura (2024). "Recent records of thermohaline profiles and water depth in the Taam ja' Blue Hole (Chetumal Bay, Mexico)". Frontiers in Marine Science. 11: 1387235. doi:10.3389/fmars.2024.1387235.


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