Paracel Islands
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Paracel Islands
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Overview
- 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.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 7.75 sq km ca.
- Water
- 0 sq km
- Total
- 8 sq km ca.
- Climate
- tropical
- Terrain
- mostly low and flat
Land Use
- Other
- 100% (2018 est.)
- 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
- Coastline
- 518 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- South China Sea 0 m
- Highest point
- unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m
- Irrigated land
- 0 sq km (2022)
- Map references
- Southeast Asia
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 0 km
- Natural hazards
- typhoons
- Geography note
- composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group
- Natural resources
- none
- Area comparative
- land area is about 13 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
- Geographic coordinates
- 16 30 N, 112 00 E
- 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
People & Society
Population
- Total
- 2,230 (2024 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
- Population growth rate
- 0.75% (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
Government
Country Name
- Conventional long form
- none
- Conventional short form
- Paracel Islands
Transport
- Airports
- 2 (2025)
- Heliports
- 7 (2025)
Environment
- Climate
- tropical
Land Use
- Other
- 100% (2018 est.)
- 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
Military & Security
- 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)
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Paracel Islands — vintage 2026-Q1: Paracel Islands factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/paracel-islands
Sources: CIA World Factbook