The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands () and the Hoàng Sa Archipelago (), are an archipelago in the South China Sea. It is under the control of the People's Republic of China, but its sovereignty in whole or in part is disputed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
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 , with a land area of approximately . 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. A feature of the Paracel Islands is Dragon Hole, the second deepest blue hole (underwater sinkhole) in the world. 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 potentially containing unexplored oil and gas reserves.
Geography
Geographic coordinates: Coastline: Climate: tropical Elevation extremes: Lowest point: South China Sea, sea level Highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island Natural resources: fish, coral reefs, possible reserves of oil and gas of unknown size Natural hazards: typhoons
Climate
The climate is different from nearby continental land masses with the lower air mass temperatures being cooler than land at the same latitude, and with higher relative humidity due to the maritime air mass. The air mass over the Paracel Islands has about a variation in annual temperature compared to the observed over the Spratly Islands.
Amphitrite group
The Amphitrite group was named after the French frigate Amphitrite, which observed the islands while carrying a Jesuit mission to Canton in 1698–1700.Young Men's Catholic Association, Catholic progress , Vol. 7, Burns and Oates, London, 1878. Retrieved 6 April 2009.Michael Sullivan, The meeting of Eastern and Western art , Revised and expanded edition. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
Lying in the northeast of the Paracel Islands at , the group consists of low, narrow islands with sand cays and enclosed shallow lagoons connected by reefs of rock. It is about northwest of Lincoln Island. The group approximately forms an ellipse with a north–south axis of .
The northern section of the group comprises West Sand, Tree Island, and the Qilian Yu (七连屿, "seven sisters") sub-group: North Island, Middle Island, South Island, North Sand, Middle Sand, South Sand, and two small sands (New West Sand and New East Sand). The center of the group consists of Woody Island and Rocky Island, approximately south of the southern tip of the eastern extremity of the northern section. The southwest corner of the group is occupied by the Iltis Bank.
The largest island of the Paracels, Woody Island (which has an area of ), has over 1,000 residentsIn June 2014, UK newspaper The Independent stated that Woody Island has a population of 1,443: including fishermen and their families, military personnel, and civilian administrators.
Crescent group
Lying about southwest of the Amphitrite group, at , the Crescent group consists of islands and reefs that form a crescent-like structure from west to east, enclosing a deep central lagoon. The group measures east-west and north–south. All of the islands in the group support vegetation except on their small cays.
The islands are named after former senior figures in the British East India Company (EIC). Three were members of the EIC's 'Select Committee' in Canton: James Drummond, Thomas Pattle and John William Roberts. Jonathan Duncan was Governor in Council of Bombay, and William Taylor Money was Superintendent of the Bombay Marine.
Money Island lies at the southwest extremity of the group, and has some small cays on the southern side. While the island's English name was named after William Taylor Money, the Chinese name is Jin Yin Dao, a literal translation of "money island". Antelope Reef, submerged at high tide and containing a central lagoon, lies east of Money Island. Northeast of this are Robert Island (also named Round Island) and Pattle Island, separated from each other by a wide deep channel. A weather station was built on Pattle Island (by the French) in 1932, and a lighthouse and radio station in 1937. Northeast of this is Quanfu Dao ("All Wealth Island"). Observation Bank, also named Silver Islet, and the Lesser Silver Islet, are the northernmost of the group and contain a small cay. Just south of them are Yagong Dao (He Duck) and Xianshe Yu (Salty Hut).
At the eastern side of the group lies a long boomerang shaped reef with Stone Islet at its north end and Drummond Island at its south end. Near the centre of the reef is Dragon Hole the second deepest known sinkhole in the world.
The Duncan Islands (), consisting of Duncan Island and Palm Island, lie approximately west of Drummond Island and about east of Antelope Reef. Kuangzai Shazhou (Little Basket) lies about halfway between Palm Island and Antelope Reef.
Other features Taking as the center of the Paracel Islands, then the Amphitrite Group is ENE, and the Crescent Group is West.
Southeast Bombay Reef: This elongated reef is situated at the southeastern corner of the Paracel Islands () and lies approximately southeast of the Crescent group. With most parts submerged, the reef measures approximately (E-W by N-S). Bombay Reef encloses a deep lagoon with rocks on its edge.
Eastern sub-group Bremen Bank: Located north of Bombay Reef (), is the southwesternmost feature of this subgroup. This submerged shallow bank measures approximately in length from northeast to southwest. The shallowest area reaches a depth of about and is located in the southwestern part of the bank. Jehangire Bank: East of the Bremen Bank at Neptuna Bank: North of the Bremen Bank at Pyramid Rock: NE of the Neptuna Bank at Lincoln Island: Surrounded by a coral reef, located southeast from the Amphitrite Group at , the island is covered with brushes and fairly high trees, including coconut palm trees. The depth increases sharply on the northern and eastern sides of the island but the southern and south western regions are shallow. An observation post on the western side was found by officers of the German government surveys in 1883. In 1948, Great Britain requested France for permission to use the feature for military exercises.
Northeast Dido Bank: Separate from, and NE of, the Eastern sub-group at
(ENE: Amphitrite group)
Northwest North Reef: Situated approximately north from the Crescent group and about west-northwest from the Amphitrite group at , the reef is the most northwesterly feature of the Paracel Islands. Most parts of the reef are submerged. There are rugged rocks are around the edge that are barely above water. There is a passage into the lagoon on the southwestern side of the reef.
(West: Crescent group)
Inner southwest Discovery Reef: Measuring approximately in length from east to west, and from north to south, the reef is located about south of the Crescent Group at . Completely submerged, the elongated ring structure is the largest single reef in the Paracel Islands. The reef has two large, deep openings into the lagoon on its southern side. Passu Keah: This small reef encloses a shallow lagoon and is located about south of the eastern side of Discovery Reef at , approximately east-northeast from Triton Island. The sand cay measures in length.
Outer southwest Triton Island: The sand cay supports vegetation and stands on a steep-sided coral reef measuring in length. This southwesternmost island of the Paracels is situated about from Discovery Reef at .
Central Vuladdore Reef: Located slightly south of the center of the group at , this mostly submerged reef is orientated east–west and measures approximately by . Some small spiral rocks are to be seen on the reef.
List of entities
English nameChinese nameVietnamese nameCoordinatesArea(ha)Height(m)This is the maximum height, or for submerged features, the minimum depth, in metres. A height of zero indicates low sandy cays or beaches, reefs that dry at low tide, or similar. Source:Location / notesAmphitrite group () ENE Woody Island ()210?Center of Amphitrite group Rocky Island ()814Connected to (NE of) Woody Is.West Sand ()40NW of Amphitrite groupTree Island ()220N of Amphitrite group ("Seven Sisters") () NE of Amphitrite GroupNorth Island ()40N1 of Seven Islets Middle Island ()130N2 of Seven IsletsSouth Island ()170N3 of Seven IsletsNorth Sand ()20N4 of Seven IsletsMiddle Sand ()50N5 of Seven IsletsSouth Sand ()60N6 of Seven Islets (New West Sand) ()-0.20N7a of Seven Islets (7W)(New East Sand) ()-0.40N7b of Seven Islets (7E); South of South SandIltis Bank () -10SW of Woody Island Crescent group () Money Island ()366W end of Crescent groupAntelope Reef () 0W Crescent Group, S of Robert Is.Robert Island(Round Island) ()308W of Crescent group; Has a wellPattle Island ()319N of Robert Island Has a well(East Shanhu Shoal) ()0E of Pattle Island(All Wealth) ()20NE of Pattle, SW of Observation BankObservation Bank(Silver Islet) ()10NE of Crescent group(Lesser Silver Islet) ()0.20SE of Silver Islet(He Duck) ()10SW of Observation Bank(Salty Hut) ()() 0SW of Observation Bank, W of Stone Islet(Stone Islet) ()()0.20E of Crescent groupDrummond Island ()213E of Crescent groupDuncan Island ()48?S of Crescent groupPalm Island ()6?S of Crescent group(Little Basket) ()10SE of Antelope ReefEastern sub-group Bremen Bank () -11Eastern sub-groupJehangire Bank () -12Eastern sub-groupNeptuna Bank () -15Eastern sub-groupPyramid Rock ()45Eastern sub-group Lincoln Island ()1605Eastern sub-group "Water can be found on the island"Other features Discovery Reef () -4 Inner SW Passu Keah ()400Inner SW, S of Discovery ReefHerald Bank () -236ESEBombay Reef () 0SE Vuladdore Reef () 0CentralDido Bank () -23NE North Reef () 0NW Triton Island ()1203 Outer SW
Satellite images
Etymology
Chinese
The Chinese wrote about large groups of maritime features in the area. Names such as changsha, shitang, shichuang and others were used. The Song dynasty book Zhu Fan Zhi mentions Qianli Changsha (, "Thousand-Mile Long Sands") and Wanli Shichuang ( "Ten-Thousand-Mile Rock Bed"). The Yuan dynasty travel book Daoyi Zhilüe describes Wanli Shitang (, "Ten-Thousand Mile Rock Pool") as comprising three veins extending from Chaozhou to Borneo, Côn Sơn Island, and Java. The History of Yuan uses the terms Qizhouyang (七洲洋, "Ocean of Seven Islands") and Wanli Shitang. In the Mao Kun map depicting 15th century Ming Treasure Voyages, groups of islands were named Shitang (石塘), Wansheng Shitangyu (萬生石塘嶼), and Shixing Shitang (石星石塘)."" , cited in The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores, 1: "China in Southern Island". White Lotus Press. . Another Ming dynasty work, Haiyu (On the Sea), uses Wanli Shitang and Wanli Changsha. Qing dynasty maps and book Hai Lu (Illustrations of the Sea) refer to islands and other features as Changsha, Shitang, and Qizhouyang. A sea chart from the Daoguang era, Yiban Lu (Particular Illustrations) by Zheng Guangzu, uses Xisha (, "Western Sands/Shoals" ) to refer to the Paracels. Xisha became the standard name for the Paracels in the 20th century and was used in maps published by the Republic of China in 1935 and 1947.
European