Paracel Islands:
Geography


Background	The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

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
Geographic coordinates	16 30 N, 112 00 E
Map references	Southeast Asia
Area	total: NA sq km land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	NA
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	518 km
Maritime claims	NA
Climate	tropical
Terrain	mostly low and flat
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m
Natural resources	none
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land	0 sq km
Natural hazards	typhoons
Environment - current issues	NA
Geography - note	composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group