World · permanent entity record · XP
Paracel Islands
Thirty-second orientation
Paracel Islands at a glance
- Area
- total : 8 sq km ca. land: 7.75 sq km ca. water: 0 sq km
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of 2026-01-19
Claims are attributed · classifications are dated
Claims and contested status
Maintained classification
Dependency or area of special sovereignty
Undetermined
U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · as of 2026-03-31A claim’s appearance records that the cited source reports it. It does not constitute an Almanac ruling on sovereignty.
Maintained profile
- Classification
- Dependency or area of special sovereignty
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · Federal classification and wording follow the current State Department register.
- Sovereignty or administration
- Undetermined
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
Preserved public-domain record · not maintained current data
Final CIA World Factbook profile
This is the preserved historical baseline from the Factbook’s final public snapshot. It is presented as the CIA stated it, not as a current Standard American Almanac finding. Current, independently maintained facts appear above when available.
CIA World Factbook historical record · final public snapshot · profile updated · pinned source record · commit d81154954b8b
Introduction1 fields
- 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.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Geography16 fields
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area
- total : 8 sq km ca. land: 7.75 sq km ca. water: 0 sq km
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area - comparative
- land area is about 13 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Elevation
- highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Geography - note
- composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
People and Society4 fields
- Net migration rate
- -0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Environment3 fields
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Government1 fields
- Country name
- conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Transportation2 fields
Military and Security1 fields
- 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)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
The underlying United States government material is public domain. The Almanac’s reuse terms do not change the legal status of this preserved source layer.