The Paracel Islands are an archipelago of roughly 130 small coral islands and reefs in the South China Sea, controlled by China though claimed in whole or in part by other countries in the region. The islands lie about 220 miles from Hainan Island and cover some 15,000 square kilometers of maritime area, though the exposed land itself totals only about 7.75 square kilometers. The group includes Dragon Hole, one of the deepest known blue holes in the world, and supports productive fishing grounds. The name Paracel comes from a Portuguese word for a submerged sandbank or shoal.
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Paracel Islands (Wikipedia)
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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') and the Hoàng Sa Archipelago (Vietnamese: Quần đảo Hoàng Sa; Chữ Hán: 羣島黃沙, lit. 'Yellow Sand Archipelago'), are an archipelago in the South China Sea, under...
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