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: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Climate: Terrain: Elevation: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Population - distribution: Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Geography - note:
total: ca. 7.75 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: ca. 7.75 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 245
land area is about 13 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC
0 km
518 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
tropical
mostly low and flat
mean elevation: NA
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m
none
agricultural land: 0%
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 0%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 100% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
0 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
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
typhoons
China's use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands harms reef systems; ongoing human activities, including military operations, infrastructure construction, and tourism endangers local ecosystem including birds, fish, marine mammals, and marine reptiles
composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group