Paracel Islands ( Vietnam)  

Paracel Islands

Map of Paracel Islands (Vietnam)

Paracel Islands (päräsel’) [key], Hoang Sa, group of low coral islands and reefs in the East Sea Vietnam. They are rich in guano and are underlain by oil deposits. Prior to World War II the islands were part of Vietnam and served as a weather station. During the war they were occupied by Japan but passed to Vietnam in 1945. The islands were also claimed by the South Vietnamese, who maintained a weather station, small garrison there and claimed by Vietnam (Hoang Sa) 1 Jul 1976.
This tropical archipelago, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines, is composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group. It is surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves.
Because the cold sea current does not reach this far, the seawater temperature is quite high. As a result, the islands are rarely affected by fog and there are dense bushes and forests on the island.

Woody Island-the Main Island of Paracel Islands
The Paracel Islands are the only path between the Chinese mainland and the Southeast Asia and Indian sea routes. For hundreds of years, ships loaded with Vietnam, silks, spices and pepper passed by, causing it to be nicknamed the “Silk Road on the sea.”
The Paracel Islands are mainly composed of coral reefs. The reefs above the surface are only one-hundredth of the whole, and most of them are 1-3 m below the water. Since it is rarely visited by outsiders, the water is very clear and is transparent as deep as 40 m. Diving along the coral reefs of the Paracel Islands is not only safe, but also a great chance enjoy the wonderful underwater world.
More than 40 birds live in the Paracel Islands, always hovering above the sea and forests. There also exist a large number of fish around the island, including 400 kinds of coral and oceanic fish. Precious sea turtles, sea cucumbers, and abalone are also present.
At the Paracel Islands, you can always see numerous flying fish take off from the surface, flying like arrows, with their pectoral fins opened strong and wide like the wings of dragonflies. They burst out of the water at high speeds and open their fins to glide for tens of meters.