A disputed coral archipelago in the South China Sea, known internationally as the Paracel Islands and administered by China since 1974.
Geography
The Xisha or Paracel Islands consist of about 130 small coral islets, reefs, and shoals scattered across roughly 15,000 square kilometers of ocean. Woody Island at 2 square kilometers is the largest.
Dispute
China, Vietnam, and Taiwan all claim sovereignty over the islands. China expelled the South Vietnamese garrison after a brief naval battle in January 1974 and has administered them since.
Sansha
The city of Sansha, established by China in 2012 on Woody Island, administers the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha (Spratly) island groups. It is China’s southernmost prefecture-level city.
Find more islands by letter
Xisha Islands starts with X and ends with S. Browse other islands along the same letter.
Islands that contain a letter from "Xisha Islands":