Compare Paracel Islands (2003) - Heard Island and McDonald Islands (2002)

Compare Paracel Islands (2003) z Heard Island and McDonald Islands (2002)

	Paracel Islands (2003)	Heard Island and McDonald Islands (2002)

Airports	1 (2002)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)	-
Area	total: NA sq km land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	NA	slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.	These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.
Climate	tropical	antarctic
Coastline	518 km	101.9 km
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands	conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Dependency status	-	territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam	none
Economy - overview	China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism.	No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing around the islands.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m	lowest point: Southern Ocean 0 m highest point: Big Ben 2,745 m
Environment - current issues	NA	NA
Flag description	-	the flag of Australia is used
Geographic coordinates	16 30 N, 112 00 E	53 06 S, 72 31 E
Geography - note	composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group	-
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Legal system	-	the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
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	Southern Africa, islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Map references	Southeast Asia	Antarctic Region
Maritime claims	NA	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Military - note	occupied by China	defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
Natural hazards	typhoons	Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Natural resources	none	fish
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons (July 2003 est.)	uninhabited (July 2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded	none; offshore anchorage only
Terrain	mostly low and flat	Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Waterways	none	none

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