Woody Island, South China Sea
| Woody Island | |
|---|---|
| Township-level division | |
| Yongxing Island 永兴岛/永興島 (PRC/ROC) Phú Lâm Island (Vietnam) |
|
 Woody Island
|
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| Coordinates: 16°50′3″N 112°20′15″E / 16.83417°N 112.33750°ECoordinates: 16°50′3″N 112°20′15″E / 16.83417°N 112.33750°E | |
| Country | Controlled by People's Republic of China (claimed by ROC and Vietnam) |
| Province | Hainan |
| City | Sansha |
| County-level division | Xisha District |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town |
| • Body | Yongxingdao Neighborhood Committee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.13 km2 (0.82 sq mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 1.850 km (1.150 mi) |
| • Width | 1.160 km (0.721 mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 1,443 |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Chinese | 100% |
| Languages | |
| • Chinese | 100% |
| Time zone | China (UTC+8) |
| Post code | 572000 |
| Dialing code | +86 0898 |
Woody Island, called Yongxing Island (simplified Chinese: 永兴岛; traditional Chinese: 永興島; pinyin: Yǒngxīng Dǎo; literally: "Eternal Prosperity Island") in China and Phu Lam Island (Vietnamese: Đảo Phú Lâm) in Vietnam, is the largest of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. It is part of the Amphitrite Island Group in the eastern Paracels.
The Chinese Qing dynasty, France (on behalf of Annam), Japan, and the Republic of China have all established a presence on the island. The Island has been under the control of the People's Republic of China since 1956.
Under PRC control, it is administered by the Yongxingdao Neighborhood Committee and is the seat of Sansha, a prefecture-level city of Hainan. In June 2014, UK newspaper The Independent stated that the island had a population of 1,443.
As part of the Paracel Islands, the Island is also claimed by the Taiwan and by Vietnam.
Fishing activities in the South China Sea region surrounding the island have been documented in the records of earlier Chinese dynasties. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Zheng He plotted the location of surrounding islands on a map. In 1909 Zhang Renjun (Chinese: 張人駿), the Viceroy of Liangguang ordered Guangdong Fleet Admiral Li Zhun to sail to the island. His mission landed in June 1909. In 1932 French Indochina announced its claim to the archipelago. A Franco-Vietnamese garrison was established on Woody Island in 1938.
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Wikipedia