Woody Island-the Main Island of Paracel Islands

　　The Paracel Islands lie to the southeast of Hainan Island, in the northwest part of The South China Sea. This archipelago includes 31 coral islands or islets. These 31 islands belong to 10 atolls, but some of the atoll chain topography is not completely developed. Parts of the atolls are deficient. There is only one classic atoll in this atoll chain.
　　 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. There are also extensive seafood resources in this area. Consequently, the Paracel Islands were one of the earliest places in the South China Sea to come under Chinese rule. Woody Island (Yung-hsing Island) is about 2 square kilometers. There are permanent residents on the island, and also a post office, electricity and convenient access by sea or air. Woody Island is not only the pivot point of the South China Sea Islands, it is also the command center for the South China Sea.