Xisha Islands (in simplified Chinese 西沙群岛) is located about 180 miles south-east from Hainan Islands, stretching from northeast to southwest. It is 250 kilometers long and 150 kilometers wide and it is composed of 45 small islands and reef. East to the Xiasha Islands if the YiTak Island, and to the north of the Xisha Islands there are 7 other islands including the Shidao and Yongxing Island. To the west, there are the Wing-lok Islands and also 8 coral islands.

Xisha Islands is located in the southern part of the Tropic of Cancer, and therefore, the Islands is rich in rainfall and the water temperature in the sea area near the island is having just a small change throughout the year. This gives a very unique habitat for the plants in these Islands to grow in a natural way. There are different kinds of plants being found in this area and some are tropical plants which would grow well throughout the four seasons.

Besides plants, animals are also benefited from the special weather and the unique habitat of the Islands. In the Islands, there are more than 40 kinds of special birds, and therefore, the Xisha Islands is regarded by many bird-lovers as “bird’s paradise.”

Even more interesting is that there would be a kind of special bird which would give people on ships a signal so that people on the ships would be able to identify their location. Many fishermen are benefited from this special kind of “bird navigation.”

Besides birds, there are actually a lot of other animals that could be found in this area. There are more than 400 species of fish and also, there are sea turtles, sea cucumbers, pearl, shell, abalone, fish and other species. Therefore, the Xisha Islands always attract many tourists to visit for different purposes. Some would visit it for beautiful birds, while some visit it for the beautiful trees.

No matter what you are expected to see in the Island, you should always keep in mind that you should never take anything away from the Islands, nor you should damage the trees by writing something on it.

Filed under: Hainan

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