evidence: Paracel Islands, group of about 130 small coral islands and reefs in the South China Sea. They lie about 250 miles (400 km) east of central Vietnam and about 220 miles (350 km) southeast of Hainan Island, China. Apart from a few isolated, outlying islands (Triton in the south, Lincoln in the east), they are divided into the Amphitrite group in the northeast and the Crescent group in the west. The low, barren islands, none of which exceeds 1 square mile (2.5 square km), lack fresh water. Turtles live on the islands, and seabirds have left nests and guano deposits, but there are no permanent human residents.