Located off the Pacific coast of Taiwan, Green Island 綠島 and Orchid Island 蘭嶼 are two hilly, volcanic islands surrounded by coral reefs and abundant sea life. Green Island sits 33 kilometers east of Taiwan proper with an area of approximately 15 square kilometers, and is home to Zhaori Hot Springs 朝日溫泉 , one of the world’s three saltwater hot springs. Orchid Island, which lies 83 kilometers off the southeast coast of Taiwan, is inhabited by the indigenous Yami 雅美 people (see Chapter 2, “People and Language”). The island has an area of 47 square kilometers, making it Taiwan’s second-largest offshore island after Penghu. Sitting just off the southwest coast of Taiwan proper, Xiaoliuqiu 小琉球 is one of the largest coral islands in the world at 6.8 square kilometers. The unique coral formations found here were created by eons of wind and rain erosion. Much of the coral is a brilliant crimson as it is composed primarily of iron and silicon oxides. In addition, the ROC maintains a historical claim to four groups of islands scattered over a vast area in the South China Sea that is surrounded by rich fishing grounds and gas and oil deposits. These are the Dongsha (Pratas) Islands 東沙群島, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands 南沙群島 , the Xisha (Paracel) Islands 西沙群島 and the Zhongsha Islands (Macclesfield Bank) 中沙群島. Currently, the ROC’s effective jurisdiction includes the Dongsha Islands, where a national park was established in 2007, as well as Taiping Island 太平島 and Zhongzhou Reef 中洲礁 of the Nansha Islands. The Dongsha Islands are located 444 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung and comprise Dongsha Island 東沙島 —a coral atoll with an area of 2.38 square kilometers—and two coral reefs. In addition to being a source of fish and minerals, the islands are used as a coast guard outpost. A hospital, a power station, a satellite tracking facility and a runway have also been built on Dongsha Island. With abundant fishing, mineral and petroleum resources, the Nansha Islands comprise more than 190 islets, reefs, cays and banks in an area extending 810 kilometers from north to south and 900 kilometers from east to west. Taiping Island, located 1,384 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung, is the largest island in the group with an area of 0.49 square kilometer. The Coast Guard Administration 行政院海岸巡防署 has stationed personnel on Taiping Island, where a new runway was built in 2008. In keeping with the ROC’s peaceful intentions, the Dongsha Islands, Taiping Island and Zhongzhou Reef have been transferred from military to civilian control. In 2000, responsibility for defending these islands passed from the Ministry of National Defense to the Coast Guard Administration, while the administration of the islands has been given to the Kaohsiung City government. Finally, lying about 170 kilometers northeast of Taiwan proper is the Diaoyutai Archipelago 釣魚臺列嶼 , a tiny island group historically attached to the ROC that includes Diaoyutai Island 釣魚臺 , Huangwei Islet 黃尾嶼 and Chiwei Islet 赤尾嶼. ‧Ministry of the Interior: http://www.moi.gov.tw |
