Hainan (island)

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Satellite image of Hainan

The island of Hainan ( Chinese  海南島  /  海南岛 , Pinyin Hǎinán dǎo ) is located in the South China Sea and is about 15 to 30 kilometers and an average of 44 m deep Qiongzhou Strait separated from the mainland and is - for Taiwan - with 34,380 square kilometers , the second largest island in the Chinese-influenced world as well as the largest in the People's Republic of China (or second largest from the perspective of the PRC, which regards Taiwan as a province).

administration

The island has been part of Hainan Province since 1988 . Before that it was part of Guangdong Province .

Space travel

The Wenchang Cosmodrome , China's youngest spaceport , has been located on Hainan since the 2010s . Its location near the equator makes it particularly suitable for launching satellites and space probes in orbits near the equator . The proximity to the sea is also an advantage: In contrast to all other orbital launch sites in China, no burned-out rocket stages can fall into inhabited areas here .

Flora and fauna

Some animal species are named after the island:

Coordinates: 19 ° 6 '  N , 109 ° 36'  E