Hainan (island)
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:
- Hainan hare ( lepus hainanus )
- Hainan's rat hedgehog ( Neohylomys hainanensis )
- Hainan crested gibbon ( Nomascus hainanus )
- Great Northern Heron ( Gorsachius magnificus ) - probably no longer exists on the island
- Mallinella hainan
- Okileucauge hainan
Coordinates: 19 ° 6 ' N , 109 ° 36' E