Matsu Islands
Matsu Islands 馬祖 列島 |
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From top to bottom, left to right: View of Dongju, Mazu Temple in Nangan, Tianao Mazu Temple in Xiju, field stone house on Beigan, lighthouse on Dongyin, "Sword of Matsu" monument |
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State : | Republic of China (Taiwan) | ||
County : | Lienchiang | ||
Coordinates : | 26 ° 9 ' N , 119 ° 56' E | ||
Area : | 28.8 km² | ||
Residents : | 13,056 (December 2018) | ||
Population density : | 453 inhabitants per km² | ||
Time zone : | UTC + 8 (Chungyuan time) | ||
Telephone code : | (+886) (0) 836 | ||
Postal code : | 209-212 | ||
ISO 3166-2 : | TW-LIE | ||
District capital : | Nangan | ||
Structure : | 4 rural communities ( 鄉 ) | ||
District Administrator: | Liu Cheng-ying ( 劉 增 應 ) ( KMT ) | ||
Website : | |||
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The Matsu Islands ( Chinese 馬祖列島 / 马祖列岛 , Pinyin Mǎzǔ Lièdǎo , W.-G. m³-tsu³ Lieh⁴-tao³ , Zhuyin ㄇ ㄚ ㄗ ㄨ ㄌ ㄧ ㄝ 'ㄉ ㄠ ) are a small archipelago of 19 islands in the Taiwan Strait off the coast of the Chinese province of Fujian , to which they historically also belong. They are administered by the Republic of China in Taiwan and form the Lienchiang District ( 連江縣 / 连江县 , Liánjiāng Xiàn , Lien²-chiang¹ Hsien⁴ , Zhuyin ㄌ ㄧ ㄢ ˊ ㄐ ㄧ ㄤ ㄒ ㄧ ㄢ ˋ ) with headquarters in Nangan . The islands have a total area of 29.6 km² and the population at the end of 2012 was 11,310.
A peculiarity of Matsu as well as of the district of Kinmen with the island groups Kinmen and Wuqiu is that they have been under the national Chinese provincial administration of Fujian in Jincheng (Kinmen) since the Taiwan conflict after the Chinese civil war . These three island groups as well as the Dongsha Islands and some of the Nansha Islands (including Taiping Dao in particular ) are the only part of the area controlled by the Republic of China that does not belong to the Taiwan Province or one of the six cities on the island of Taiwan that are directly governed by the government .
From the perspective of the People's Republic of China , the archipelago is administratively the municipality of Mazu in Lianjiang County , which belongs to the prefecture-level city of Fuzhou . Mazu has the postcode number 350122206 of the Continental China Post Office.
In the past, this dispute had repeatedly been carried out using military means and threatening gestures. Just like Kinmen , which is also near the coast of Fujian, the Matsu Islands were heavily influenced by military presence in the past. The islands' military administration, which had been in force since July 1956, was not lifted until November 7, 1992.
Surname
The islands are named after the Chinese mother goddess Matsu , a deity very popular among sailors and fishermen.
Communities
The part of Lienchang County administered by the Republic of China is divided into four rural communities ( 鄉 / 乡 , Xiāng ), which in turn consist of several islands, reefs and villages.
Surname | Chinese | Pinyin | [km²] | Pop. |
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Nangan Township | 南竿 鄉 / 南竿 乡 | Nángān Xiāng | 10.6450 | 7663 |
Nangan Island | 南竿 島 / 南竿 岛 | Nángān Dǎo | 10.4332 | - |
Huangguan Island | 黃 官 嶼 / 黄 官 屿 | Huángguān Yǔ | 0.1917 | - |
Liuquan Reef | 劉 泉 礁 / 刘 泉 礁 | Liúquán Jiāo | 0.0142 | - |
Beiquan Reef | 北 泉 礁 / 北 泉 礁 | Běiquán Jiāo | 0.0041 | - |
Xiejiao Reef | 鞋 礁 | Xié Jiāo | 0.0018 | - |
Beigan Parish | 北竿 鄉 / 北竿 乡 | Běigān Xiāng | 8.9424 | 2425 |
Beigan Island | 北竿 島 / 北竿 岛 | Běigān Dǎo | 6.4363 | - |
Daqin | 大 坵 / 大 丘 | Dàqiū | 0.5373 | - |
Xiaoqiu | 小坵 / 小丘 | Xiǎoqiū | 0.1604 | - |
Gaodeng | 高 登 | Gāodēng | 1.3907 | - |
Wuming Island | 無名 島 / 无名 岛 | Wúmíng Dǎo | 0.0774 | - |
Qiaotou | 峭 頭 / 峭 头 | Qiàotóu | 0.0364 | - |
Jinyu Island | 進 嶼 / 進 屿 | Jìn Yǔ | 0.0311 | - |
Sanlian Island | 三 連 嶼 / 三 连 屿 | Sānlián Yǔ | 0.0254 | - |
Gui Island | 龜 嶼 / 龟 屿 | Guī Yǔ | 0.0034 | - |
Bangshan | 蚌 山 | Bèngshān | 0.0594 | - |
Luoshan | 螺山 | Luóshān | 0.0488 | - |
Tiejian Island | 鐵 尖 島 / 铁 尖 岛 | Tiějiān Dǎo | 0.0098 | - |
Queshi | 鵲 石 / 鹊 石 | Quèshí | 0.0083 | - |
Hali | 蛤蜊 | Hálí | 0.0780 | - |
Zhongdao Island | 中 島 / 中 岛 | Zhōng Dǎo | 0.0193 | - |
Baimiao | 白廟 / 白庙 | Báimiào | 0.0188 | - |
Laoshu | 老鼠 | Lǎoshǔ | 0.0016 | - |
Juguang Township | 莒光 鄉 / 莒光 乡 | Jǔguāng Xiāng | 5.2587 | 1618 |
Dongju Island | 東 莒 島 / 东 莒 岛 | Dōngjǔ Dǎo | 2.6391 | - |
Xiju Island | 西 莒 島 / 西 莒 岛 | Xījǔ Dǎo | 2.3651 | - |
Xiniu Island | 犀牛 嶼 / 犀牛 屿 | Xīniú Yǔ | 0.0779 | - |
Dayu Island | 大 嶼 / 大 屿 | Dà Yǔ | 0.0113 | - |
Lin'ao | 林 坳 | Línào | 0.1314 | - |
Sheshan | 蛇 山 | Sheshan | 0.0315 | - |
Yongliu Island | 永留 嶼 / 永留 屿 | Yǒngliú Yǔ | 0.0024 | - |
Dongyin Township | 東 引 鄉 / 东 引 乡 | Dōngyǐn Xiāng | 4.7594 | 1350 |
Dongyin Island | 東 引 島 / 东 引 岛 | Dōngyǐn Dǎo | 3.2193 | - |
Xiyin Island | 西 引 島 / 西 引 岛 | Xīyǐn Dǎo | 1.1250 | - |
Liangdao Island | 亮 島 / 亮 岛 | Liàng Dǎo | 0.3575 | - |
Langyan | 浪 岩 | Làngyán | 0.0020 | - |
Nanyin | 南 引 | Nanyon | 0.0458 | - |
Shuangzi Reef | 雙子 礁 / 双子 礁 | Shuāngzǐ Jiāo | 0.0095 | - |
Beigu reef | 北 固 礁 | Běigù Jiāo | 0.0002 | - |
population
About 75% of the population have family roots on the mainland in what is now the independent city of Changle and another 15% in Lianjiang County (both in Fujian Province, which is now part of the People's Republic of China ). The language spoken on the Matsu Islands is therefore mainly Min Dong (eastern Min), while Min Nan (southern Min) is predominantly spoken on Taiwan , Penghu , and Kinmen .
Transport links
The Matsu Islands have two domestic airports on the islands of Nangan ( Matsu Nangan Airport ) and Beigan ( Matsu Beigan Airport ), from which there are scheduled flights to the island of Taiwan . There is a regular ferry service between Keelung in Taiwan and the Matsu Islands Nangang and Dongyin. Mawei (from Nangang) and Huangqi (from Beigang) on mainland China can also be reached by ferry . The Matsu Islands are connected by ferries. There is also a daily helicopter connection to the islands of Juguang and Dongyin from Matsu Nangan Airport between October and March.
Web links
- Official website (Chinese, English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Lienchiang Monthly Statistical Report December Minguo Year 107 (2018) - Minguo Year 107 (2018) December - Country and Population - "107 年 12 月份 統計 月報 - 107 年 12 月 土地 及 人口": (Chinese) [1 ] ( RAR file ; 124 kB) In: www.matsu.gov.tw, accessed on April 5, 2019 - online
- ↑ Information from the Broadcasting Corporation of China from January 3, 2013
- ↑ Birgit Suberg: Little Tiger in the Dragon's Den: The Political Aspects of Economic Relations between Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland (= Maritime Asia . Volume 5 ). Harrassowitz , 1997, ISBN 978-3-447-03943-7 , pp. 172 .
- ↑ 5.18 Location and Area of Islands in Taiwan. In: Statistical Yearbook of Interior (2015 Yearly Bulletin of Interior Statistics). Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
- ↑ About Matsu. Matsu County website, accessed January 27, 2018 .
- ^ Taiwan Matsu. Matsu National Scenic Area, accessed December 31, 2017 .
- ↑ Island to Island Transport. Matsu National Scenic Area, accessed December 28, 2017 .