Shangchuan Dao
| Shangchuan Dao | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | South China Sea | |
| Geographical location | 21 ° 40 ′ N , 112 ° 48 ′ E | |
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| surface | 137.3 km² | |
| Residents | approx. 16,000 117 inhabitants / km² |
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Shangchuan Island ( Chinese 上川島 / 上川岛 , Pinyin Shàngchuāndǎo , including St. John's Island , Sancian or Shangchuan called; of . Port São João - "St. John") is a Chinese island in the South China Sea .
Shangchuan Dao is located 14 km south of the coast of mainland China and belongs to Guangdong Province . Its size is 137.3 km² and its coastline is 217 km. The island has been separated from the mainland since the last ice age . West of Shangchuan Dao is the smaller island of Xiachuan Dao (下 川岛). Its population is around 16,000.
history
The island was one of the first Portuguese bases off the coast of China in the 16th century. It was abandoned in 1557 during the occupation of Macau .
The Jesuit Franz Xaver , the first Jesuit missionary to Asia , died here on December 2nd, 1552 on the way to Canton . On the island, a church in the middle of a memorial park bears his name. It is a Catholic pilgrimage site . Franz Xaver's body was transferred to the Basílica do Bom Jesus in Old Goa in 1637 .
administration
Administratively, Shangchuan Dao, Xiachuan Dao and eleven smaller islets as Chuandao Zhen ( Chinese 川島 鎮 / 川岛 镇 , Pinyin Chuāndǎo Zhèn ) form one of the 16 large municipalities of the independent city of Taishan , which belongs to the administrative area of the independent city of Jiangmen . The large community has a total area of 156.7 km². The villages of Dalangwan and Shadi (沙堤) are located on Shanchuan Dao.