Orchid Island
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Orchid Island (Traditional Chinese: 蘭嶼; pinyin: Lán Yǔ; POJ: Lân-sū) is a 45-km² volcanic island off the eastern coast of Taiwan in the Pacific. It is governed as Lanyu Township of Taitung County of Taiwan Province, Republic of China. The island is the homeland to the Tao Taiwanese aborigines (also known as the Yami people), who call the island Ponso no Tao ("the island where we live"; also spelt Pongso no Tao). The island is also known as Botel Tobago.
Since 1982, Taipower Company has been storing nuclear waste on this island and surrounding sea.
In January 19, 1946, the island was designated as Hongtouyu Township (紅頭嶼鄉 "Red-headed Island") of Taitung County. November 24 of that year, it was renamed to Lan Yu, or Orchid Island, after the local Phalaenopsis orchids. From 1958 to 1972, thousands of convicts were sent to a prison on this island.
The village communities (社) are: (The asterisks indicate the four current administrative villages (村)
| Yami name | Chinese | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Yayu | Yeyou (椰油) | * |
| Iraralay | Langdou (朗島) | * |
| Iranumilk | Dongqing (東清) | * |
| Ivarinu | Yeyin (野銀) | not an administrative village |
| Imourud | Hongtou (紅頭) | * Redhead Village, township seat |
| Iratai | Yuren (漁人) | incorporated into Imourud Village since 1946 |
| Iwatas | 伊瓦達斯 | incorporated into Yayu since 1940 |
The islanders are mostly fishermen-farmers.
Lesser Orchid Island (Hsiao Lan Yü; Pinyin: Xiao Lanyu), an uninhabited volcanic islet near the main Orchid Island, is the southernmost point of Taitung County. It has been the target of military airplane's target practice. It is home to a crticially endangered endemic orchid, Phalaenopsis equestris f. aurea.
[edit] See also
- Green Island - the other offshore township of Taitung County
- List of islands of the Republic of China
- Free Area of the Republic of China
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