Wanshan Archipelago
Wanshan / Guishan / Dan'gan
万山镇 / 桂山镇 / 担杆镇 | |
|---|---|
| 万山海洋开发试验区 | |
 | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Guangdong |
| City | Zhuhai |
| District | Xiangzhou |
| Area | |
• Total | 86 km2 (33 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 4,813 |
| • Density | 56/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Website | http://www.wanshan.gov.cn/ |
| Wanshan Archipelago | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 万山群岛 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 萬山羣島 or 萬山群島 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Ten Thousand Islands Archipelago[Notes 1] | ||||||||
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The Wanshan Archipelago (which means Myriad Islands Archipelago), sometimes referred to as the Ladrones Islands (Thieves Islands), is a 104-island archipelago that is part of the Xiangzhou District of Zhuhai Municipality in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. Most of these islands are in the Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone (万山海洋开发试验区) which consist of three towns.[1]
Geography
The islands are situated in the South China Sea, to the south of the opening of the Pearl River estuary and Hong Kong.
Wanshan Islands also include some islands in Hong Kong and Macau, such as Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island in Hong Kong, Taipa-Coloane Island in Macau. [citation needed]
The archipelago includes several groups of islands. On the older European maps, the western group, located south of the Pearl River estuary and Hong Kong's island of Lantau, and including the Greater Wanshan Island (Dawanshan Dao), Guishan Dao, Zhizhou Liedao group, Wai Dangling Dao, Sanmen Liedao group, and Aizhou Liedao group, was known as the Ladrones Islands (that is, "Thieves Islands", in Spanish or Portuguese). The eastern chain of islands, located south of Hong Kong, was known in the West as the Lema Islands; today, the western half of this chain is known as Pengjia Liedao, and the eastern half as Dan'gan Liedao.
The largest island, Dan'gan, features mountainous terrain similar to Hong Kong.
List of islands
 |
Islands of the archipelago include:
Dan'gan Liedao (担杆列岛) (the eastern group of Wanshan archipelago, and the eastern half of the former Lema Islands chain)
- Dan'gan Dao (担杆岛), 13.2 km2 in area and the largest of the islands; 200 permanent residents
- Erzhou Dao (二洲岛), 8.15 km2
- Zhiwan Dao (直湾岛), 4.5 km2
- Xidan Dao (细担岛), 0.85 km2
Pengjia Liedao (蓬佳列岛) (the southern group of Wanshan archipelago, and the western half of the former Lema Islands chain)
- Beijian Dao (北尖岛), 3.17 km2
- Miaowan Dao, 1.46 km2 in area with a small population of fishermen
- Shan Zhou (杉洲), 0.16 km2
- Wanzhou Dao (湾洲岛)
- Ping Zhou (平洲), 0.144 km2
- Wenwei Zhou (蚊尾洲), 0.022 km2. Lighthouse on the island was built by the British in 1884
Southwestern group, apparently without a general name
- Dawanshan Dao (大万山岛), 8.07 km2. The seat of Wanshan Town (万山镇) of Zhuhai is located on the island
- Xiaowanshan Dao (小万山岛), 4.35 km2.[2]
- Baili Dao (白沥岛), 7.94 km2
- Dong'ao Dao (东澳岛), 4.62 km2 in area with population of 500
- Heng Zhou (横洲), 0.54 km2
- Zhu Zhou (竹洲), 1.66 km2
- Gui Zhou (贵洲), 0.32 km2
- Dalie Dao (大烈岛), 0.36 km2
- Huangmao Dao (黄茅岛), 1.08 km2
Central group, apparently without a general name; located south of Lantau
- Wai Lingding Dao (外伶仃岛), 3.7 km2 in area and a tourist attraction with natural sites and temples. The seat of Dan'gan Town (担杆镇) of Zhuhai is located on the island
- Sanmen Liedao (三门列岛)
- Sanmen Dao (三门岛), 0,98 km2
- Yuangang Dao (圆岗岛), 0.016 km2
- Zhuwantou Dao, 0.33 km2
- Henggang Dao, 0.74 km2
- Aizhou Liedao (隘洲列岛)
- Ai Zhou (隘洲), 1.2 km2
- Ai Zhou Zi (隘洲仔, i.e. "baby Aizhou"), 0.6 km2
Northwestern group, apparently without a general name; located between Lantau and Macau
- Zhizhou Liedao (蜘洲列岛)
- Dazhi Zhou (大蜘洲), 1.67 km2
- Xiaozhi Zhou (小蜘洲), 1.2 km2
- Guishan Dao (桂山岛) - formerly PLA base from the 1950s. The seat of Guishan Town (桂山镇) of Zhuhai is located on the island
- Niutou Dao (牛头岛), 1.1 km2. Connected by a road to Guishan Dao
- Zhongxin Zhou (中心洲), 0.6 km2
- Chitou Dao (赤滩岛), 0.17 km2
- Sanjiaoshan Dao (三角山岛), 0.82 km2
- Qing Zhou (青洲)
- Sanjiao Zhou
- Dalu Dao (大碌岛)
- Datou Zhou (大头洲)
Other geographically important points of interest:
- Lema Channel is a major waterway in the archipelago.
- Dahengqin Dao is an island off Macau and not part of this archipelago.
- Erzhou, rising to 437.7m above sea level, is the highest point in the archipelago
Population
There is a small local population, mostly in small fishing villages:
- Dan'gan
- Dan'ganwei
- Nacun
Economy
The archipelago's economy is mainly fisheries (crystal prawn, peeler crab). There is a growing tourism industry with a focus on history (Blundbuss Tower is a major attraction on Dong'ao Island), beaches, and the natural beauty of the islands. About 350,000 tourists visit the islands annually.
There is also potential for petroleum extraction in the waters off the islands.
Tourist sites
_-_2007_-_07.JPG)
- A-Ma Temple on Wanshan
- Floating Cobbles Bay - Wanshan
- Son-Soliciting Springs - Dong'ao
- Wen Tianxiang Park - Guishan
- Monument to the Martyrs of Guishan Warship - Guishan
- Xiafeng Bay - Miaowan
- Dan'gan Village - Dan'gan
Transportation
- Ferry service from Zhuhai to Guishan, Wai Lingding, Dan'gan, Dong'ao and Wanshan
- Fast/Slow Ferry service to Guishan, Wai Lingding, Xiangzhou
- Sightseeing Ferryboats from Zhuhai
See also
Notes
- ^ 山 (Shan) literally means hills and mountains. Before the emerging of Modern China, 山 also refers to islands.
References
- ^ Zhuhai Municipality website: Wanshan Ocean Development Testing Zone (archive)
- ^ Zhuhai Municipality website: Xiaowanshan Dao Template:Zh icon
- The Atlas of Guangdong (广东省), published by 星珠地图出版社 (Xingzhu Ditu Chubanshe), 2007. ISBN 978-7-80212-086-0.
External links
- Aerial image of the islands (Google map)
- Interactive map with the name of most islands
- Map of the archipelago
- Website of the Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone Template:Zh icon
- "Enjoying sunlight and sea in Zhuhai Islands"
