Gueishan Island
| Guishan Island | |
|---|---|
View from Daxi Station
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 398 m (1,306 ft) |
| Prominence | 398 m (1,306 ft) |
| Coordinates | 24°50′31″N 121°57′06″E / 24.84194°N 121.95167°ECoordinates: 24°50′31″N 121°57′06″E / 24.84194°N 121.95167°E |
| Geography | |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 1785 ± 10 years |
Guishan Island or Steep Island or Turtle Island (Chinese: 龜山島; Hanyu Pinyin: Guīshāndǎo; Tongyong Pinyin: Gueishandǎo; Wade–Giles: Kuei1-shan1-tao3; literally: "Turtle Mountain Island"), also known as Kueishan Island, is an island in the Pacific Ocean currently administered under Toucheng Township, Yilan County, Taiwan and located 9.1 km (5.7 mi) east of port of Gengfang Fishery Harbor.
The local population, consisting mainly of fishermen, was relocated in 1977 due to the hardships associated with living on the island. Between 1977 and 2000 it became the site of a military base, and currently it is managed as a tourist destination and natural conservation area. There are restrictions for visitors due to environmental protection. In 2000, the island was officially opened to tourists as a maritime ecological park. In December 2016 until February 2017, the island was closed for environmental protection reasons.
The island is the top of an andesite stratovolcano which rises from the seafloor. It is the only active volcano in Taiwan, displaying active fumaroles and solfataras. It has an area of 2.841 square kilometres (1.097 sq mi), and the highest point reaches 401 m (1,316 ft) above sea level.
Endemic species of crab, feeds on sulfur lives around underwater hot springs of the island. Surrounding waters support rich ecosystem that attracts the top predators of ocean; cetaceans. This allows whale watching as one of major attractions in local tourism, targeting mostly smaller toothed whales such as pygmy sperm whales, false killer whales, and dolphins while sperm whales and larger whales may be observed less frequently.
...
Wikipedia