Matsu Islands

Lienchiang County 連江縣
County
Top: Magan Tianhou Temple in Nangan, Bottom left: Matsu display monument in Nangan, Bottom upper left: Lin Moniang Tomb in Mazu Temple, Bottom lower right: Dongyong Lighthouse
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Republic of China
Province	Fujian
Region	Southern Fujian
Seat	Nangan Township
Boroughs	0 cities, 4 (4 rural) townships
Government
• County Magistrate	Liu Cheng-ying (KMT)
Area
• Total	29.6055 km2 (11.4307 sq mi)
Area rank	22 of 22
Population (December 2014)
• Total	12,506
• Rank	22 of 22
• Density	420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	National Standard Time (UTC+8)
Website	www.matsu.gov.tw
Symbols
Bird	Chinese crested tern (Sterna bernsteini)
Flower	Hairy bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra)
Tree	none

The Matsu Islands (Chinese: 馬祖列島; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Lièdǎo; Fuzhou dialect: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤ or less frequently, Chinese: 馬祖群島; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Qúndǎo; Fuzhou dialect: 馬祖島 Mā-cū-dō̤) are a minor archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County (連江縣; pinyin: Liánjiāng Xiàn; Lièng-gŏng-gâing) under streamlined Fujian Province, Republic of China (ROC). It is the smallest county in Taiwan.

Only a small area of what is historically Lienchiang County is under the control of the ROC. The People's Republic of China (PRC) administers the part of the historical county on mainland China as Lianjiang County, which claims the entire archipelago to be its Mazu Township (馬祖鄉; pinyin: Mǎzǔ Xiāng; Mā-cū-hiŏng). Kinmen is the other archipelago along the coast of Fujian that is controlled by the ROC.

The Matsu Islands are named after the goddess Matsu.

The Lienchiang name is derived from the original Lianjiang County of Fujian province in Mainland China. In April 2003, the county government started considering changing the name to Matsu County to avoid confusion with the county of the same name on the mainland. Some local people opposed the name change because they felt it reflected the pro-independence viewpoint of the Democratic Progressive Party.