Taiwan 2002

		Geography
		Matsu Situated outside the mouth of the mainland Chinese Min River 閩江, the Matsu Islands form the northern anchor of the offshore defense line. The main island of the complex is Nankan 南竿, more commonly known as Matsu 馬祖 from the name of the major port of the island. It is 114 nautical miles northwest of Keelung, the port city on the northern tip of Taiwan and is the same distance north from the Kinmen Islands. There are two harbors in Nankan: Fuao 福澳 and Matsu. Other major islands of the group are Peikan 北竿, Kaoteng 高登, Liang Island 亮島, Tachiou 大坵, Hsiaochiou小坵, Tungyin 東引, Hsiyin 西引, Tungchu 東莒, and Hsichu 西莒. Nankan is the largest, with an area of 10.4 sq. km. Kaoteng is located only 5.5 nautical miles (9,250 meters) from the Chinese mainland. The islands are composed of an uplift of igneous rock. Granite is the Matsu area's major natural resource. The climate is characterized by monsoon rains from August to December and typhoons during the summer. Although the hilly terrain is not well suited for agriculture, ten reservoirs, 15 sea dikes, and two ponds have been constructed and 320 irrigation wells drilled to facilitate farming. Vegetable production has reached the point of self-sufficiency. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office.   All rights reserved.   Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution