Orchid Island
Native name: Pongso no Tao | |
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Orchid Island in Taiwan | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Philippine Sea |
| Coordinates | 22°03′N 121°32′E / 22.050°N 121.533°E |
| Area | 45 km2 (17 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 552 m (1811 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Hongtou |
| Administration | |
Republic of China | |
| Township | Lanyu |
| County | Taitung |
| Province | Taiwan (streamlined, government dissolved) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 5,255 (February 2023) |
| Ethnic groups | Tao, Han |
| Orchid Island | |||||||||||||||||||
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The shore of Orchid Island from an imperial Japanese publication (c. 1931) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 蘭嶼 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Orchid Islet(s) | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Former names | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Botel Tobago" and "Klein Botel Tobago" on a 1905 German map | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 紅頭嶼 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 紅頭嶼 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | こうとうしょ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Katakana | コウトウショ | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Lesser Orchid Island | |||||||||||||||
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Lesser Orchid Island | |||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 小蘭嶼 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Little Orchid Islet | ||||||||||||||
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Orchid Island, known as Pongso no Tao by the indigenous inhabitants, is a 45 km2 (17 sq mi) volcanic island located off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, the island and the nearby Lesser Orchid Island are governed by Taiwan as Lanyu Township in Taitung County, which is one of the county's two insular townships (the other being Lyudao Township). It is separated from the Batanes of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait.
It is considered a potential World Heritage Site.