List of islands of Taiwan
The islands comprising the Taiwan Area under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China are classified into various island groups. The island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, is the largest island and the main component of the ROC-controlled territories. Islands that are claimed by the ROC but not administered, including those administered by the People's Republic of China, and those disputed with other countries such as the Tiaoyutai Islands and most of the South China Sea Islands, are excluded from this list.
At the adoption of Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China in the 1990s, these islands collectively form the "Free area of the Republic of China" or known alternatively as "Taiwan Area", which legally defines the territorial extent under the actual control of the ROC government.
Some Taiwanese islands have various translations in English due to different systems of romanization in Chinese language in use, or derivation of differing linguistic origins from Mandarin, Hokkien, indigenous languages or other foreign languages. Some islands also have different names derived from particular historical periods which remain in use to this day.
Archipelagos of Taiwan
There are in total of 168 islands which can be classified into the following geographical units:| Name | Chinese | Mandarin | Taiwanese | Hakka | Other name | No. islands | Major islands | Provincial-level division |
| Taiwan | Táiwān | Tâi-oân | Thòi-vàn | Formosa | 22 | Taiwan, Orchid, Green, Lamay, Guishan | Taiwan Province, Taipei Municipality, Taichung Municipality, Kaohsiung Municipality, New Taipei Municipality, Tainan Municipality, Taoyuan Municipality | |
| Penghu | Pénghú | Phêⁿ-ô | Phàng-fù | Pescadores | 90 | Penghu, Xiyu, Baisha, Cimei, Wang'an | Taiwan Province | |
| Kinmen | Jīnmén | Kim-mn̂g | Kîm-mùn | Quemoy | numerous | Kinmen, Lieyu, Dadan, Erdan | Fuchien Province | |
| Matsu | Mǎzǔ | Má-chó͘ | Mâ-chú | 36 | Nangan, Beigan, Dongyin, Xiyin, Dongju, Xiju | Fuchien Province | ||
| Wuqiu | Wūqiū | O͘-khiu | Vû-hiu | Ockseu | 2 | Daqiu, Xiaoqiu | Fuchien Province | |
| Tungsha/Dongsha | Dōngshā | Tang-soa | Tûng-sâ | Pratas | 1 | Pratas Island | Kaohsiung Municipality | |
| Nansha | Nánshā | Lâm-soa | Nàm-sâ | Spratly | 2 | Taiping Island, Zhongzhou Reef | Kaohsiung Municipality |
List of major islands by area
List of Taiwanese islands with over 5 km2 of area.List of islands by geographical unit
Taiwan proper
- Island of Taiwan
- *Kaohsiung
- **Cijin ; formerly a longshore bar connected to the island of Taiwan at the southern tip, this link was severed in 1975 due to Kaohsiung Port construction.
- *Keelung City
- **Keelung Islet
- **Hoping Island
- **The Three Northern Islands
- ***Huaping Islet
- ***Mianhua Islet, the easternmost island under the actual control of the Republic of China
- ***Pengjia Islet
- *Nantou County
- **Lalu ; a lake island within the Sun Moon Lake
- *New Taipei
- **Twin Candlestick Islets
- *Pingtung County
- **Hsiao Liuchiu
- **Qixingyan
- *Taitung County
- **Green Island
- **Orchid Island
- **Lesser Orchid Island
- **Sansiantai
- *Yilan County
- **Guishan Island / Gueishan Island
- ** Guiluan Island
- *Hualien County
- **Ciporan Island
Penghu/Pescadores
- Penghu Islands
- *Penghu
- *Hujing Island
- *Tongpan Island
- *Baisha
- **Baisha Main Island
- **Jibei Island
- **Chungtun Island
- **Yuanbei Island
- **Tiejhen Island
- **Gupo Island
- **Xianjiao Island
- **Bird Island
- **Mudou Island
- *Siyu
- ** Xiaomen Yu
- ** Haiqian Reef
- *Cimei
- *Wang-an
- **Hua Islet
- **Mau Islets
- **Cau Islet
- **Nan Yun
- **Maanshan Islet
- **Jiangjyunao Islet
- **Chuanfanyu Reef
- **Toujin
- **Tiejhen
- **West Islet
- **East Islet
- **Siji Islet
- **Chutou Islet
- **Dongji Island
Kinmen/Quemoy
- Kinmen
- Jinhu Township
- *Dongding Island
- *Beiding Island
- *Mu Yu
- *etc.
- Jinsha Township
- *Cao Islet
- *Hou Islet/Xishanyu
- *Baiyan Island
- *Dabo Reef
- *Xiaobo Reef
- *Dongge
- *Guan'ao Jiao
- *Xiyuan Yu
- *Gou Yu
- *Yangshanyu
- *etc.
- Jinning Township
- *Daqian
- Jincheng Township
- *Jiangong Islet
- *Hei Yan
- *Dayan Islet, Dayan Yu
- *etc.
- Lieyu Township
- *Lesser Kinmen
- *Dadan Island
- *Erdan Island
- *Fuxing Islet
- *Menghu Islet
- *Shi Islet
- *Binlang Islet
- *Hsiao Kinmen Island
- *Houtouyu
- *Wu Jiao
- *Guizijiao
- *Huangyu
- *Sanjiaojiao/Yanyu
- *Niuxinjiao
- *Chijiaojiao
- *Xiaodan
- *Menkou Jiao
- *Tu Yu
- *Dananjiao
- *Shishan
- *Sandan/Sandandao
- *Sidan/Sidandao
- *Wudan
- *Muyu
- *etc.
Matsu Islands
- Matsu Islands
- *Beigan
- **Gaodeng Island
- **Daqiu Island
- **Xiaoqiu
- **Wumingdao / Bluff Head
- **Qiaotou
- **Jinyu
- **Liang Island
- **Langyan / Liang Reef
- **Sanlianyu / Trio Rocks
- **Zhongdao
- **Baimiao
- **Laoshu
- **Turtle Island
- *Nankan
- **Huangguanyu
- **Liuquanjiao
- **Xiejiao
- **Beiquanjiao
- *Dongyin
- **Xiyin
- **Beigu Reef *The northernmost island under the actual control of the Republic of China.
- **Zhongzhu Island
- **Furong Reef
- **Shuangzijiao
- **Dongsha Dao
- *Chukuang
- **Tungchu
- **Hsichu
- **Xiniuyu
- **Sheshan
- **Lintou'ao
- **Dayu
- **Yongliou
Wuqiu/Ockseu
- Wuqiu
- *Daqiu
- *Xiaoqiu
South China Sea Islands
- South China Sea Islands
- *Pratas Island
- *Spratly Islands
- **Taiping
- **Zhongzhou Reef
Disputed islands
The ROC maintains its historical claims to all of the South China Sea Islands. They are also claimed by five other claimants, namely the PRC, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. The islands within the Pratas and Spratly Islands which remain under the control of the ROC are assigned to Cijin District, Kaohsiung City, thus technically defining these islands to be part of the "Taiwan Area". The United Nations considers the South China Sea to be "international waters" and does not acknowledge any of the South China Sea Islands as "true islands". The acknowledgement of these islands as "true islands" is crucial because the definition of "islands" would justify the creation of an exclusive economic zone around them, which can be used to cut off international shipping lanes and to acquire natural resources such as oil which lie beneath the ocean.
Meanwhile, the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands are claimed by the ROC as "Tiaoyutai Islands" within Toucheng Township, Yilan County and are considered to be part of geographic and provincial Taiwan by the ROC. The Senkaku Islands lie about 186 kilometres from the northeast of Taiwan Island, and situated roughly 330 kilometres from the east of mainland China. They form the westernmost extremity of the "Ryukyu Islands", which Japan administers as Okinawa Prefecture. The PRC also claims the Senkaku Islands as "Diaoyu Islands" as part of its claimed "Taiwan Province".
The PRC claims the islands of Taiwan and Penghu as part of its 23rd Taiwan Province, together with the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by the ROC as part of its own Taiwan Province. The PRC claims Kinmen as a county of the prefecture-level city Quanzhou, in Fujian Province. Matsu is claimed as part of Lianjiang County, part of Fuzhou, in Fujian Province. The Wuqiu islands are claimed as part of Xiuyu District, a district of the prefecture-level city Putian, in Fujian Province. Pratas Island is claimed as part of Chengqu in Shanwei Guangdong Province. The Nansha Islands controlled by the ROC, i.e. Taiping Island and Zhongzhou Reef, are claimed as part of Sansha, in Hainan Province. The PRC thus claims the ROC-controlled islands as part of its own Taiwan Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province and Hainan Province.