Green Island (Traditional Chinese: 綠島; Pinyin: Lǜ Dǎo; POJ: Le̍k-tó) is a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, about 33km (20.5 miles) off the eastern coast of Taiwan. The island is 15.092 km² at high tide and 17.329² at low tide. Administratively, Green Island is Lyudao Siang (ch: 綠島鄉), a township of Taitung County and one of the county's two offshore areas (the other is Orchid Island). Green Island is the ROC's fourth largest island. It is accessible by airplane in eight to 12 minutes from Taitung City. There are also ferries capable of carrying over 250 passengers. Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Hanyu Pinyin: , lit. ... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... A small island in the Adriatic Sea An island or isle is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water. ... The Townships of Taiwan are administrative subdiivions of Taiwan counties. ... Old photo of the people of Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca. ... Airbus A380 An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Taitung City (台東市, Taiwanese POJ: Tâi-tang-chhī) is the capital of Taitung County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ...

Prisons

The island is primarily noted as the place of past and current prisons and penal colonies. Green Island first served as an isolated spot and place of exile for political prisoners during the martial law period of Taiwanese history during Kuomintang single-party rule (especially during the White Terror). After their release, many of the prisoners jailed between the late 1940s and the late 1980s went on to establish the Democratic Progressive Party, most notably Shih Ming-teh. A penal colony is a colony used to house prisoners. ... EXILE is a 6-member Japanese pop music band. ... A political prisoner may be someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because their ideas or image are deemed by a government to either challenge or threaten the authority of the state. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. ... The Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: 中華民國; Pinyin: Zhōng huá mín guó) succeeded the Qing Dynasty in 1912, ending 2,000 years of imperial rule. ... The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung1-kuo2 Kuo2-min2-tang3; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhōngguó Guómíndǎng), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a conservative political party currently active in the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan. ... A single-party state or one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system and form of government where only a single political party dominates the government and no opposition parties are allowed. ... Historical origin and common usage The original White Terror took place in 1794 in the aftermath of the Reign of Terror. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (Chinese: 民主進步黨; abbrev. ... Shih Ming-teh (施明德; pinyin: Shī Míngdé; born January 15, 1941 in Kaohsiung) is a former political prisoner and politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. ...

Author Bo Yang was also a prisoner here. Bo Yang (柏楊, born 1920) is a Mainlander-born writer based in Taiwan. ...

The place where most of the political prisoners were held was the Green Island Lodge (Lǜ Dǎo Shānzhuāng), where conditions were horrible. Oasis Village was the main penal colony. The prison was later closed, but its interior is not open to the public. There is a current movement to restore the prison and preserve it as a museum. The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ...

The Green Island Prison (Lǜ Jiānyú) is also on the island and now houses some prisoners that are perceived to be amongst Taiwan's most dangerous criminals and gangsters. However, this has changed in recent years.

The island is the natural habitat for deer, goats, chameleons, giant bats, and coconut crabs as well as indigenous and migratory birds. Genera Bradypodion Calumma Chamaeleo Furcifer Brookesia Rhampholeon Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are squamates that belong to one of the best known lizard families. ... Binomial name Birgus latro Linnaeus, 1767 The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. ...

In 1995, less than half of the registered 2,634 residents of the island actually reside on the island. The population is dwindling due to difficulty to find jobs on the island. There are two preschools, one kindergarten, two elementary schools, and one middle school on the island. To pursue any education at or higher than the level of senior high school, the islanders must move to the main island of Taiwan. Public service centres include one seniors' home, one library, and one community centre.

It once belonged to the Ami Taiwanese aborigines, under the name Sanasai. It was called "Fire-Burned Island (火燒島 Huǒshāo Dǎo; or, 火燒嶼 Huoshao Yu) before renamed to Green Island in August 1, 1949 by Huang Shih-hung (黃式鴻), the magistrate of Taitung at the time, who thought that the former name was unrefined. The Ami (阿美), also known as the Amis and the Pangcah are an aboriginal people of Taiwan who speak an Austronesian language. ... A Rukai village Chief visiting the Department of Anthropology in Tokyo Imperial University during the Japanese rule. ...

The villages and the settlements (聚落) they administer are:

• Zhongliao Village (中寮村)
  • Zhongliao
• Nanliao Village (南寮村)
  • Nanliao (南寮)
  • Yugang (漁港)
• Gongguan Village (公館村)
  • Gongguan (公館)
  • Chakou (柴口)
  • Liumagou (流麻溝)
  • Dahu (大湖)
  • Zuoping (左坪)

The following abandoned aboriginal tribal settlements also belong to Gongguan Village:

• Youzihu (柚子湖)
• Nanzihu (楠子湖)
• Haicanping (海參坪)
• Dabaisha (大白沙)

See also

• Orchid Island - the other offshore township of Taitung County
• List of islands of the Republic of China

Old photo of the people of Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca. ... This is a list of islands under the Republic of China administration (all claimed by the Peoples Republic of China). ...

External links

• Tourism (Chinese)
• Scuba Diving off Green Island (English)