Green Island, Taiwan
volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean part of the Republic of China
Green Island, also known by other names, is a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean about 33 km (21 mi) off the eastern coast of the main island of Taiwan. It is 15.092 km2 (5.83 sq mi) at high tide and 17.329 km2 (6.69 sq mi) at low tide, making it the seventh-largest island in Taiwan. The island is administered as Lyudao Township, a rural township of Taitung County and one of the county's two insular townships (the other being Lanyu Township). The island once served as a penal colony for political prisoners during Taiwan's period of martial law, although today it is primarily known as a tourist hotspot.
Names
The island was known as Sama-Sana, Samasana and as Samasana Island in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a transcription of its Amis name Sanasai.
The name "Green Island" is a calque of the island's Chinese name, written in Traditional Chinese as 綠島. It is also known as Lyudao, Lüdao or Lü Dao from the pinyin romanization of the name's Mandarin pronunciation; as Lu Tao from its Wade-Giles romanization; and as Lek-to from its Hokkien pronunciation. The name was adopted by the Republic of China on August 1, 1949, at the behest of Huang Shih-hung (Chinese: 黃式鴻), the magistrate of Taitung.
Before that, it was usually known as Bonfire Island (or Huoshao), a calque of its original Chinese name Huǒshāo Dǎo (traditional Chinese: 火燒島; simplified Chinese: 火烧岛).
History
The island was originally inhabited by the aboriginal Amis people.
The public source identifies “Green Island, Taiwan” as volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean part of the Republic of China. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Green, Island and Taiwan.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Green Island, Taiwan”, the useful work is to connect “volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean part of the Republic of China” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q701689. The Library of Congress control number is sh88003540. Authority coordinates are 22.662, 121.490. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1949.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Green Island, Taiwan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.