Green Island (Chinese: 綠島; pinyin: Lǜ Dǎo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Le̍k-tó) is a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, about 33 km (21 mi) off the eastern coast of Taiwan. In the 19th century it was known as Samasana Island and the Japanese called it Kasho-to (火燒島). The island is 15.092 km² at high tide and 17.329 km² at low tide. Administratively, Green Island is Lüdao Xiang (綠島鄉), a township of Taitung County and one of the county's two offshore areas (the other is Orchid Island, or Lanyu). 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.
Green Island is now a locally popular scuba-diving destination for both locals and expats residing in Taiwan.
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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. Author Bo Yang was also a prisoner here.
The place where most of the political prisoners (such as Shih Ming-teh) were held was the Green Island Lodge (Lǜ Dǎo Shānzhuāng), where conditions were reported to be very bad. Oasis Village was the main penal colony. The prison was later closed, its interior is now opened to the public for visit.
The Green Island Prison (Lǜ Jiānyú) is also located on the island and has housed some prisoners that have been 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.
The rock on the island is volcanic tholeiite andesite, and volcanic explosive fragments. The volcano erupted from the Pliocene to Pleistocene period. It is part of the Luzon Volcanic Arc. Magma was formed from underthrusting oceanic crust under compression about 25 km deep. The andesite rock contains some visible crystals of pyroxene or amphibole. The geochemistry of the rock shows it is enriched in potassium, strontium and rubidium and light rare earth elements. Chromium and nickel are depleted.[2]
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 the senior high school level or higher, the islanders must move to the main island of Taiwan. Public service centres include one seniors' home, one library, and one community centre.
The island was originally inhabited by the Ami Taiwanese aborigines, who called it Sanasai. It was called "Fire-Burned Island (火燒島, Huǒshāo Dǎo, or 火燒嶼, Huoshao Yu) before renamed to Green Island on 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 villages and the settlements (聚落) they administer are:
The following abandoned aboriginal tribal settlements also belong to Gongguan Village:
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