| Mianhua Islet | |
| Native Name Lang: | zh-tw |
| Nickname: | --> |
| Pushpin Map: | East China Sea |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the East China Sea |
| Coordinates: | 25.485°N 122.1064°W |
| Location: | In the East China Sea, north of Taiwan Island in Zhongzheng, Keelung, Taiwan[1] [2] [3] |
| Area Km2: | 0.133 |
| Length M: | --> |
| Width M: | --> |
| Coastline M: | --> |
| Elevation M: | 61 |
| Country: | Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Country Admin Divisions Title: | Province |
| Country Admin Divisions: | Taiwan (streamlined) |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 1: | Provincial city |
| Country Admin Divisions 1: | Keelung |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 2: | District |
| Country Admin Divisions 2: | Zhongzheng |
| Country Area M2: | or |
| Country Area Ha: | --> |
| Country 1 Area M2: | or |
| Country 1 Area Ha: | --> |
| Timezone1: | National Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +8 |
Mianhua Islet is a 0.133km2[3] volcanic island in Zhongzheng District, Keelung, Taiwan, located in the East China Sea.[3] [4] Pingfong Rock, just east of the islet, is the easternmost point under the actual control of Taiwan (ROC).[5]
Mianhua Islet is also known as Kangjiao Islet, Jhongdao (Midway Islet),[3] Mien-hua Hsü, Menka-sho,[6] Mienhua Yü,[7] and Craig Island.[8]
In his 1868 book Rambles of a Naturalist on the Shores and Waters of the China Sea, Cuthbert Collingwood (naturalist) described Mianhua Islet, its birds and insects, its geology and two people on the island who were collecting bird eggs.[9]
In his 1895 book From Far Formosa, George Leslie Mackay briefly described Mianhua Islet:[10] Mackay also described the collection of birds and bird eggs by people from Pengjia Islet.[10]
In 1994, plans for a scenic area including Mianhua Islet were proposed. These plans met with opposition from conservation groups who argued that the natural environment of the islet would be damaged by the creation of a scenic area. From May to September, seven scientific expeditions documenting the birds, geology, plants, insects, amphibians and reptiles of the islet were carried out, and an application to the Environmental Protection Administration to preserve Mianhua Islet and Huaping Islet as a Level One Ecologically Sensitive Area and Pengjia Islet as a Level Two Ecologically Sensitive Area was made.
On March 18, 1996, the Mianhua Islet and Huaping Islet Wildlife Preservation Area (Chinese: 棉花嶼、花瓶嶼野生動物保護區) was established.
In August 1996, the existing population of sheep on the islet was relocated to Taiwan to help restore the natural environment of the islet.[11]
The islet is about 800m (2,600feet) long from north to south and 530m (1,740feet) wide from east to west, with an elevation of 61m (200feet).[3] The 25m (82feet) tall rock reef to the east of the islet is called Pingfong Rock (screen rock;[3] Chinese: 屏風岩[11]). Along with the nearby Pengjia Islet and Huaping Islet, Mianhua Islet is considered of strategic importance to Taiwan.[12]
