Guishan Island (Yilan)

History

The local population, consisting mainly of fishermen, was relocated in 1977 due to the hardships associated with living on the island. Between 1977 and 2000, the island was used as the site of a military base and was closed to the public.

In 2000, the island was incorporated into the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area as a maritime ecological park and officially reopened to tourists. Currently, it is managed as a tourist destination and natural conservation area, but there are restrictions on visitors numbers due to environmental protection.

On 13 May 2016, President Ma Ying-jeou visited the island.

In December 2016 until February 2017, the island was closed for environmental protection reasons.

On 3 April 2024, a large portion of the island collapsed into the ocean following the 2024 Taiwan earthquake.

Geology

The island is the top of an andesite stratovolcano which rises from the seafloor. It is the only active volcano in Taiwan, displaying active fumaroles and solfataras. It has an area of 2.841 km2, and the highest point reaches 361 m above sea level.

Ecology

An endemic species of crab, Xenograpsus testudinatus feeds on sulfur and lives around underwater hot springs of the island. Surrounding waters support a rich ecosystem that attracts the top predators of the ocean; cetaceans. This allows whale watching as one of major attractions in local tourism, targeting mostly smaller toothed whales such as pygmy sperm whales, false killer whales, and dolphins, while larger whales such as sperm whales and humpback may be observed less frequently.

Head Turning of the Turtle Mountain

From different views at different locations of Yilan County, the shape of Gueishan Island is quite different. Also the shape of the turtle's head is different; from northeast coastal areas of Toucheng Township such as Shihcheng and Dasi, the shape is close to the head of a turtle, while from Luodong and Wujie Townships, the shape is triangular. The reason for this is the curvy shape of the seashore of Yilan, circling the very island. There is hence the term "Head Turning of the Turtle Mountain" (Mandarin: 龜山轉頭；Taiwanese: 龜山踅頭 Ku-suann se̍h thâu ).

Visiting the island

Before going to the island, visitor numbers have to be reviewed to see which day is available for registration.

The application must be completed and shipping agreed with local ferry owners at least one week prior to the visiting date. There is also another application form for going to the highest point of the island, which is often restricted.

References

References

1. "Kueishantao".
2. link. zh-tw. 宜蘭縣頭城鎮公所 Toucheng Township Office. zh-tw. 全島面積2.841平方公里，
3. (7 October 2019). "Guishan Island".
4. (1 July 2019). "Watch dolphins and whales".
5. (March 2011). "Taiwan".
6. link
7. link. Ministry of the Interior]]
8. (4 July 2010). "Premier inspects scenic Gueishan Island". Focus Taiwan News Channel.
9. link. zh-tw. 中華民國總統府 Office of the President Republic of China (Taiwan). (13 May 2016). zh-tw. 馬英九總統今（13）日上午前往宜蘭縣視察龜山島401高地周邊設施並慰訪龜山島安檢所海巡幹部，除對海巡人員的辛勞表達肯定與慰勉之意，亦重申我漁民在公海之漁權，並期待臺日雙方能就沖之鳥礁爭議持續進行協商。
10. (2 April 2024). "台湾7.2可怕强震 宜兰外海惊见龟山岛「龟头断裂」".
11. (28 February 2017). "Turtle Island to be reopened to tourists Wednesday". Focus Taiwan.
12. [[Apple Daily (Taiwan)]]. 2015. [http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/new/20150607/624358/ 龜山島「鯨」奇　船長：第一次看到那麼大的]. Retrieved on October 06, 2017
13. ba ha. 2014. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsjpBJqqpz0 2014.12.24 龜山島船釣 ~ 遇到鯨魚]. [[YouTube]]. Retrieved on October 06, 2017