Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
45.8km²
Area
45km
Coastline
185m
Highest point
5,202
People
29°C
Warmest sea
July
402km
To the mainland
When to go to Orchid Island
Best for the beach from December to April.
The sea is warmest in July (29 °C) and coolest in February (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean part of Taiwan
Orchid Island is an island in Taiwan. It covers 45.8 km², with 45 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 185 m. About 5,202 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 402 km away.
Getting there
- Lanyu Airport (KYD)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire in TaitungDiscover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesOrchid Island - Green Island
- 402 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From December to Aprilbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Orchid Island.
- 1beaches
- 5viewpointsWindy rock and 4 more
- 2lighthousesLanyu Lighthouse
- 1ferry terminals
- 3marinas
- 14named peaksHongtoushan, Xiangaishan, Shasheshan and 11 more
- 1waterfallsLidunala Waterfall
- 5ruins and archaeological sites
- 2dive centresTung Lung Scuba Diving
- 5waymarked walking routes
- 2campsites
- 53hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 29restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 186 m above the sea. 55 % of it is below 200 m.
- 22 %0–50 m
- 32 %50–200 m
- 45 %200–500 m
- <1 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Night low (°C) | 21 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 22 |
| Sea (°C) | 25 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 42 | 35 | 42 | 55 | 174 | 258 | 299 | 407 | 266 | 105 | 78 | 56 |
| Wet days | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
| Sun h/day | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 31 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 32 | 33 | 35 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.1 |
| 2021 | −0.7 | −0.3 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +1.2 |
| 2022 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +1.4 |
| 2023 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.3 | +0.3 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +1.7 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| 2025 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +1.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Green Island
Taiwan15 km²86 m68 km away
Taiwan IslandTaiwan35,883 km²3,952 m199 km away
Batan Island
Philippines71 km²1,009 m187 km away
Babuyan IslandPhilippines73 km²1,080 m284 km away
Yonaguni
Japan29 km²231 m306 km away
Calayan IslandPhilippines193 km²389 m302 km away
Iriomote IslandJapan290 km²470 m345 km away
Ishigaki IslandJapan223 km²529 m377 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q701647) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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