Geography of The Pescadores Islands
Pescadores, a group of 64 islands 25 miles (40 km) west of Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait. They are administered by the Chinese Nationalist government on Taiwan. The largest island is Penghu, on which is located Makung, the islands' chief city. The islands have deposits of phosphate, and the major industries are fishing and fish processing. Corn, fruit, peanuts, and sugarcane are grown.
Portuguese who visited the islands in the 16th century called them the Pescadores (fishermen's islands). The islands were part of China until 1895, when they were ceded to Japan following the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95. They were returned to China after World War II and remained under Chinese Nationalist control after the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949.