Around or before the Late Pleistocene, Nantai was only a rocky islet in the mouth of the Min River.[6] It mostly comprised the present-day Gaogai Mountain (高盖山), Hama Mountain (虾蟆山; 'toad mountain'), and Yantai Mountain (烟台山),[6][7] amounting to a land area of less than 30 km2 (12 sq mi). The island gradually expanded to over 100 km2 (39 sq mi) in the modern era, leading to the formation of Heidong Mountain (鬼洞山), Miaofeng Mountain (妙峰山), Guilong Mountain (圭龙山), and Qingyuan Peak (清源顶). The island continues to expand toward the northwest and southeast.[6]
Geography
Nantai has an area of 118.2 km2 (45.6 sq mi), and is shaped like a rotated "S" along a southeast-northwest axis. It is oblong, with a comparatively short north-south length and long east-west span.[8] The highest point on the island is Gaoshan Mountain (高盖山) at 202.6 m (665 ft), though most of the island is below 150 m (490 ft).[8]
References
^Alternatively known as the Nantai River (Chinese: 南台江; pinyin: Nántái Jiāng), abbreviated "Tai River" (台江). Hence the island's name, Nantai, meaning "south of the Tai [River]".[1]
^ abc南台岛. 福州市地名区域网 [Fuzhou Place Names and Districts]. Fuzhou People's Government. Retrieved 2013-12-13. 南台岛位于福州市仓山区,...南北两港之间。" and "岛北一段水域......因此而得名。[permanent dead link]
^南台岛. 福州市地名区域网 [Fuzhou Place Names and Districts]. Fuzhou People's Government. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-13. 岛上高盖山......淤积其间连接而成。
^ ab南台岛. 福州市地名区域网 [Fuzhou Place Names and Districts]. Fuzhou People's Government. Retrieved 2013-12-13. 南台岛东西长......(螺洲到烟台山)", "高盖山为全岛最高....202.6米。", "地表起伏大....海拔在150米以下[permanent dead link]