Pescadores << `pehs` kuh DOHR eez >> are a group of 64 islands that cover a total area of 49 square miles (127 square kilometers) in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China. The Taiwanese name for the islands is P’eng-hu.
A Chinese expedition discovered the islands in 1367. The islands were named Pescadores (fishermen’s islands) in the 1500’s by Portuguese sailors. They were occupied by the Dutch from 1622 to 1624, when China regained them. In the late 1600’s, the Pescadores became a dependency of Taiwan and have belonged to Taiwan ever since. Fishing is a major industry on the islands. About 105,000 people live in the Pescadores.
