China
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
2.0km²
Area
8km
Coastline
76m
Highest point
28°C
Warmest sea
August
4km
To the mainland
When to go to Gulangyu
Best for the beach in October.
The sea is warmest in August (28 °C) and coolest in February (15 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from May to November.
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.
Island of China
Gulangyu is an island in China. It covers 2.0 km², with 8 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 76 m. The nearest mainland is 4 km away. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Getting there
- Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 13 km in a straight line
- Ferries5 ferry terminals on the island
- 4 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- Octoberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Gulangyu.
- 9beachesDadeji Beach, Gangzaihou Beach and 7 more
- 20viewpointsSunlight Rock and 19 more
- 5ferry terminalsGulangyu Gangqin Pier, Sanqiutian Ferry Terminal, Neicuo'ao Ferry Terminal and 2 more
- 2marinas
- 5named peaksBijia Hill, Longtou Hill, Yanwei Hill and 2 more
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesSite of former warehouse of Boyd & Co, Site of Former Kulangsu Municipal Council
- 141hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 112restaurants, 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 20 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 98 %0–50 m
- 2 %50–200 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.
2 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) | 17 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 18 |
| Night low (°C) | 9 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 11 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 18 |
| Rain (mm) | 57 | 59 | 115 | 130 | 205 | 222 | 141 | 188 | 134 | 42 | 60 | 49 |
| Wet days | 6 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 19 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Sun h/day | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
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 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.2 | −1.0 | +0.9 | −0.2 | −1.3 | +0.2 | +0.5 | −1.0 | −0.6 | −0.1 |
| 2021 | −1.6 | +1.1 | +0.4 | −0.3 | +1.7 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +1.1 | +1.7 | +0.6 | −0.1 |
| 2022 | ±0.0 | −1.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −1.0 | −0.3 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.2 | −0.1 |
| 2023 | −0.3 | −0.4 | −1.2 | −0.5 | +0.3 | +1.5 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +1.0 | ±0.0 |
| 2024 | −0.4 | +0.1 | −1.1 | +1.4 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +2.0 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +1.3 | +0.7 | −0.5 |
| 2025 | −1.2 | −1.2 | −1.1 | −0.3 | +1.4 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +3.1 | +0.4 | +0.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Taiwan
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1025339) · 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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