Place comparison

Penghu compared with Taiwan: area, population and density

Penghu County represents a small share of Taiwan’s land and registered population, with its county archipelago measured as one whole.

Place A Grouped by country or region Place B Grouped by country or region

Equal-area outline comparison

Outlines are centered and scaled by official land area; position does not show geographic location.

Area

Population

Population density

Area data date

Population data date

The guide below belongs to this pair: Penghu County and Taiwan. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.

Direct answer

How different are Penghu County and Taiwan?

Penghu County covers 128 km² (49.4 sq mi); Penghu County's area is about 0.35% of Taiwan's. Its reported population is 107,901; Penghu County's population is about 0.46% of Taiwan's. By average density, Penghu County's population density is 1.31 times Taiwan's.

Area difference

Penghu County's area is about 0.35% of Taiwan's 128 km² (49.4 sq mi) · 36,197.3 km² (13,976 sq mi)

Population difference

Penghu County's population is about 0.46% of Taiwan's 107,901 · 23,299,132

Density difference

Penghu County's population density is 1.31 times Taiwan's 843.2 /km² (2,184 /sq mi) · 643.7 /km² (1,667 /sq mi)

Full data and sources for each place: Penghu County area & population, Taiwan area & population

Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 133 km; time difference: none.

On a familiar scale

Penghu County ≈ 81% of Washington, D.C. (reference rung) 1,186 m² of land per resident
Taiwan ≈ 1.44 × Maryland (reference rung) 1,554 m² of land per resident

Reference scales come from U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer Files: land area of states and counties , as of 2025-01-01.

How to read it

Penghu here means the full county archipelago, not only Penghu Main Island. The official inventory covers 90 islands.

Geography and shape

Penghu is a compact offshore archipelago in the Taiwan Strait; Taiwan’s administrative land area is dominated by its large mountainous main island. The comparison therefore contrasts a county made of many small islands with the much larger national-scale land total.

Population context

Penghu accounts for a small share of Taiwan’s registered population, but its population share is slightly larger than its land-area share. Its county-wide average density is consequently higher than the Taiwan-wide average shown here.

Boundaries and definitions

Penghu means all 90 islands in the county’s official inventory, including inhabited and uninhabited islands; it does not mean Penghu Main Island alone. Taiwan uses official administrative land area and registered population. Penghu’s area date marks when the current inventory was accessed.

Penghu County: The full Penghu County archipelago: 90 islands in the county inventory. Population is the registered year-end total; the area figure is the current official inventory accessed September 4, 2026.

Taiwan: Registered population and official administrative land area.

In-depth guide

How should Penghu County and Taiwan be understood in context?

Penghu occupies a very small share of Taiwan’s land and registered population, yet its county-wide density can exceed the Taiwan-wide average. The result looks surprising until the two geographic units and their settlement patterns are read carefully.

Penghu means a county archipelago

The official Penghu inventory contains 90 islands. Its area and population are county totals rather than figures for Penghu Main Island alone. Taiwan uses its complete administrative land area, which is dominated by the much larger mountainous main island.

This makes the page a part-to-whole comparison as well as a geographic comparison. Penghu is administered within Taiwan, so the shares should not be added as if they were two independent countries.

Why a small share can have a higher density

Penghu’s share of registered population is slightly larger than its share of land. Dividing those totals therefore produces a higher county average than Taiwan’s overall figure. The calculation is mathematically direct even if it feels counterintuitive.

Taiwan’s denominator includes extensive mountain areas with limited settlement. Penghu’s land is small and settlement is concentrated on a subset of the islands. Neither average tells us how evenly residents are distributed inside its boundary.

Use the share as a mental model

The comparison helps readers picture how small the county is relative to Taiwan and how a modest population fits into that land. It also provides a reference for comparing other East Asian islands with a familiar Taiwanese administration.

It does not measure sea area, transport isolation, seasonal visitors or the population present on a typical day. Those factors affect island life but are outside a registered-population and land-area comparison.

Questions people ask

About this geographic comparison

Which is bigger, Penghu County or Taiwan?

Taiwan is bigger, with a land area about 282.9× that of Penghu County (Penghu County 128 vs Taiwan 36,197.3 km², or 49.4 sq mi vs 13,976 sq mi).

How big is Penghu County compared to Taiwan?

Taiwan has 36,197.3 km² (13,976 sq mi) and Penghu County has 128 km² (49.4 sq mi): the ratio is 282.9×. Conversely, Penghu County has 0.35% of Taiwan's area.

Does Penghu County or Taiwan have more people?

Taiwan has 23,299,132 people (2025-12-31), versus 107,901 in Penghu County (2024-12-31): 215.9×. In reverse, Penghu County has 0.46% of Taiwan's population. Penghu County is 0.35% the size of Taiwan — 128 km² vs 36,197.3 km² (49.4 sq mi vs 13,976 sq mi). Population is 0.46% as high; average density is 1.31× higher. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.

Is Penghu County bigger than Taiwan?

No. Taiwan is bigger, with a land area about 282.9× that of Penghu County (Penghu County 128 vs Taiwan 36,197.3 km², or 49.4 sq mi vs 13,976 sq mi). The area difference is 36,069.4 km². Taiwan has 36,197.3 km² (13,976 sq mi) and Penghu County has 128 km² (49.4 sq mi): the ratio is 282.9×. Conversely, Penghu County has 0.35% of Taiwan's area.

How many times does Penghu County fit into Taiwan?

By land area, Penghu County fits into Taiwan about 282.9 times (36,197.3 km² vs 128 km², or 13,976 sq mi vs 49.4 sq mi). It is an area ratio, not a jigsaw fit: coastlines and shapes differ, which the outlines on this page show at one scale.

What percentage of Taiwan’s area is Penghu?

Penghu County is 0.35% the size of Taiwan — 128 km² vs 36,197.3 km² (49.4 sq mi vs 13,976 sq mi).

Does Penghu mean only Penghu Main Island?

No. It means the whole of Penghu County and all 90 islands listed in the county inventory.

Why can Penghu’s average density exceed Taiwan’s?

Penghu’s share of Taiwan’s registered population is larger than its share of Taiwan’s land. That relationship raises its county-wide population-per-square-kilometre result.

Sources

Outline data:

Natural Earth · Public domain