Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated Islands are located at 25°40'-26°00' N and 123°20'-124°40' E, approximately 356 kilometers from Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 385 kilometers from Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, and 190 kilometers from Keelung City, Taiwan Province.
Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are located to the northeast of China’s Taiwan Island, and lies in waters ranging from 140 to 180 meters deep. To its east are Ryukyu Islands, separated by the 2,000-meter-deep Okinawa Trough.
Also known as Diaoyu-Tai, Diaoyu-Yu, and Diaoyu-Shan, Diaoyu Dao is located at 25°44.6′N and 123°28.4′E. It is 3,641 meters long and 1,905 meters wide, with a total area of 3.91 square kilometers. Reaching 362 meters above sea level, it is flat on the north side and rises steeply towards the southeast. Its jagged eastern reefs resemble spires. Its peaks run east to west.
Covering an area of 0.91 square kilometers, 1,293 by 1,102 meters, Huangwei Yu is located at 25°55.4′N and 123°40.9′E, 27 kilometers southeast of Diaoyu Dao. It is the second largest island in the area, rising 117 meters above sea level. A round, extinct volcano with a crater, it is taller at the center and surrounded by sheer cliffs in the east with magnificent vertical-fissure rocks. With palm trees and bushes covering its huge volcanic formations, it has been dubbed “Bird Island” due to its heavy avian presence.
Located at 25°55.3′N and 124°33.5′N at the easternmost tip of Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islets, Chiwei Yu is shaped like a scalene triangle, 110 kilometers from Diaoyu Dao. Covering an area of 0.065 square kilometers, 484 by 194 meters, it reaches up like a spire, 75 meters above sea level, with a bedrock coast, steep cliffs, and reefs mostly found to the north and west.
Beixiao Dao is located at 25°43.8′N and 123°32.5E, 5 kilometers east of Diaoyu Dao. Covering an area of 0.33 square kilometers, 1,030 by 583 meters, it reaches 125 meters above sea level in the shape of a parallelogram, stretching from southeast to northwest.
Nanxiao Dao is located at 25°43.4′N and 123°33.0′E, to the southeast of Beixiao Dao and 5.5 kilometers from Diaoyu Dao. Reaching an elevation of 139 meters, it covers an area of 0.45 square kilometers, 1.147 by 590 meters. Oval shaped, it rises steeply on its southeastern slope, with a plateau across the center. It has been dubbed “Snake Island” for its numerous snakes.
Bei Yu is located at 25°46.9′N and 123°32.6′E, six kilometers northeast of Diaoyu Dao. It covers an area of 0.02 square kilometers, 193 by 142 meters. With an elevation of 24 meters, it is triangular, with a flat area in the west.
Nan Yu is located at 25°45.3′N and 123°34.0′E, 7.4 kilometers northeast of Diaoyu Dao. It covers an area of 0.007 square kilometers, 170 by 75 meters, with an elevation of 4.8 meters, in the shape of a crescent moon. No vegetation is found on the islet.
Fei Yu is located at 25°44.1′N and 123°30.4′E, 1.5 kilometers southeast of Diaoyu Dao. It covers an area of 0.001 square kilometers, 63 by 33 meters, with an elevation of 2 meters. Shaped like a shrimp tail, it features sheer cliffs on the southwest. No vegetation is found on the Island.