Administratively, the island is part of
Pingtan County, which also includes several smaller islands and part of the nearby mainland. Most of the county's towns, including its seat of government at
Tancheng, are on the island. Large areas of the island's coast have undergone
land reclamation, along with major building and infrastructure projects. Pingtan is separated from
mainland China by the Haitan Strait. Most of the nearby mainland is the
county-level city of
Fuqing, administered as part of the
prefecture-level city of
Fuzhou. Pingtan is separated from
Taiwan Island by the
Taiwan Strait. Following the completion of its bridge to the mainland in 2010, Pingtan may be considered as the closest part of the Chinese "mainland" to the Taiwan Island. Under current international agreement, the island's southernmost extremity forms the boundary between the
East and
South China Seas. In the still-unapproved draft of the new edition of the
IHO's
Limits of Oceans and Seas, the
northernmost extremity of the islandforms the boundary between the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, with the South China Sea having its northern boundary moved to the south end of the strait.
Climate Under the
Köppen climate classification, Pingtan has a
humid subtropical climate (
Cfa) climate, characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters. Over the course of the year, the average temperature is about 66.92 °F. The hottest day of the year is between July and August, with an average 82.4 °F. The coldest day of the year is between January and February, with an average 51.8 °F. Pingtan has never experienced an extreme temperature under 32 °F. Because Pingtan is located between Haitan Strait and
Taiwan Strait, the windspeed is high with annual average 4.8 m/s (10 mph).
Environment "Blue tears" is a phenomenon caused by a bloom of the plankton
Vargula hilgendorfii. This animal radiates light when disturbed in turbulent water, thus creating a blue glow. This usually occurs in summer, during April to August. "Blue tears" attracts many tourists to Pingtan. However, a large outbreak of the phenomenon may harm the environment, as it depletes oxygen and releases toxins in the sea. This may cause a
red tide. ==Economy==