This perhaps explains why an earlier name for the Pescadores was Pinghu or Calm Lake. The Pescadores have played an important role in the history of Taiwan. When, in imperial times, Chinese navigators set sail for Taiwan and places beyond, they arrived first in the Pescadores.
眾說紛紜，其中最合理的說法是，澎湖灣為群島屏峙環抱，形成內海，灣內的馬公港形狀似湖；儘管港外波濤洶湧，港內卻波平如鏡，澎湖舊名「平湖」，便由此而來。