Located at the mouth of the Min River, the Matsu archipelago is a full 114 nautical miles from Keelung Harbor on the main island of Taiwan, whereas Kaoteng Island, Matsu's closest island to the Fujian coast, is only 9.3 kilometers from PRC territory.
位居閩江口外，馬祖列島距離台灣本島的基隆港足足有一百一十四海浬，而列島中距離大陸最近的高登島，相隔則不過九・二五公里。