 The broad consensus on the Urheimat (homeland) of Austronesian languages as well as the Neolithic early Austronesian peoples is accepted to be Taiwan, as well as the Penghu Islands.They are believed to have descended from ancestral populations in coastal mainland southern China, which are generally referred to as the "preAustronesians".Through these pre-Austronesians, Austronesians may also share a common ancestry with neighboring groups in Neolithic southern China.