 Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east, with gently sloping plains in the west. ThePenghu Islands appear in the Taiwan Strait to the west of the main island. | |
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| Region | East Asia |
|---|---|
| Area | Ranked 138 |
| • Total | 36,197 km2 (13,976 sq mi) |
| • Land | 89.7% |
| • Water | 10.3% |
| Coastline | 1,566.3 km (973.3 mi) |
| Highest point | Yu Shan, 3,952 m (12,966 ft) |
| Climate | Tropical marine[1] |
| Natural resources | Small deposits ofcoal,natural gas,limestone,marble,asbestos,arable land[1],rice |
| Environmental issues | Air pollution,water pollution from industrial emissions andraw sewage,contamination of drinking water,trade in endangered species,low-level radioactive waste disposal[1] |
| Exclusive economic zone | 83,231 km2 (32,136 sq mi) |
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| Traditional Chinese | 臺灣 or台灣 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 台湾 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country inEast Asia. Theisland of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners asFormosa, has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi) and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about 180 kilometres (112 mi) across theTaiwan Strait from the southeastern coast of theMainland China. TheEast China Sea is to the north of the island, thePhilippine Sea to its east, theLuzon Strait directly to its south, and theSouth China Sea to its southwest. The ROC also controls a number ofsmaller islands, including thePenghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait,Kinmen andMatsu inFuchien near the Mainland coast, as well asPratas andTaiping in the South China Sea.
Geologically, the main island comprises a tiltedfault block, characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of five rugged mountain ranges running parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where the majority of the population resides. Several peaks exceed 3,500 m in height – the highest,Yu Shan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft), makes Taiwan the world'sfourth-highest island. Thetectonic boundary that formed these ranges remains active, and the island experiences many earthquakes, some of them highly destructive. There are also many[quantify] activesubmarine volcanoes in the Taiwan Straits.
The climate ranges fromtropical in the south tosubtropical in the north, and is governed by theEast Asian Monsoon. On average, fourtyphoons strike the main island each year. The heavily forested eastern mountains provide a habitat for a diverse range of wildlife, while humanland use in the western and northern lowlands is intensive.
The total land area of Taiwan is 36,197 km2 (13,976 sq mi),[2] slightly larger thanBelgium. It has a coastline of 1,566.3 km (973.3 mi).[1] The ROC claims anexclusive economic zone of 83,231 km2 (32,136 sq mi) with 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) and a territorial sea of 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi).[1][3]
The island of Taiwan, the largest of the archipelago, was known in the West until afterWorld War II asFormosa, from thePortugueseIlha Formosa ([ˌiʎɐfuɾˈmɔzɐ]), "beautiful island".[4] It is 394 km (245 mi) long and 144 km (89 mi) wide,[5] and has an area of 35,808 km2 (13,826 sq mi).[6] The northernmost point of the island isCape Fugui inNew Taipei'sShimen District. Thecentral point of the island is inPuli Township,Nantou County. The southernmost point on the island isCape Eluanbi inHengchun Township,Pingtung County.
The main island is separated from the southeast coast ofmainland China by theTaiwan Strait, which ranges from 220 km (140 mi) at its widest point to 130 km (81 mi) at its narrowest. Part of the continental shelf, the Strait is no more than 100 m (330 ft) deep, and has become a land bridge duringglacial periods.[7]Niushan Island in Nanlai village, Aoqian town, Pingtan County, Fuzhou, Fujian is the closest China (PRC)-administered island to the main island.[8]
To the south, the main island is separated from thePhilippine island ofLuzon by the 250 km (155 mi)-wideLuzon Strait. TheSouth China Sea lies to the southwest, theEast China Sea to the north, and thePhilippine Sea to the east.[9]
Smaller islands of the archipelago include thePenghu islands in the Taiwan Strait 50 km (31 mi) west of the main island, with an area of 127 km2 (49 sq mi), the tiny islet ofXiaoliuqiu off the southwest coast, andOrchid Island andGreen Island to the southeast, separated from the northernmost islands of the Philippines by theBashi Channel. The islands ofKinmen andMatsu near the coast ofFujian across theTaiwan Strait have a total area of 180 km2 (69 sq mi);[10] thePratas andTaiping islets in the South China Sea are also administered by the ROC, but are not part of the Taiwanese archipelago.[11][12]
The island of Taiwan was formed approximately 4 to 5 million years ago at a complexconvergent boundary between thePhilippine Sea Plate and theEurasian Plate. In a boundary running the length of the island and continuing southwards in theLuzon Volcanic Arc (includingGreen Island andOrchid Island), the Eurasian Plate is sliding under the Philippine Sea Plate.
Most of the island comprises a hugefault block tilted to the west.[13]The western part of the island, and much of the central range, consists of sedimentary deposits scraped from the descending edge of the Eurasian Plate. In the northeast of the island, and continuing eastwards in theRyukyu Volcanic Arc, the Philippine Sea Plate slides under the Eurasian Plate.[14][15][16]
The tectonic boundary remains active, and Taiwan experiences 15,000 to 18,000 earthquakes each year, of which 800 to 1,000 are noticed by people. The most catastrophic recent earthquake was the magnitude-7.3Chi-Chi earthquake, which occurred in the centre of Taiwan on 21 September 1999, killing more than 2,400 people.[17] On 4 March 2010 at about 01:20 UTC,a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit southwestern Taiwan in the mountainous area ofKaohsiung County.[18]Another major earthquake occurred on 6 February 2016, with a magnitude of 6.4. Tainan was damaged the most, with 117 deaths, most of them caused by the collapse of a 17-story apartment building.[19]
The terrain in Taiwan is divided into two parts: the flat to gently rolling plains in the west, where 90% of the population lives, and the mostly rugged forest-covered mountains in the eastern two-thirds.
The eastern part of the island is dominated by five mountain ranges, each running from north-northeast to south-southwest, roughly parallel to the east coast of the island. As a group, they extend 330 km (210 mi) from north to south and average about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from east to west. They include more than two hundred peaks with elevations of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft).[6]
TheCentral Mountain Range extends fromSu'ao in the northeast toEluanbi at the southern tip of the island, forming a ridge of high mountains and serving as the island's principal watershed. The mountains are predominantly composed of hard rock formations resistant to weathering and erosion, although heavy rainfall has deeply scarred the sides with gorges and sharp valleys. The relative relief of the terrain is usually extensive, and the forest-clad mountains with their extreme ruggedness are almost impenetrable. The east side of the Central Mountain Range is the steepest mountain slope in Taiwan, with fault scarps ranging in height from 120 to 1,200 m (390 to 3,900 ft).Taroko National Park, on the steep eastern side of the range, has good examples of mountainous terrain, gorges anderosion caused by a swiftly flowing river.
TheEast Coast Mountain Range extends down the east coast of the island from the mouth of theHualien River in the north toTaitung County in the south, and chiefly consist of sandstone and shale. It is separated from the Central Range by the narrowHuatung Valley, at an altitude of 120 m (390 ft). Although Hsinkangshan (新港山), the highest peak, reaches an elevation of 1,682 m (5,518 ft), most of the range is composed of large hills. Small streams have developed on the flanks, but only one large river cuts across the range. Badlands are located at the western foot of the range, where the ground water level is the lowest and rock formations are the least resistant to weathering. Raised coral reefs along the east coast and the frequent occurrences of earthquakes in the rift valley indicate that the fault block is still rising.
The ranges to the west of the Central range are divided into two groups separated by theSun Moon Lake Basin in the centre of the island. TheDadu andZhuoshui Rivers flow from the western slopes of the Central Range through the basin to the west coast of the island.
TheXueshan Range lies to the northwest of the Central Mountain Range, beginning atSandiaojiao, the northeast tip of the island, and gaining elevation as it extends southwest towardsNantou County.Xueshan, the main peak, is 3,886 m (12,749 ft) high.
TheYushan Range runs along the southwestern flank of the Central Range. It includes the island's tallest peak, the 3,952 m (12,966 ft)Yu Shan ('Jade Mountain')[1][20][21] which makes Taiwan the world'sfourth-highest island, and is the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of theKamchatka Peninsula,New Guinea Highlands andMount Kinabalu.[22]
TheAlishan Range lies west of the Yushan Range, across the valley of the south-flowingKaoping River. The range has major elevations between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,300 and 6,600 ft). The main peak, Data Mountain (大塔山), towers 2,663 m (8,737 ft).
Below the western foothills of the ranges, such as theHsinchu Hills and theMiaoli Hills, lie raisedterraces formed of material eroded from the ranges. These include theLinkou Plateau, theTaoyuan Plateau and theDadu Plateau. About 23% of Taiwan's land area consists of fertilealluvial plains andbasins watered by rivers running from the eastern mountains. Over half of this land lies in theChianan Plain in southwest Taiwan, with lesser areas in thePingtung Plain,Taichung Basin andTaipei Basin. The only sizable plain on the east coast is theYilan Plain in the northeast.[23]
The island of Taiwan lies across theTropic of Cancer, and its climate is influenced by theEast Asian Monsoon. Northern Taiwan has ahumid subtropical climate, with substantial seasonal variation of temperatures, while parts of central and most of southern Taiwan have atropical monsoon climate where seasonal temperature variations are less noticeable, with temperatures typically varying from warm to hot. During the winter (November to March), the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the island are mostly sunny. The summer monsoon (from May to October) accounts for 90% of the annual precipitation in the south, but only 60% in the north.[24] The average rainfall is approximately 2,600 mm per year.[24]
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Typhoons are most likely to strike between July and October, with on average about four direct hits per year. Intensive rain from typhoons often leads to disastrous mudslides.[24]
| Area | Max. temperature | Date | Earliest recording | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| °C | °F | |||
| Taipei City | 39.3 | 102.7 | 8 August 2013[25] | 1896 |
| Kaohsiung City | 37.6 | 99.7 | 15 September 2014[26] | 1932 |
| Taitung County | 40.2 | 104.4 | 9 May 2004[25] | |
| Taoyuan City | 37.9 | 100.2 | 15 September 2014[27] | |
Before extensive human settlement, the vegetation on Taiwan ranged fromtropical rainforest in the lowlands throughtemperate forests,boreal forest andalpine plants with increasing altitude.[30]Most of the plains and low-lying hills of the west and north of the island have been cleared for agricultural use since the arrival of theChinese immigrants during the 17th and 18th century. However the mountain forests are very diverse, with severalendemic species such asFormosan cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis) andTaiwan fir (Abies kawakamii), while the camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) was once also widespread at lower altitudes.
Taiwan is a centre of birdendemism (seeList of endemic birds of Taiwan).
Before the country'sindustrialization, the mountainous areas held several endemic animal species and subspecies, such as theSwinhoe's pheasant (Lophura swinhoii),Taiwan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea), theFormosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiwanensis orCervus nippon taiouanus) and theFormosan landlocked salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus). A few of these are nowextinct, and many others have been designatedendangered species.
Taiwan has 65 species of fireflies, the third highest density after Jamaica and Costa Rica. Fireflies are protected and their numbers are increasing, but they are threatened by climate change in the long term.[31]
Taiwan had relatively fewcarnivores, 11 species in total, of which theFormosan clouded leopard is likely extinct and theotter is restricted toKinmen island.[32] The largest carnivore is theFormosan black bear (Selanarctos thibetanus formosanus), a rare and endangered species.[33]
Nine national parks in Taiwan showcase the archipelago's diverse terrain, flora and fauna.Kenting National Park on the southern tip of Taiwan containsupliftedcoral reefs,moist tropical forest and marine ecosystems.Yushan National Park has alpine terrain, mountain ecology, forest types that vary with altitude, and remains of ancient roads.Yangmingshan National Park has volcanic geology, hot springs, waterfalls, and forest.Taroko National Park has a marble canyon, cliff, and fold mountains.Shei-Pa National Park has alpine ecosystems, geological terrain, and valley streams.Kinmen National Park has lakes, wetlands, coastal topography, flora and fauna-shaped island.Dongsha Atoll National Park has the Pratas reef atolls for integrity, a unique marine ecology, and biodiversity, and is a key habitat for the marine resources of the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.[34]
Natural resources on the islands include small deposits ofgold,copper,[35]coal,natural gas,limestone,marble, andasbestos.[1] The island is 55% forest and woodland (mostly on the mountains) and 24% arable land (mostly on the plains), with 15% going to other purposes. 5% is permanentpasture and 1% is permanent crops.
Because of the intensiveexploitation throughoutTaiwan's pre-modern and modern history, the island's mineral resources (e.g. coal, gold, marble), as well as wild animal reserves (e.g. deer), have been virtually exhausted. Moreover, much ofTaiwan's forestry resources, especiallyfirs were harvested duringJapanese rule for the construction ofshrines and have only recovered slightly since then. To this day, forests do not contribute to significant timber production mainly because of concerns about production costs and environmental regulations.
The few natural resources with significant economic value remaining in Taiwan are agriculture-associated.Sugarcane andrice have been cultivated in western Taiwan since the 17th century.Camphor extraction and sugar refining played an important role in Taiwan's exports from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century.[36] The importance of these industries declined mainly due to the reduction of international demand rather than the exhaustion of related natural resources.[37]
Domestic agriculture (rice being the dominant kind of crop) andfisheries retain some importance. Still, they have been greatly challenged by foreign imports since Taiwan's accession to theWorld Trade Organization in 2002. Consequently, upon the decline of subsistence, Taiwan's agriculture now relies heavily on the marketing and export of specialty crops, such asbananas,guavas,lychees,bell fruits, andhigh-mountain tea.[38]
Taiwan has significant coal deposits and some insignificantpetroleum andnatural gas deposits. As of 2010[update],oil accounts for 49.0% of the total energy consumption.Coal comes next with 32.1%, followed bynuclear energy with 8.3%,natural gas (indigenous and liquefied) with 10.2%, and energy from renewable sources with 0.5%. Taiwan hassix nuclear reactors and two under construction.[39] Nearly all oil and gas for transportation and power needs must be imported, making Taiwan particularly sensitive to fluctuations in energy prices. Taiwan is rich inwind energy resources, with wind farms both onshore and offshore, though limited land area favours offshore wind resources.[40] By promoting renewable energy, Taiwan's government hopes to also aid the nascent renewable energy manufacturing industry, and develop it into an export market.[citation needed]
Taiwan has a population of over 23 million, the vast majority of whom live in the lowlands near the western coast of the island.[5]The island is highly urbanized, with nearly 9 million people living in theTaipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area at the northern end, and over 2 million each in the urban areas ofKaohsiung andTaichung.[41]
Taiwanese indigenous peoples comprise approximately 2% of the population, and now mostly live in the mountainous eastern part of the island.[42][43] Most scholars believe their ancestors arrived in Taiwan by sea between 4000 and 3000 BC, most likely from southeastern China.[44]
Han Chinese make up over 95% of the population.[45] Immigrants from southernFujian began to farm the area around modern Tainan and Kaohsiung from the 17th century, later spreading across the western and northern plains and absorbing the indigenous population of those areas.Hakka people from easternGuangdong arrived later and settled the foothills further inland, but the rugged uplands of the eastern half of the island remained the exclusive preserve of the indigenous peoples until the early 20th century.[46] A further 1.2 million people from throughout China entered Taiwan at the end of theChinese Civil War in 1949.[47]
Some areas in Taiwan with high population density and many factories are affected by heavy pollution. The most notable areas are the southern suburbs of Taipei and the western stretch from Tainan to Lin Yuan, south of Kaohsiung. By the late 20th century, Taipei suffered from extensive vehicle and factoryair pollution, but after the government required mandatory use of unleaded petrol and established theEnvironmental Protection Administration in 1987 to regulate air quality, the air quality of Taiwan has improved dramatically.[48]Motor scooters, especially older or cheapertwo-stroke versions, which are ubiquitous in Taiwan, contribute disproportionately to urban air pollution.[49][50] The Taichung Power Plant also contributes significantly to air pollution, producing more CO2 than the country of Switzerland.[51]
Other environmental issues includewater pollution from industrial emissions andraw sewage,contamination of drinking water supplies,trade in endangered species, andlow-level radioactive waste disposal.[1] Though regulation of sulfate aerosol emissions from petroleum combustion is becoming stringent,acid rain remains a threat to the health of residents and forests. Atmospheric scientists in Taiwan estimate that more than half of the pollutants causing Taiwan's acid rain are carried from China by monsoon winds.[52]
Taiwan historically had a serious problem with the illegal dumping of household and industrial waste which became so severe that Taiwan was known as "garbage island". This high level of pollution led to civil and government action, by 2022 the recycling rate was one of the highest in the world at 55%. Community activism was key to this change along with innovations such as garbage trucks which play music.[53]
Illegal extraction by Chinesesand dredging vessels has caused significant damage to the marine environment of Taiwan's outlying areas. The Taiwan Banks are a particularly hard hit target.[54]Bottom trawling is a controversial practice due to the environmental damage it causes. Bottom trawlers with a tonnage under 50 are restricted from trawling within 5 km of shore and those over 50 tons are restricted from trawling within 12 km of shore.[55] In 2023 the maximum penalty for ocean pollution was raised from US$48,820 to US$3.25 million.[56]
仔細研究地圖發現大陸與台灣兩地最接近的地方至少也有125海里，這個地點就是福建省平潭縣海壇島（即平潭島）東端的——牛山島。
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)The government credits the APC system with helping to reduce the number of days when the country's pollution standard index score exceeded 100 from 7% of days in 1994 to 3% of days in 2001.
Taipei has the most obvious air pollution, primarily caused by the motorbikes and scooters used by millions of the city's residents.
In Taiwan's cities, the main source of air pollution is the waste gas exhausted by scooters, especially by the great number of two-stroke engine scooters.
Geographic data related toGeography of Taiwan atOpenStreetMap| Mountain ranges |
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* The place names listed above are mainly romanized asWade–Giles that used in most of academic articles. | ||
| 100,000 km2 (38,610 sq mi) and greater | ||
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| 20,000–99,999 km2 (7,722–38,610 sq mi) |
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Authority control databases: National |
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