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Formosa (beautiful island)
is what the Portuguese called Taiwan when they came here in the 16th
century and saw the island's verdant beauty.
Located along the southeast coast of the Asian Continent at the
western edge of the Pacific Ocean, between Japan and the Philippines
and right in the center of the East-Asian island arc, Taiwan forms a
vital line of communication in the Asia-Pacific region. It covers an
area of approximately 36,000 square kilometers (14,400 square miles)
and is longer than it is wide. Two-thirds of the total area is covered
by forested mountains and the remaining area consists of hilly
country, platforms and highlands, coastal plains and basins. The
Central Mountain Range stretches along the entire island from north to
south, thus forming a natural line of demarcation for rivers on the
eastern and western sides of the island. On the west side lies the
Yushan Mountain Range with its main peak reaching 3,952 meters, the
highest mountain peak in Northeast Asia.
THE MOUNTAINS
Taiwan has been generously equipped with forests. Some 293
mountain peaks are more than 3,000 meters high, geographically making
Taiwan incomparable to any other country in the world. As mountains
can be found anywhere, mountain climbing is a popular leisure activity
in Taiwan. One can choose to walk the mountains on the outskirts of
the city or accept the challenge of climbing one of the numerous high
mountains, follow the course of streams and valleys, trace back the
source of rivers, or cross entire mountains. In any case, lush scenery
will unfold before your eyes and it will not take too long before
you'll be convinced of the beauty of Taiwan's mountains. In addition
to this, six national parks offer a variety of distinct topographic
landscapes: the Taroko National Park, a narrow ravine created by a
river which has cut through the mountains, Yushan (Jade Mountain)
National Parkhighest containing the highest landmark of Taiwan and
also the highest peak in Northeast Asia, Shei-Pa National Park,
featuring with its dangerously steep slopes; Yangmingshan National
Park, offering volcanic craters and lakes; Kenting National Park,
encompassing Taiwan's only tropical area which breathes a truly
Southeast Asian atmosphere; and Kinmen National Park, with its storied
granite hills.
WORLD OF THE SEA
Taiwan has a very rich marine ecology. In the Pacific Ocean on
Taiwan's east, groups of bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins,
Risso's dolphins, and pantropical spotted dolphins can be seen jumping
out of the water. Azure seas and magnificent coral reefs can be found
in Kenting on the south end of Taiwan, and on Green Island and the
islands of the Penghu Archipelago. It is there for you to discover and
marvel at.
ECO-PARKS
Taiwan has a warm and humid climate and a variety of terrain,
including sandbars, plains, basins, hills, plateaus, and mountains. As
a result, the island is home to abundant animal and plant life,
including various endemic species, and can therefore be regarded as
one gigantic eco-park. Because of the formation of mud flats and
mangroves along the coast, large numbers of migratory birds from
around the world are attracted to Taiwan, where they use these coastal
areas as a temporary shelter and rest area before they resume their
journey. In spring and summer there are the birds that leave the
tropics behind to spend this season in Taiwan, such as the
eye-catching fairy pitta, known in Chinese as the eight-color bird,
while during autumn birds from colder northern areas come to Taiwan to
spend the winter, such as the black-faced spoonbill of which only 530
are left worldwide. Each year the gray-faced buzzard will be right on
time to participate in the Double Tenth celebrations (Taiwan's
national day), and there are also countless other migratory birds that
use Taiwan either as a stopover or as their final destination, one way
or the other adding exuberant vitality to Taiwan's wildlife. One
surprise after the other will come to you when traveling in Taiwan. |
