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"Formosa" redirects here. For other uses, see .
For other parts of the state known as , see , , ,
: (Ilha) Formosa
Literal meaning
beautiful island
Taiwan (historically called Formosa, from : Ilha Formosa, "Beautiful Island", Portuguese pronunciation: ) it is located some 180 kilometres (112 miles) off the southeastern coast of
across the . It has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi) and spans the . The
lies to the north, the
to the east, the
directly to the south and the
to the southwest. Taiwan Island makes up 99% of the territory of the
(ROC), after the ROC lost its
territory in the
and fled to the island in 1949, and the country itself is commonly referred to as simply "Taiwan".
Taiwan is a tilted , characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of five rugged mountain ranges parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where most of Taiwan's population reside. There are six peaks over 3500 meters, the highest being
at 3,952 metres (12,966 ft), making Taiwan the world's . The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges is still active, and the island experiences many earthquakes, a few of them highly destructive. There are also many active
in the Taiwan Straits.
The climate ranges from
in the south to
in the north, and is governed by the . The island is struck by an average of four
in each year. The eastern mountains are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife, while land use in the western and northern lowlands is intensive.
Map of the Taiwan archipelago
The total area of the
is 36,193 km2 (13,974 sq mi), making it slightly smaller than the combined area of
and , or slightly larger than the territory of . It has a coastline of 1,566.3 km (973.3 mi). The ROC claims an
of 200  (370.4  230.2 mi) and a territorial sea of 12 nmi (22.2  13.8 mi).
The main island of the archipelago, comprising over 99% of ROC territory, is the island of Taiwan, which is 394 km (245 mi) long, 144 km (89 mi) wide and has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi). The shape of the main island is similar to a
oriented in a south-to-north direction, and therefore Taiwanese, especially the
speakers, often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato".
The island of Taiwan is separated from the southeast coast of mainland
by the , 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 during .
To the south, the island of Taiwan is separated from the
by the 250 km (155 mi)-wide . The
lies to the southwest, the
to the north, and the
to the east.
Smaller islands of the archipelago include the
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 of
off the southwest coast, and
to the southeast, separated from the northernmost islands of the Philippines by the . The islands of ,
near the coast of
across the , with a total area of 180 km2 (69 sq mi) and the
islets in the South China Sea, are also administered by , but are not part of the Taiwanese archipelago.
Main article:
Taiwan lies on the western edge of the Philippine Plate
The island of Taiwan was formed approximately 4 to 5 million years ago at a complex
between the
and the . In a boundary running the length of the island and continuing southwards in the
(including
and ), the Eurasian Plate is sliding under the Philippine Sea Plate.
Most of the island comprises a huge
tilted to the west. 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 the
Volcanic Arc, the Philippine Sea Plate slides under the Eurasian Plate.
The tectonic boundary remains active, and Taiwan experiences 15,000 to 18,000
each year, of which 800 to 1,000 are noticed by people. The most catastrophic recent earthquake was the magnitude-7.3 , which occurred in the center of Taiwan on 21 September 1999, killing more than 2,400 people. On 4 March 2010 at about 01:20 UTC,
hit southwestern Taiwan in the mountainous area of .
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).
extends from
in the northeast to
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 , with fault scarps ranging in height from 120 to 1,200 m (390 to 3,900 ft). , on the steep eastern side of the range, has good examples of mountainous terrain, gorges and
caused by a swiftly flowing river.
extends down the east coast of the island from the mouth of the
in the north to
in the south, and chiefly consist of sandstone and shale. It is separated from the Central Range by the narrow , 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 the
Basin in the centre of the island. The
flow from the western slopes of the Central Range through the basin to the west coast of the island.
in northwestern Taiwan
lies to the northwest of the Central Mountain Range, beginning at , the northeast tip of the island, and gaining elevation as it extends southwest towards . , the main peak, is 3,886 m (12,749 ft) high.
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), which makes Taiwan the world's , and is the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of the .
lies west of the Yushan Range, across the valley of the south-flowing . 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 the
and the , lie raised
formed of material eroded from the ranges. These include the , the
and the . About 23% of Taiwan's land area consists of fertile
watered by rivers running from the eastern mountains. Over half of this land lies in the
in southwest Taiwan, with lesser areas in the ,
and . The only sizable plain on the east coast is the
in the northeast.
The island of Taiwan lies across the , and its climate is influenced by the . Northern and central Taiwan has a , with substantial seasonal variation of temperatures, while most of southern and south eastern Taiwan has a
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.
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.
Max Temperature
Earliest Recording
8 August 2013
15 September 2014
9 May 2004
15 September 2014
Before extensive human settlement, the vegetation on Taiwan ranged from
in the lowlands through ,
with increasing altitude. 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 the
immigrants during the 17th and 18th century. However the mountain forests are very diverse, with several
species such as
(Chamaecyparis formosensis) and
(Abies kawakamii), while the Camphor Laurel () was once also widespread at lower altitudes.
Taiwan is a center of bird
Prior to the country's , the mountainous areas held several endemic animal species and subspecies, such as the
(Lophura swinhoii),
(Urocissa caerulea), the Formosan
(Cervus nippon taiwanensis or Cervus nippon taiouanus) and the
(Oncorhynchus masou formosanus). A few of these are now , and many others have been designated .
Taiwan had relatively few , 11 species in total, of which the
are likely extinct. The largest carnivore is the
(Selanarctos thibetanus formosanus), a rare and endangered species.
Nine national parks in Taiwan showcase the diverse terrain, flora and fauna of the archipelago.
on the southern tip of Taiwan contains
and marine ecosystems.
has alpine terrain, mountain ecology, forest types that vary with altitude, and remains of ancient road.
National Park has volcanic geology, hot springs, waterfalls, and forest.
has marble canyon, cliff, and fold mountains.
has alpine ecosystems, geological terrain, and valley streams.
has lakes, wetlands, coastal topography, flora and fauna-shaped island.
has the Pratas reef atolls for integrity, a unique marine ecology, biodiversity, and is a key habitat for the marine resources of the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan fir ()
Natural resources on the islands include small deposits of , , , , , , and . 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 permanent
and 1% is permanent crops.
Because of the intensive
throughout , 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 of its forestry resources, especially
were harvested during
for the construction of
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 essentially agriculture-associated.
and rice have been cultivated in western Taiwan since the 17th century.
extraction and sugarcane refining played an important role in Taiwan's exportation from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. The importance of these industries subsequently declined not because of the exhaustion of related natural resources but mainly due to the decline of international demand.
Domestic agriculture (rice being the dominant kind of crop) and
retain importance to a certain degree, but they have been greatly challenged by foreign imports since Taiwan's accession to the
in 2001. Consequently, upon the decline of subsistent importance, Taiwan's agriculture now relies heavily on the marketing and exportation of specialty crops, such as banana, , , , and high-mountain tea.
Taiwan has significant coal deposits and some insignificant
deposits. As of 2010,
accounts for 49.0% of the total energy consumption.
comes next with 32.1%, followed by
with 8.3%,
(indigenous and liquefied) with 10.2%, and energy from renewable sources with 0.5%. Taiwan has
and two under construction. 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 in
resources, with wind farms both onshore and offshore, though limited land area favors offshore wind resources. By promoting renewable energy, Taiwan's government hopes to also aid the nascent renewable energy manufacturing industry, and develop it into an export market.[]
See also: ,
Population density of Taiwan
Taiwan has a population of over 23 million, the vast majority of whom live in the lowlands near the western coast of the island. The island is highly urbanized, with nearly 9 million people living in the
at the northern end, and over 2 million each in the urban areas of
comprise approximately 2% of the population, and now mostly live in the mountainous eastern part of the island. Their ancestors arrived in Taiwan by sea from the mainland between 4000 and 3000 BC.
make up over 95% of the population. Immigrants from southern
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 aboriginal population of those areas.
from eastern
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 aborigines until the early 20th century. A further 1.3 million people from throughout mainland China entered Taiwan at the end of the
are a very common means of transportation in Taiwan and contribute to urban air pollution.
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. In the late 20th century, Taipei suffered from extensive vehicle and factory , but with mandatory use of unleaded petrol and the establishment of the
in 1987, the air quality of Taiwan has improved dramatically. , especially older or cheaper
versions, which are ubiquitous in Taiwan, also contribute disproportionately to urban air pollution.
Other environmental issues include
from industrial emissions and raw , contamination of drinking water supplies, and trade in . Though regulation of sulfate aerosol emissions from petroleum combustion is becoming stringent,
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 mainland China by monsoon winds.
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, Geography Department.
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on 7 October . 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.
. . August 2005. Archived from
on 2 February 2007. Taipei has the most obvious air pollution, primary caused by the motorbikes and scooters used by millions of the city's residents.
Tso, Chunto (2002). . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 28 (7): 757–762. :. 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.
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