| Geography and Climate
The Republic of China (ROC), widely known as Taiwan, is an oceanic nation of 23 million people. Situated in the West Pacific between Japan and the Philippines, it comprises the main island of Taiwan, the archipelagoes of Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, and a number of other islands. Its combined area is approximately 36,200 sq km (13,900 sq miles), or about the size of the Netherlands.
Taiwan proper, measuring nearly 400 km (245 miles) from north to south and around 145 km (90 miles) from east to west at its widest, has more than its share of natural splendor. Mountain ranges with many peaks reaching over 3,000
meters—including East Asia's highest, Jade Mountain—and forested foothills occupy over half of its area. Other geographic features include dormant volcanoes, alluvial plateaus, coastal plains, basins, beaches, sand dunes, fantastically sculpted shoreline rock formations, and marble-walled gorges.
The main island is uniquely blessed in the world for having within such a relatively small area a full range of climatic
zones from tropical to temperate. This, in combination with its fertile soil and abundant rainfall, makes it an agricultural paradise, where virtually any kind of fruit or vegetable can be grown. It also makes the island a recreational paradise. In the winter, one can go skiing on the frigid slopes of Hehuan Mountain in Nantou County and then travel a mere 200 km (120 miles) to balmy Pingtung County to enjoy skin diving at coral reefs along the
island's southern tip.
The smaller islands, meanwhile, have their own unique natural features, such as the basaltic pillars on one of the Penghu isles, and the oceanic hot springs along the shore of Green Island.
Flora and Fauna
Taiwan's tropical-to-temperate spectrum of climatic zones and contrasting topographies have endowed the island with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Some 70 species of mammals, 500 species of birds (40 percent of which reside on the island all year round), over 90 species of reptiles, more than 30 species of amphibians, nearly 2,700 species of fish, and 18,000 identified species of insects (including some 400 butterfly species) are known to inhabit Taiwan. The abundant plant life in Taiwan includes 610 species of ferns, 28 species of gymnosperms, and 3,600 species of angiosperms.
To protect the ecosystems in which these plants and animals reside, the government has reserved
19.1 percent of the
nation's land area as part of a multitier system of protected areas, comprising
7 national parks, 19 nature preserves, 6 forest preserves, 17 wildlife refuges, and
32 wildlife habitats.
Perhaps the most famous Taiwanese species of fauna is the Formosan landlocked
salmon—Oncorhynchus masou formosanum—the most southerly member of the Salmonidae family. It is believed to have become trapped in the frigid mountain waters of central Taiwan during the last Ice Age when ocean levels dropped dramatically and the salmon could no longer migrate back and forth from fresh water to salt water. Overfishing and pollution have damaged much of the
salmon's natural habitat, causing the distribution and population to shrink dramatically. In 1989, the Council of Agriculture listed the Formosan landlocked salmon as an endangered species in accordance with the
Wildlife Conservation Act, and in 1997 the Taichung County government established the Formosan Landlocked Salmon Refuge in the upper reaches of the Dajia River in
Shei-pa National Park.
National Parks
Kenting National Park: http://www.ktnp.gov.tw
Yushan (Jade Mountain) National Park: http://www.ysnp.gov.tw
Yangmingshan National Park: http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw
Taroko National Park: http://www.taroko.gov.tw
Shei-pa National Park: http://www.spnp.gov.tw
Kinmen National Park: http://www.kmnp.gov.tw
Dongsha Atoll Marine National Park: http://np.cpami.gov.tw
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