Geography of Taiwan

From Wikinfo

Taiwan is a medium-sized archipelago in East Asia, located at 23°30" N, 121°00" E and running through the middle of the Tropic of Cancer (23°5" N). It makes up the majority of the territories effectively under the administration of the Republic of China (commonly known as "Taiwan").

Separated from the Asian continent by the 180-kilometre-wide Taiwan Strait, the main island of the group is 394 kilometres (245 mi) long and 144 kilometres (89 mi) wide. To its northeast are the main islands of Japan, and the southern end of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan is directly to the east; the Philippines lie to its south. It spans across the Tropic of Cancer and consists of steep mountains, covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. Other minor islands and islets of the group include the Pescadores, Green Island, Orchid Island, and Pengchia Island; as well as the Diaoyutai Islands which are controlled by Japan since the 1970s and known as the Senkaku-shotō.

The island of Taiwan lies some 120 kilometers off the southeastern coast of China, across the Taiwan Strait, and has an area of 35,801 km² (13,822.8 sq mi). The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan at 3,952 meters, and there are five other peaks over 3,500 meters. This makes it the world's fourth-highest island^[1]. Taroko National Park, located on the mountainous eastern side of the island, has good examples of mountainous terrain, gorges and erosion caused by a swiftly flowing river.

The shape of the main island of Taiwan is similar to a sweet potato seen in a south-to-north direction, and therefore, Taiwanese, especially the Min-nan division, often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato."^[2] There are also other interpretations of the island shape, one of which is a whale in the ocean (the Pacific Ocean) if viewed in a west-to-east direction, which is a common orientation in ancient maps, plotted either by Western explorers or the Great Qing.

Contents 1 Physical boundaries 2 Geology 3 Climate 4 Terrain 5 References 6 External links

Physical boundaries

The main island of the archipelago is Taiwan Island, which comprises about 98% of the current jurisdiction of the Republic of China; the other 2% consists of the smaller islands of the archipelago - Orchid Island and the Penghu islands, along with the tiny islets - Green Island and Hsiao Liuchiu. The archipelago is separated from mainland China by the Taiwan Strait, which ranges from 220 km at its widest point to 130 km at its narrowest point.^[3] Taiwan is bounded by the Bashi Channel in the south, the East China Sea in the north, and the Pacific Ocean in the east.^[4]

The islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuchiu, etc. across the Taiwan Strait, and Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea, are also administered by the Republic of China. These islands are however not part of the Taiwanese archipelago.

Taiwan's area is 35,980 km² (13,892 mi²) of which 32,260 km² is land and 3,720 km² is territorial water claims, making it slightly smaller than the combined area of Maryland and Delaware, or slightly bigger than territory of Belgium. It is 394 km (244 miles) long and 144 km (89 miles) wide. It has a coastline of 1,566.3 km. The ROC claims an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles (370 km) and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (22 km).^[5]

Geology

The island of Taiwan was formed approximately 4 to 5 million years ago from a geosyncline (via plate tectonics), and is part of an island arc.[1][2] It was formed when the Eurasian Plate slid under an ancient chain of volcanic islands on the neighboring Philippine Sea Plate. At the northern end of Taiwan, the Philippine Sea Plate slides under the Eurasian Plate.

The island of Taiwan lies in a complex tectonic area between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Plate. The upper part of the crust on the island is primarily made up of a series of terranes, mostly old island arcs which have been forced together by the collision of the Eurasian and Philippine plates. These have been further uplifted as a result of the detachment of a portion of the Eurasian Plate as it subducted beneath the Philippine Plate, a process which left the crust under Taiwan more buoyant.^[6]

The major seismic faults in Taiwan correspond to the various suture zones between the various terranes. These have produced major quakes throughout the history of the island. On September 21, 1999, a 7.3 quake known as the "921 earthquake" occurred.

Climate

Taiwan's climate is marine in the north and tropical in the south.^[7] In the north and the mountain areas the weather varies widely by season. In the south, however, it is warm and humid all year.

The entire island succumbs to hot humid weather from June until September. October to December is perhaps the most pleasant part of the year. The middle and southern parts of the island do not have an extended monsoon season during the winter months, but can experience several weeks of rain, especially during and after the Lunar New Year.

Terrain

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 highest elevation in Taiwan is Jade Mountain (Yu Shan), at 3951.798±0.072 m in year 2003.^[8].

The western mountain forests are very diverse, with several endemic species such as Formosan Cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis) and Taiwan Fir (Abies kawakamii), while the Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) was once also widespread at lower levels (now mostly cleared for agricultural land). Prior to major Taiwanese economic success, the mountainous areas held several endemic animal species and subspecies, such as the Swinhoe’s pheasant (Lophura swinhoii), Taiwan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea), Formosan Black Bear (Selanarctos thibetanus formosanus), the Formosan Sika Deer (Cervus nippon taiwanensis or Cervus nippon taiouanus) and the Formosan landlocked salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus). A few of these are now extinct, and many others have been designated endangered species.

Seven national parks in Taiwan showcase the diverse terrain, flora and fauna of the archipelago. Kenting National Park on the southern tip of Taiwan contains uplifted coral 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 road. Yangmingshan National Park has volcanic geology, hot springs, waterfalls, and forest. Taroko National Park has 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 Marine National Park 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.^[9]

References

External links

• Taiwan Yearbook 2006 -- Geography
• National Parks of Taiwan
• Clip that introduces Taiwan National Parks
• Taiwan datums

Coordinates: 23°46′N 121°0′E / 23.767, 121