Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Landscape of Taiwan
At merely six million years of age, the gorgeous island of Taiwan is a
bouncy child pumping with vigour and potential compared to the 4.6 billion
years that planet earth has clocked up.
Taiwan lies 165km off the coast of mainland China, separated by the Taiwan Strait. The
area of the island is 36,000 sq km (roughly the size of the Netherlands), 394km in length
and 144km wide at its widest point. The territory of the country includes 15 offshore is-
lands; the most important are the Penghu Archipelago, the islands of Matsu and Kinmen
in the Taiwan Strait, and, off the east coast, Green Island and Lanyu.
At 3805m, Siouguluan Mountain not only represents the apex of the Central Mountain
Range, but it's also sitting on the busiest tectonic collision zone in the whole of Taiwan. At
present it's rising by approximately 0.5cm a year. Expect more spouting to come.
The Beauty
Visitors to Taiwan and the surrounding islands can experience a stunningly broad variety
of landscapes, from rugged mountains in the centre of the main island (there's even snow
in winter at higher altitudes) to low-lying wetlands teeming with wildlife on the western
coast, rice paddies and farmland in the south, and lonely windswept beaches punctuated
with basalt rock formations on the outer islands. The east coast, with its towering seaside
cliffs and rocky volcanic coastline, is utterly spectacular. The Central Cross-Island High-
way and the Southern Cross-Island Highway link the island from east to west, cutting
through spectacular mountain scenery.
However, Taiwan's colourful - and wild - topography means that the majority of the
country's 23 million people are forced to live on the small expanses of plains to the west
of the Central Mountain Range, and this is where agriculture and industry concentrate.
Mountains
Mountains are the most dominant feature of Taiwan. The island is divided in half by the
Central Mountain Range, a series of jagged peaks that stretch for 170km from Su-ao in the
northeast to Eluanbi at the southern tip. Gorges, precipitous valleys and lush forests char-
acterise this very rugged ridge of high mountains.
Running diagonally down the right half of the island like a sash are the country's four
other mountain ranges. The East Coast Mountain Range runs down the east coast of
