Geography Reference
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good shelter for ships and there is an important naval
base at Makung. Because of their position in the Taiwan
Strait, the Penghu Islands are of great strategic impor-
tance to Taiwan.
The island of Taiwan can be divided both vertically
and horizontally . The vertical division is created by the
north-south ridge of the Chungyang Shan (Central
Mountains) ranging from 10 to 35 miles (16-56 km) in
width. The Chungyang are extremely rugged with more
than 30 peaks reaching over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The
highest is Y u Shan at 13,113 feet (3,997 m). River val-
leys and canyons cut the mountainsides, which are cov-
ered with coniferous and mixed forests. With the
exception of the Taitung rift valley , cool temperatures,
thin soils, and severe erosion hinder cultivation. Still,
the mountains are important for forest products and hy-
droelectric power.
Most people dwell on the western coastal plain,
which can be divided horizontally by the Choshui River.
T To the north are hills and basins, including those of
Taipei and Taichung. T To the south is a low , flat, alluvial
plain. The river also marks the climatic boundary be-
tween north and south. In the north, the rainy season is
from October to March; in the south it is from May to
September. T Typhoons are common in July and August.
Agricultural patterns differ as well with such crops as
rice and tea in the north and soybeans, pineapples, sug-
arcane, and other tropical crops in the south.
Agricultural output has steadily declined over the
years as farmland and employment shifts to urbanization
and industry . Taiwan is 78 percent urban with major
population clusters in the capital of Taipei, and in the
ports of Chilung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
122
°
TAIWAN
POPULATION
Under 50,000
50,000-250,000
250,000-1,000,000
1,000,000-5,000,000
Chilung
Sanchung
T aoyuan
T Taipei,
National capital is underlined
Chungli
Panchiao
Railroad
Hsinchu
Road
Lotung
Houlung
Highlands
Suao
Miaoli
Core Area
Yanli
0
40
20
60 Kilometers
0
10
20
30 Miles
Shalu
T Taichung.
Lukang
Changhua
24
°
24
°
Puli
Hualien
Pen
g
hu
Chuntao
Fenglin
Chiai
Tropic of Cancer
Matu
Kuanshan
Shanhua
Hsinhua
T Tainan,
T Taitung
Kaohsiung
Pingtung
Lu T ao
Fengshan
Tun gkang
Lan Yu
22
°
Hengchun
119
°
Longitude East of Greenwich
Figure 13-11
T Taiwan.
From H. J. de Blij and P . O. Muller,
Geography: Realms, Regions
and Concepts
, 14th Edition, 2010, p. 505. Originally rendered in color.
© H. J. de Blij and P . O. Muller. Reprinted with permission of John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
FROM
BAO DAO
TO FORMOSA TO TAIW AN
Ancient Chinese maps portray the island of Taiwan as
the island of
Bao Dao
. Written accounts referred to it as
“a mudball across the sea, not worthy of China.”
Bao
Dao
was known to Chinese fishermen and pirates but
was inhabited by non-Chinese people. These aborigi-
nal people are Malay-Polynesian and are related to the
indigenous people of the mountains of northern Lu-
zon, the closest island of the Philippines. There are
nine distinct ethnic groups among the aborigines, each
with its own language and culture. However, immigra-
tion from China pushed these people into the moun-
tains and subsequent discriminatory policies of the
Taiwanese government have rendered their cultures al-
most extinct.
industrializing “countries” and has achieved tiger status
in terms of economic development.
THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE
Taiwan incorporates the main island and 64 smaller is-
lands called the Penghu Islands. The Penghu were colo-
nized by the Portuguese, who named them the
Pescadores (Fishermen). Here, fringing reefs provide
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