The island of Taiwan is located
in the Western Pacific between Japan and the Philippines off the southeast coast
of China, from which it is separated by the Taiwan Strait. With a total
area of about 36,179 square kilometers, Taiwan is 394 kilometers long and 144
kilometers wide at its widest point.
High mountains over 1,000 meters
consitute about 31 percent of the island's land area; hills and terraces between
100 and 1,000 meters above sea level make up 38 percent; and alluvial plain
below 100 meters in elevation, where most communities, farming activities, and
industries are concentrated, account for the remaining 31 percent.
Taiwan's most geographic feature
is its 270-kilmoeter central mountain range, which has more than 200 peaks over
3,000 meters high. At 3,952 meters, Mount Jade is the highest peak in East
Asia. Foothills from the central mountain range lead to tablelands and
coast plains in the west and south. The eastern shoreline is relatively
steep, and mountains over 1,000 meters high dominate the island in the north.
Crossed by the Tropic of Cancer,
Taiwan has a subtropical climate with the exception of it's extreme southern
tip, which is tropical. Warm ocean currents give Taiwan a climate
conducive to the growth of lush vegetation and two or three rice harvest per
year. With an average annual precipitation of 2,471 millimeters, rainfall
is abundant. However, the distribution of water resources is uneven,
making the water available for use per capita low. Thundershowers and the
occasional typhoon bring heavy downpours in the summertime, whereas November
through February is Taiwan's driest period.
Summers are long and humid, while
winters are short and usually milk. During the coldest months, snow is
visible on the island's higher mountains. The average monthly temperature
in the lowlands is 16° in the winter and ranges between 24-30°C the rest of
Taiwan's subtropical climate is
home to an abundance of diverse plant life, including low altitude flora closely
related to that found on southern China, mountain flora similar to that of
western China, and high alpine flora resembling that of the Himalayan
region. Acacia is ubiquitous in the lower hills, and bamboo groves and
forest are found throughout central and northern Taiwan. Native plant
species are numerous, accounting for roughly 40 percent of Taiwan's total
Penghu, also known as the
Pescadores, consists of 64 islets in the middle of the Taiwan Strait between
China and Taiwan. Penghu, Yuwong, and Baisha are the primary islands in
the group, with Penghu accounting for roughly half of the Pescadores' 126.86
square kilometer area. Only 20 of the islands are inhabited, with Penghu
serving as home to 70 percent of the area's population.
Penghu's climate is characterized
by hot summers, cold winters, strong winds, and an average annual rainfall of
about 1,000 millimeters, with typhoons frequently hitting the region during
The Kinmen Islands consist of 12
islets covering an area of 150.45 square kilometers off the southeastern coast
of Fujian Province. The shortest distance from the main island of Kinmen
to China is only 2,310 meters. Although the other islets are low and flat,
Kinmen itself is a hilly island that posses numerous harbors capable of
accommodating ships of several thousand tons. The population of the island
group is over 58,000.
Eighty percent of the Kinmen
Islands' precipitation falls between April and September, with typhoons often
striking the region between July and August. Kinmen's average annual
rainfall is 1,049 millimeters, and it's average monthly temperature varies
Located outside the mouth of the
Min River off the coast of China, the Matsu Islands for the northern anchor of
the ROC's offshore defense claim. Nankan, the main island of the group, is more
commonly known as Matsu, which is also the name of the island's largest port.
South China Sea
The ROC's historical claims to
the islands of the South China Sea are reinforced by it's effective occupation
of Dongsha and Taiping Islands. Since 1993, the government's policy
towards the area has been set by the Executive Yuan's Policy Guidelines for
the South China Sea, which outline the ROC's goals of resolving all disputes
peacefully through cooperation with other claimants and increasing the
exploration and management of the region's resources without damaging its
ecology. In 1999, responsibility for protecting ROC interests in the South
China Sea was transferred from the Ministry of National Defense to the newly
created Coast Guard Administration, and the management of Dongsha and Taiping
Islands was officially transferred to the Kaohsiung City Government.
Taiwan's total area, including surrounding islands, is approximately 36,000
sq km (13,900 mi), of this Taiwan Island comprises about 98%. Separated
from Mainland China by the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan is bordered by the South China
sea in the south, the East China Sea in the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the
Approximately half of Taiwan Island is covered by the Chungyang Range.
Their highest elevation is 3,997 m (13,114 ft) at Mount Jade (Yu Shan).
The most productive land is found west of this range where broad, fertile plains
are found as well as basins that gently slope down to the Taiwan Strait.
Immediately east of the mountain range, precipitous cliffs are found that drop
down 760 m (2500 ft) to the Pacific Ocean.
Of the surrounding islands, two are officially part of a mainland Chinese
province, the Matsu and Chinmen islands with one group, the Spratly Islands,
claimed by Taiwan and several countries including mainland China, Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Taiwan's has abundant rainfall, with goes with its tropical and subtropical
climate. Approximately 4,000 mm (160 in) of precipitation is Taiwan's
yearly average, with the north and south differing in their rainy seasons.
North Taiwan's northeast monsoon brings heavy rainfall during the winter from
October to March, while the South's southwest monsoon brings typhoons from June
to October and heavy rainfall. Humidity and heat make up the summer
climate with the temperature averaging 82 degrees F (28 degrees C).
Winters are generally mild, lasting from December to February and averaging
temperatures of 64 degrees F (18 degrees C).