Physical boundaries

Taiwan is a medium-sized archipelago in East Asia, located at 23°30N, 121°00E and running through the middle of the Tropic of Cancer (23°5N). It is located 150km (95 miles) off mainland China and makes up the majority of the territories effectively under the control of the Republic of China. The main island is Taiwan Island, which comprises about 98 % of the current jurisdiction of the Republic of China; the other 2 % are the smaller islands of Lanyu, and the Pescadores, along with the tiny islets of Green Island, Liuchiu. Taiwan island is separated from mainland China by the Taiwan Strait and borders the South China Sea and Philippine Sea to the south, the East China Sea in the north, and the Pacific Ocean in the east. (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 ROC.) The Mergui Archipelago An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... World map showing the Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, or Northern tropic, is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... “PRC” redirects here. ... Motto Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  -  President Chen Shui-bian  -  Vice President Annette Lu  -  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung... Old photo of the people of Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca. ... The Pescadores (Traditional Chinese: 澎湖群島; Hanyu Pinyin: Pénghú Qúndăo; Tongyong Pinyin: Pénghú Cyúndăo; Wade-Giles: Peng-Hu Chun-Tao; Taiwanese POJ: Phêⁿ-ô·-kōan, from Portuguese, fishermen, pron. ... Green Island (Pinyin: Lǜ Dǎo) is a small volcanic island in the Pacific. ... Taiwan Strait Area The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait is a 180km-wide Strait between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ... The Philippine Sea is a part of the western Pacific Ocean bordered by the Philippines and Taiwan to the west, Japan to the north, the Marianas to the east and Palau to the south. ... The East China Sea is a marginal sea and part of the Pacific Ocean. ... Kinmen (Traditional Chinese: 金門; Hanyu Pinyin: JÄ«nmén; Tongyong Pinyin: Jinmén; Wade-Giles: Chin-men; POJ: Kim-mnÌ‚g; also romanized Quemoy from Southern Min (in early Spanish romanization); literally Golden Door or Golden Gate), located at 24. ... The Matsu Islands (馬祖列島 or less frequently, 馬祖群島 Pinyin: MÇŽzÇ”) are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County (連江 Pinyin: Liánjiāng), Fukien Province of the Republic of China (ROC, now based on Taiwan). ... The Taiwan Strait. ... Taiwan Strait Area The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait is a 180km-wide Strait between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. ... The Pratas Islands (or Dongsha Islands) are located in the middle of the South China Sea (see South China Sea Islands). ... Taiping (Traditional Chinese: 太平島), also known as Itu Aba, is the largest of the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) in the South China Sea. ...

Taiwan's area is 35,980 km² 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. 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). Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... Official language(s) None Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Area  Ranked 49th  - Total 2,491 sq mi (6,452 km²)  - Width 30 miles (48 km)  - Length 100 miles (161 km)  - % water 21. ... Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ...

Climate and terrain

The climate on the island is generally marine and varies widely by season. From June to August is the rainy season, when monsoons are most likely to hit. In the northern part of Taiwan, cloudiness is persistent and extensive during the year; in the south, however, the rainy days are always in the summer time, and 90% of the annual precipitation falls during this period. The annual rainfall is usually is more than 2500 mm. World map showing the oceanic climate zones. ... Monsoon in the Vindhya mountain range, central India A monsoon is a heavy rainy season which lasts for several months and has lasting climatic effects. ...

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 3,997 m. The Jade Mountain (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Yü2shan1; POJ: Gio̍k-san) is the highest peak in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. ...

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. In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... Species Chamaecyparis formosensis Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Chamaecyparis obtusa Chamaecyparis pisifera Chamaecyparis taiwanensis Chamaecyparis thyoides The genus Chamaecyparis is one of several genera within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress (disambiguation). ... FIR may stand for: finite impulse response (a property of some digital filters) far infrared, i. ... Binomial name Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Sieb. ... Trinomial name Ursus thibetanus formosanus Swinhoe, 1864 The Formosan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus), also known as the white-throated bear, is a wild black bear and a subspecies of the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus). ... Binomial name Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838 Subspecies The Sika Deer Cervus nippon is a typical member of the family Cervidae. ... The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ...

See also: List of national parks of the Republic of China, List of mountains in Taiwan, Endemic species of Taiwan

The National Park Act of the Republic of China was passed in 1972 to protect the nature, wildlife, and history. ... Taiwan is known for its mountainous regions and many Taiwanese people take advantage of it by participating in mountain climbing all over the island. ... The endemic species of Taiwan are organisms that are endemic to the island of Taiwan— that is, they occur nowhere else on Earth. ...

Natural resources

Natural resources on the islands include small deposits of gold, copper, coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos. The island is 55 % forests and woodland (mostly on the mountains) and 24 % arable land (mostly on the plains), with 15 % going to other purposes. 5% is permanent pastures and 1 % is permanent crops. GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Standard atomic weight 63. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane but including significant quantities of ethane, butane, propane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium and hydrogen sulfide. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Venus de Milo, front. ... Fibrous asbestos on muscovite Asbestos Asbestos Asbestos (a misapplication of Latin: asbestos quicklime from Greek : a, not and sbestos, extinguishable) describes any of a group of minerals that can be fibrous, many of which are metamorphic and are hydrous magnesium silicates. ... Pastureland Pasture is land with lush herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulates as part of a farm or ranch. ...

Natural hazards and environmental issues

Earthquakes and typhoons are the two major natural hazards on the island. In September 21, 1999, an earthquake occurred in the center of Taiwan. The death toll in this catastrophe reached more than 2,000. Meanwhile, mudslides resulting from intensive rain caused by typhoons often leads to disaster. An earthquake is the result from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004. ...

Current environmental issues include: air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions and raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; and trade in endangered species. Though regulation of sulfate aerosol emissions from petroleum production is becoming stringent, acid rain remains to be a threat to the health of the residents and the forests. Scholars in Taiwan point out that more than half of its acid rain is actually brought by monsoon rains from mainland China. [1] Air pollution is a chemical, physical (e. ... Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ... Raw sewage is any untreated waste water from a city. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... The term acid rain also known as is commonly used to mean the deposition of acidic components in rain, snow, dew, or dry particles. ...

See also: Chi-Chi earthquake

The Chi-Chi earthquake (also known as 921 earthquake) occurred on September 21, 1999 in central Taiwan at 1:47 am local time (September 20 17:47 GMT) and measured 7. ...

External Links

Taiwan Yearbook 2006 -- Geography

Maps of Taiwan

Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east, but gradually transitions to gently sloping plains in the west (satellite photo by NASA). Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 314 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ...

On the map of 1896 Image File history File links Size of this preview: 474 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1658 × 2096 pixel, file size: 809 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taiwan 1896 Faithful reproductions of two-dimensional original works cannot attract copyright in the U.S. according to the rule in Bridgeman Art Library v. ...

Topographic map Image File history File links Size of this preview: 337 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (449 × 799 pixel, file size: 113 KB, MIME type: image/png) Topographic relief map of Taiwan created by me from NASA Shuttle Radar Terrain Model data using Peter Guths Microdem programme. ...

Bracing on the side of a mountain in Chiayi County prevents landslides caused by typhoons Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1224 × 1632 pixel, file size: 803 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bracing on the side of a mountain in Chiayi County, Taiwan. ... Chiayi County (嘉義縣, pinyin: Jiāyì Xiàn) is a county in southwestern Taiwan encompassing Chiayi City and administered as part of Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... This entry refers to the geological term landslide. ...