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Taiwan
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外
文名称: Taiwan Province
Taipei
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Overview
The island of
Taiwan, shaped roughly like a tobacco leaf, is 240 miles long from tip
to tip and 85 miles wide at it's broadest point. It is located
approximately 100 miles off the coast of southeastern China and between
Japan and the Philippines on a line running northeast to southwest. Its
area is just under 14,000 square miles or about the same as
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut combined.
The climate is sub-tropical with average temperatures ranging from just
under 71 F (22 C) in the north to nearly 76 F (24 C) in the south. The
languages spoken are Chinese in the Mandarin, Amoy, Taiwanese, and
Hakka dialects. English and Japanese are also widely spoken. Aborigines
have inhabited Taiwan since prehistoric times. The Dutch and Spanish
came to the island in the seventeenth century. Japanese occupied the
island from 1895 to 1945. The present government was established
January 1, 1912 after the fall of the Ching dynasty on the mainland.
Hills and mountains cover two-thirds of the island which has sixty-two
mountains over 10,000 feet high. The highest, Yu-shan (13,114 feet), is
the loftiest peak in Northeast Asia. The principal cities are Taipei,
Kaoshiung, Tainan, Taichung, and Keelung. The population of Taiwan
exceeds 21 million. Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is located at the
northern most tip of the island. It is a modern city, teeming with more
than four million people. The city retains much of the cultural
environment of ancient China, but it is also representative of the new
and more western way of oriental life.
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Geography:
Taiwan is an island off the southeast coast of China's mainland. In
addition to the main island of Taiwan, Taiwan comprises 15 islands in
the Taiwan group and 64 islands in the Penghu (Pescadores) Archipelago.
The total area of Taiwan, including the islands, is 35,981 sq km
(13,892 square miles). Of the total, the Taiwan island group accounts
for 13,843 square miles, while the Penghu Archipelago, located to the
west of Taiwan, has an area of 49 square miles.
Taiwan is bordered by the East China Sea
to the north, by the Pacific Ocean to the east, by the Bashi Channel to
the south, which separates it from the Philippines, and by the Taiwan
Straits to the west, which separates it from the Chinese mainland.
Taiwan forms part of the great island system rimming the western
Pacific Ocean.
Since the
Kuomintang government fled the mainland and ruled the island in 1949,
the government of the People's Republic of China has claimed
jurisdiction over Taiwan, in a solemn stance that the island is an
inseparable part of China.
Landscape:
Relief
features: The island is formed by
a great fault block trending north-northeast to the south-southwest,
which is tilted toward the west. Its eastern margin, facing the Pacific
Ocean and often lined with cliffs, marks the edge of the continental
shelf. Its western section is on the slope of the shelf as are the
Taiwan Straits, the shallower parts of which are only 320 feet below
sea level. The coastline on the west is simple and straight, bordered
by low sand dunes and lagoons. Deep-water ports are situated at Jilong,
at the northern tip of the island, and at Gaoxiong, on the southwest
coast.
The crest of the
Zhongyang Shanmai (Central Range) lies east of and run parallel to the
island's axis. Scores of peaks rise above 10,000 feet, the highest
being Yu Shan, (3,997 m). Around the mountainous area are numerous
independent hills, with an average height of 5,000 feet.
The relief on the east is very steep and
that on the west quite gradual. The terrace tablelands and alluvial
coastal plains in western Taiwan form the principal area of the dense
population; most of the major cities are located there.
Drainage
and soils: The rivers, all of
which originate in the central range, are short and subject to extreme
variations in flow. They are mostly shallow or dried up in the dry
season, while there are floods in the monsoon (rain-bearing wind)
season. Lacking steady currents, most rivers are not navigable but are
liable to cause floods, especially in the plains, necessitating
extensive drainage systems.
Climates:
Taiwan straddles the tropical and subtropical zones and has
warm summer and mild winter. The climate is moderated by the
warm water of the Kuroshio Current. The summer is long,
lasting from April until November (200 days or more). In cold months
the mean monthly temperature is about 15°C. Beginning in April, the
mean monthly temperature is above 20°C. The highest mean
monthly temperature reaches 30°C from June to September. Lowland Taiwan
is frost-free. The temperature fall with altitude, and in winter the
central mountains are covered with snow.
Mean precipitation is 102 inches,
although in some years the precipitation in summer alone may exceed 200
inches. The upland area receives more rain than the west part. Rainfall
is more even in the north. The precipitation in summer is about 80
percent of the annual total. There are more typhoons in July, August,
and September than any other times; about 78 percent of the total occur
in these three months.
Vegetation
and animal life: There are green plants on the plains all
the year around. As the climate varies with altitude, so does the
natural vegetation. Stands of mixed bamboo, palm, and tropical
evergreen grow in the lowlands; subtropical evergreen forests including
camphor laurel are found from 2,000 to 6,000 feet; broad-leaved
evergreen forests of the temperate zone are represented by cedars,
cypress, junipers, rhododendrons, maples, and cryptomeria (Japanese
cedar) from 6,000 to 8,000 feet; and coniferous forests are found above
7,500 feet.
Wildlife:
Wild
animals include deer, wild boars, bears, monkeys, goats, wildcats, and
panthers. Birds include pheasants, geese, flycatchers, kingfishers,
larks, and many other species. Fish abound in the coastal areas.
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Population:
Except for the
Gaoshan ethnic group, the aborigines of Taiwan, the inhabitants of
Taiwan are the descendants of immigrants from the Chinese mainland.
Settlement proceeded from the area around Tainan, in the south,
northward and from the coast inland. From the latter Ming dynasty
(early 17th century), until it was occupied by the Japanese in 1895,
Tainan was the largest city and the capital of Taiwan.
The population is so predominantly
Chinese, most of whom are the descendants of immigrants from the
southeastern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong; in addition,
after the Kuomintang fled to the island in 1949, there was a sizable
immigration from other parts of China.
Linguistic:
The post-1949 immigrants
were predominantly Mandarin speaking and, Mandarin has become a
principal language. Several other Chinese dialects are spoken, however,
mainly are southern Fujian dialect and the Hakka dialect of Fujian
Province.
Resources
Although more than 50 kinds of minerals have been found in Taiwan,
total mineral resources are modest. Coal is the most important, with
reserves found near Taibei and in several other areas of the north,
estimated at 254,000,000 tons. Deposits of copper and gold are found in
the Taibei area. Iron and sand reserves are small. Sulfur and
sulfur-pyrite reserves are estimated at 2,500,000 tons, with deposits
in north of Taibei. Marble and limestone are abundant in Hualian on the
east coast, with reserves estimated at 330,000,000 tons. Dolomite
(limestone or marble rich in magnesium carbonate) is mostly deposited
near Hualian. Petroleum, phosphorus, and natural gas exist in small
quantities and manganese, asbestos, talc, glass sand, and other
minerals have been found. Salt is produced by the evaporation of sea
water.
Forests are most
abundant in the high mountains. One of the natural resources of Taiwan
is camphor laurel, from which a great deal of camphor is produced.
Agriculture:
One-quarter of
the total area in Taiwan is arable and fully cultivated. Sloping areas
and dry riverbeds are also under cultivation, as are the tidal lands in
the west.
The most important
crop is rice, which is grown on about 1,000,000 acres. More than 60
percent of the paddy fields are double cropped and nearly two-thirds of
the rice produced is higher-grade pon-lai rice.
Sugarcane is another important crop,
which is planted on 235,000 acres. Tea plantations are concentrated in
the north. Hemp and jute are grown in the middle and eastern parts,
while a different variety of hemp is grown in the south. Pineapple is
one of the principal export products. Fruits and vegetables, such as
bananas, litchis, longans, peaches, water melons, and oranges abound;
all these fruits are canned for export. Vegetable supplies are
sufficient to meet the consumption needs of the island.
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Forests
and Fishery:
With many
mountains, Taiwan is abundant in timber resources. The Taiwan Forest
Bureau, in charge of the wooded land, is responsible for the planting,
protection, and logging of trees. Annual production of forest products,
including plywood, reaches an average of about 1,200,000 cubic yards,
exclusive of firewood.
Fishery
production has increased to over 650,000 tons annually. About 12
percent of the total is produced by fish farming. The balance is caught
in rivers and in coastal water. The warm currents in the Pacific Ocean
off the east coast provide good deep-sea fishing grounds, especially
for tuna. The Taiwan Fishery Bureau was established to help develop the
fishing industry, and the number of fishing vessels is also on the
increase.
Mining and Quarrying:
Annual coal production averages between
4,000,000 and 4,500,000 tons. Annual copper production is about 3,900
tons. Quarrying of marble exceeds 1,100,000 tons and of dolomite 55,000
tons a year. Annual production of crude oil is about 88,000 tons and
that of natural gas about 1,200,000 cubic yards. Salt production is
located mainly on the southwestern coast.
The Economy:
The private sector: the local government
has established an advisory committee responsible for overseeing
production; its main purpose is to promote foreign sale. There is only
one organ of cooperative financing -- the Cooperative Bank of Taiwan,
jointly owned by the government and cooperatives. In addition there are
four private commercial banks.
The public sector: Since 1953, the local government has drawn
up successive four-year economic development plans to spur industrial
economic growth. Ten enterprises, in the fields of sugar, electricity,
petroleum and natural gas, fertilizers, caustic soda, aluminum, copper,
shipbuilding, and railways, are government monopolies.
In order to promote economic
development, the local government controls and helps private
enterprises to adopt new techniques and seek foreign investment. Most
manufacturing industries receive technical cooperation from foreign
companies.
Because Taiwan is
an island and thus limited in resources and the market, it must
exchange goods with other parts of the world and tap overseas markets
in order to support mass production and cut production costs.
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Transportation:
External
transport links are by air and sea. Railways and highways for internal
transportation are well developed.
The well-built road networks have a
total length of about 10,000 miles. The principal roads consist of a
highway running around the island and three east-west highways crossing
the island in the northern, middle, and the southern regions of Taiwan.
A north-south expressway runs across the island. Passenger-bus
transportation connecting large cities and small towns throughout the
island is provided by the Taiwan Highway Bureau, Private transportation
companies provide both passenger and freight services. In large cities
there are public buses as well as private buses and taxis.
Railways are operated by the Taiwan
Railway Administration. The main lines include one from Jilong, in the
north, to Gaoxiong, in the southwest; another from Jilong to
Su'ao, in the northeast; still from Gaoxiong to Fangliao, in the south;
and still another from Hualian, in the east, to Taidong, in the
southeast.
The international
seaports are Jilong, in the north; Gaoxiong, in the south; and Hualian,
in the east. Jilong is the port for Taibei City, while Gaoxiong is an
industrial port. Both cities have good facilities for anchoring large
ships. Hualian has also been open as an international port since 1963.
Civilian airports include the Taibei
International Airport, in the north; the Gaoxiong Airport, in
the south; and the Hualian Airport, in the east. Civilian air
transports to Tainan, Taizhong, Taidong, and Penghu are permitted to
use the military air bases in those areas. The Taibei International
Airport has flights to many metropolitan cities around the world.
Culture
and Institution:
Chinese culture is predominant. Fine arts and popular culture include
Chinese painting, and Chinese music. Popular musical instruments
include the fiddle and flute. Dances include court dances, aboriginal
dances, and Chinese folk dances. Theater includes traditional Chinese
opera, Taiwanese operas, which use the southern Fujian dialect, and
modern drama presented on the stage as well as over radio and
television. Puppet shows are popular. Taiwan competes with Hong Kong in
making Chinese motion pictures. Taiwanese handicrafts are prized for
their beauty.
The National
Palace Museum collections includes ancient Chinese paintings and books,
pottery, porcelain, curios, and sculptures. The Art House in Taiwan
holds art exhibitions and has a stage for drama and dance performances.
There are more than 30 daily newspapers,
two of which are English language publications, and about 1,000
periodicals. There are about 30 radio broadcasting stations. The three
television stations include the Taiwan Television Enterprises, the
China Television Company and the Zhonghua Television Service.
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