Geography of Taiwan
Location: Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, south of Japan, off the southeastern coast of Mainland China. The Tropic of Cancer (23.5∘N) runs through the middle of Taiwan.
Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Area:
total: 35,980 km²
land: 32,260 km²
water: 3,720 km²
note: includes the Matsu and Quemoy, which are part of Fujian province, but controlled by the Republic of China.
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,566.3 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); In northern part of Taiwan, cloudiness is persistent and extensive during the year. But in the south, the rainy day are always in the summer time, and 90% of the annual rainfall is calculated during this period. The annual rainfall is more thean 2500 mm, most of the time.
Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west.
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 55%
other: 15%
Irrigated land: NA km²
Natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons. In September 21, 1999, an earthquake occurred in the center of Taiwan, and it was a nightmare for many Taiwanese. The death toll in this catastrophe were more than two thousand people. Besides, the mudslides, which result from heavy, intensive rain caused by typhoons, always bring catastrophic disasters.
Environment - current issues: air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal ; Loss of abundant biodiversity.
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
See also: Taiwan, Republic of China, Geography of China