Excerpts from Wikipedia.org
Taiwan (臺灣 or 台灣) 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 makes up the majority of the territories effectively under the control of the Republic of China.
The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa (from Portuguese (Ilha) Formosa, meaning "beautiful (island)", is located in East Asia off the coast of mainland China, southwest of the main islands of Japan but directly west of the end of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, and north-northwest of the Philippines. It is bound to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation.
The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is the Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) at 3,952 meters, and there are five other peaks over 3,500 meters. This makes it the world's fourth-highest island. Taroko National Park, located on the mountainous eastern side of the island, has good examples of mountainous terrain, gorges and erosion caused by a swiftly flowing river.
The shape of the main island of Taiwan is similar to a sweet potato seen in a south-to-north direction, and therefore, Taiwanese people, especially the Min-nan division, often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato." There are also other interpretations of the island shape, one of which is a whale in the ocean (the Pacific Ocean) if viewed in a west-to-east direction, which is a common orientation in ancient maps, plotted either by Western explorers or the Qing Dynasty.
The Island Formosa and the Pescadores/ Johannes Vingboons ca.1640/ Nationaal Archief, Den Haag
The main island of the archipelago is Taiwan Island, which comprises about 98 % of the current jurisdiction of the Republic of China; the other 2 % consists of the smaller islands of the archipelago - Orchid Island and the Pescadores, along with the tiny islets - Green Island and Hsiao Liuchiu. The archipelago is separated from mainland China by the Taiwan Strait, which ranges from 220km at its widest point to 130km at its narrowest point.
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 Republic of China. These islands are however not part of the Taiwanese archipelago. 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, or slightly bigger than territory of Belgium. It is 394 km (244 miles) long and 144 km (89 miles) wide.
The climate on the island is generally marine and varies widely by season in the Northern part and the mountain areas. The South, however, belongs to the tropical belt and is all year warm and humid. From May to June it's rainy season, with almost daily showers. From July to October typhoons are most likely to strike, on average about four direct hits per year. 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 more than 2500 mm, close to 5000 mm in some Eastern regions.
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 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.
