Peaks & Plains

Located only 160 km across the Taiwan Straits from the southeastern coast of China, the island of Taiwan is shaped roughly like a large tobacco leaf, nearly 400 km long and 150 km wide. On its eastern side, the mountains rise straight out of the sea and continue into the central part of the island. On Taiwan’s western side lies a long, flat, fertile plain where more than 90% of the population resides. Taiwan’s highest peak, Jade Mountain (Yushan), is over 3952 m high, higher than Mt. Fuji in Japan. The three largest cities are the capital Taipei in the north, industrial Kaohsiung in the south, and Taichung in the central western plain.Great Maps!
Where's Taiwan?- Major Cities - Railway System - Highway System


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A Land of Two Seasons

Taiwan is a subtropical island, with two seasons rather than four. Summers are long, hot, and humid. Winter is shorter and relatively mild, with no snow except on central mountain peaks. The northern region around Taipei tends to be cooler, with more frequent cloud cover and rain. Locals say the central region around Taichung has the best weather on the island, with more frequent sunny skies and generally milder temperatures. The southern region near Kaohsiung experiences particularly hot and humid summers, with frequent afternoon thunder showers. Typhoon season falls in late summer and early autumn; the storms pose the greatest danger on the less populated eastern coast. In terms of weather, the best time to visit Taiwan is during the brief autumn—October and especially November—when temperatures have cooled off somewhat after the long summer and rainfall is rarer (though a late typhoon occasionally sweeps through in October).

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Earthquakes

Taiwan is on the western edge of the Pacific "rim of fire." Though Taiwan has no active volcanoes, it sits over a major fault line and experiences frequent tremors. On September 21, 1999, a major earthquake devastated portions of the central island—including the town of Puli, where SEND works closely with the local church, and areas near Taichung, where SEND’s Taiwan office is located.

(text on this page adapted from www.lonelyplanet.com

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