As is true for all island nations, Taiwan’s history and character have been shaped by the surrounding ocean. The ancestors of its indigenous people crossed the sea more than four millennia ago. From the 1600s onward, large numbers of migrants sailed from the Chinese mainland and settled on Taiwan’s western lowlands. Nowadays Taiwanese are far…
There is more to Taiwan than just Taiwan – meaning the country consists of more than the main island on which over 99% of its citizens live. In addition to the Kinmen and Matsu archipelagos (which are far closer to the Chinese mainland than to Taipei), the windswept Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, and…
More than 99% of Taiwan’s people live on an island that is often likened to a tobacco leaf in terms of shape, and frequently described as a biodiversity hotspot of global significance. The island of Taiwan also has the lion’s share of the country’s land area, but this does not mean visitors should skip the minor…
When Taiwan was in its geological youth, volcanic activity was a major force shaping the landscape. Fugui Cape, Taiwan’s northernmost point, was created millions of years ago when a volcano in what is now Yangmingshan National Park hurled lava and rocks as far as the coast. Green Island, Lanyu (Orchid Island), and nearly all of…
From the 17th century, when Taiwan first began to be settled by migrants from Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland, through the 19th century, strong economic and family relationships continued to tie Taiwan to Fujian. For much of that period, Taiwan produced surpluses of rice, sugar, and other commodities that it exported to the mainland….
No part of Taiwan is more than 67.5 kilometers from the sea, and because steep mountains occupy much of the interior, the vast majority of the country’s 23.4 million people live in the lowlands. Yet surprisingly few people see the ocean on a regular basis. Of the island’s major cities, Kaohsiung is the only maritime…
Fall is the favorite time of year for many people in Taiwan. In the lowlands, the heat of summer has abated, but there is still plenty of sunshine. In October and November, the weather is superbly comfortable. Taipei’s daytime temperatures average 19 to 25 degrees Celsius (66 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit). In a typical year,…
Taiwan is a densely populated island. Think of a place only slightly bigger than Maryland, but much more mountainous, and with almost four times as many people. Gridlock would result if everyone drove a car, so Taiwan’s government prioritizes public transportation – and not just for commuters. In recent years, a great effort has been…
In 2016, despite a significant drop in visitors from mainland China, Taiwan achieved a record high for inbound tourism, totaling 10.69 million tourists, according to the Tourism Bureau. As the trend of decreasing visitors from mainland China will likely continue, the Taiwan government is taking steps to increase tourism from other areas, including Japan, Korea,…
In their haste to get from the skyscrapers of Taipei to the bucolic backwaters of Hualien and Taitung, many visitors rush through Yilan by train or bus. Yet this county in Taiwan’s northeast offers an intriguing mix of natural and cultural attractions. Since the completion of Freeway 5 and the world’s fifth-longest road tunnel in…
