Geography

The island of Taiwan is situated 160km off the coast of mainland China. The island's total area is 35,563 sq km- it's 394km long and 144km wide. Taiwan's spine is a ridge of steep mountains, falling away to a rocky coastline on the east and a narrow, fertile plain (where 90%of the population lives) on the west.

Mount Yushan is, at 3952m, the highest peak in Northeast Asia.
The small islands of Penghu, Lanyu, Green, Liuchiu, Kinmen, Matsu and Wuchiu are controlled by Taiwan.
The island's high mountain forests are predominantly cyprus, although camphor used to grow in abundance.
Taiwan was once home to many native species, including the Formosan black bear, the Formosan Sika deer and the Formosan landlocked salmon. Trying to come towards economic prosperity.

Taiwan has managed to destroy most of the western coast's habitat and lose a species or 2, although the inaccessibility of the rest of the island has made it a natural wildlife reserve. But in the last 20 years Taiwan has declared 67 reserves, including 6 national parks, and maintains a strict environmental legislation.

Although Taiwan is subtropical, the mountains can be chilly in summer (June to August) and snowy in winter (December to February). During winter it rains pretty much non-stop in the northeast, while the southwest is much warmer and drier. Summer is hot and sticky all over the low parts of the island, with heavy rains in the mountains. Daytime temperatures in Taipei are around 30°C in summer and 20°C in winter.