Our Land – beautiful island Formosa

TAIWAN - also known as Ilha Formosa the name given by Portuguese explorers in the 16th Century - lies between Japan to the north and the Philippines to the south. The east coast faces the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, while the west faces the Taiwan Strait and the southeast coast of China. Leaf-shaped, it is 245 miles (394 km) long and 90 miles (144 km) across at its widest point, with an area of 13,900 sq. miles (36,000 sq. km), about the same as Holland.

A range of mountains rising to 13,000 feet (3,952 m), the highest in Asia east of the Himalayas, runs down the center and eastern side of the country, and occupies about three-quarters of the land area of Taiwan. Situated on the edge of the tropics, Taiwan often experiences typhoons coming in from the Pacific during the summer months. Earthquakes and tremors are also a regular occurrence. Due to its subtropical climate the island has an abundance of diverse flora and fauna; it is also home to a variety of endemic butterflies, birds and animals.