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. It covers an area of Area: 36,000 square kilometers with Population over 22.4 million, 97 percent of which are Han people .
Nationalities: Han, Gaoshan
Coastline : 1,566 kilometers .
Climatic Features: Situated on the Tropic of Cancer and influenced by the Kuroshio, a warm ocean current of the West Pacific, Taiwan has a subtropical-tropical monsoonal climate, which is characterized by long summers, much rainfall, and strong winds. Taiwan’s typhoon season is from June to October, with August being the peak month.
Average temperature: annual temperature is 20 - 25oC; 13 - 20oC in January and 24 - 29oC in July.
Annual average rainfall: 2,000 mm. Precipitation can reach 5,000 mm annually at the southern and northern tips of the island but diminishes to under 800 mm on the Penghu Islands. Jilong, the so-called rain port, has 214 rain days per year.
Physical features: Situated in the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan lies southeast of the China mainland across the Taiwan Strait. The largest island of China, Taiwan Island is 380 kilometers long and 150 kilometers wide at maximum. Mountains cover two-thirds of the island. Alluvial plains and hills spread along Taiwan island’s western coast. Rich soil and water resources make this an important agricultural area. Located on the Pacific seismic belt, Taiwan is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in China. The resulting terrestrial heat is evidenced by its many volcanoes and hot springs.
Mountains: The Taiwan Range consists of the parallel Hai’an, Zhongyang, Xueshan-Yushan, and Ali Mountains. Zhongyang Mountain, also known as Taiwan Mountain, is the largest on the island with most of its peaks above the 3,000-meter line. However, the highest peak in East China as well as in Taiwan is Yushan Peak, which tops 3,997 meters.
Products: The agricultural products of Taiwan are rice and sugar cane. Other crops include corn, tubers, peanuts, soybeans, jute, and sisal hemp. Taiwan produces fresh fruits all year round, earning the name ‘land 
of fruits.’ Taiwan has 55 percent forest coverage, making it one of China’s major timber-producing bases. Taiwan is famous for its camphor trees, as well as nutmeg, lemongrass, and cinchona. Fishing is a major industry. Aquatic products include porgy, yaito tuna, shark, oceanic bonito, sardine, agar, siliquose pelvetia, zhegucai, hawksbill turtle, coral, and pearl. Important terrestrial products are coal, petroleum, natural gas, gold, copper, salt, and sulfur.
Administrative divisions: The province consists of Taiwan Island; the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait; Pengjia, Diaoyu, Chiwei and other small islands northeast of Taiwan Island; Lan, Huoshao and islands in the southeast, most of which are volcanic cones.
Capital : Taibei ,the political, economic, and cultural center on the island.
Major cities: Jilong, Gaoxiong, Tainan, Taizhong, Xinzhu, Pingdong, and Taidong.
