臺灣地理　中英文網站

來源：
http://twgeog.geo.ntnu.edu.tw/index.htm

臺灣總論　Geography of Taiwan: A summary

一、地理位置
　　臺灣位於歐亞大陸的東南緣，太平洋西岸花綵列島的中樞，北濱東海，與琉球群島相隔600公里，西以平均寬度200公里的台灣海峽與中國大陸相望．南緣巴士海峽，與菲律賓相距350公里，東臨廣大的太平洋，在區位上，是太平洋盆西緣地區的南北與東西連結之樞紐，位置十分重要。

二、範圍與面積
　　臺灣地區的範圍，主體部份包括本島、澎湖群島64個小島及環本島的20餘個附屬島；其他擁有行政權或駐軍的部份，尚有中國大陸福建外海的金門列嶼、馬祖列島以及南海中的東沙島及南沙群島的太平島。
主體區總面積雖僅3萬6千餘平方公里，但其四極跨越頗廣，極西在東經119°18'3"(澎湖縣望安鄉花嶼西端)、極東在東經124°34'30"(宜蘭縣釣魚臺列嶼的赤尾嶼東端)、極北在北緯25°56'30"(宜蘭縣釣魚臺列嶼的黃尾嶼北端)、極南在北緯21°45'25"(屏東縣恆春 鎮七星巖南端)。合計跨經度5°16'27"、緯度4°11'5"。

三、自然地理特性

(一) 地質
　　島弧作用形成的大陸島，物種與歐亞板塊者同源：臺灣島體位於歐亞板塊東南緣，直到第三紀在距今1,200萬年左右才因島弧作用，臺灣海峽陷落形成大陸島。所以，臺灣島上擁有與歐亞板塊同源的動、植物種。

(二)氣候
　　北回歸線橫貫中央，黑潮主流流經東岸，氣候溫暖濕潤：由於臺灣島中部有北回歸線 (23.5°N)經過，南部氣候屬熱帶、北部屬副熱帶，全年平均氣溫在20℃以上。東岸外海有黑潮主流北上，攜來熱濕氣流，配合不同季節盛行風，如冬季的東北風、夏季的西南風，在迎風坡及內陸山區致雨，使得臺灣雨量豐沛、全年平均雨量達2500公釐。

(三) 地形及土壤
　　山脈南北縱走，地形與土壤多樣性高：臺灣本島地勢的高低由中央山脈(又稱臺灣脊樑山脈)向東、西兩側低降，全島依地勢高低分成高山區（佔全島面積約30﹪）、丘陵及台地區（佔40﹪）、平原區（約30﹪）三區。由於臺灣島四面環海，海岸線長達1,566公里，擁有豐富的海岸地形景觀：東部斷層海岸、西部隆起海岸(堆積沙岸)、北部升降混合海岸（疊置海岸）及南部珊瑚礁海岸。
臺灣地區的土壤受母岩、氣候、地形、水文、生物、人為及時間等因子共同作用下生成的，可分為十種類型：石質土和灰化土多分布在海拔1,000公尺以上的山區，紅黃色灰化土、棕色森林土及黃棕色壤多分布於海拔1,000~100公尺之丘陵區，海拔100公尺以下的台地、平原區則有紅棕壤、沖積土、鹽土、擬盤層土與砂性土。

(四) 生物多樣性
　　臺灣原是一個物種豐富的高山島。全島面積雖然不大，只有3萬6千平方公里，卻擁有豐富的植物種與動物種， 多樣性相當高，特有種亦相當多。以1990年代統計數字而言，植物方面：被子植物約3,579種、裸子植物31種、蕨類植物638種、地衣類521種、苔蘚類1,129種；而動物方面：哺乳動物62種、兩棲動物29種、爬蟲動物80種、鳥類約450種、淡水魚約60種、昆蟲約50,000種。

四、人文地理特性

(一)人口
　　臺灣在漢人移入之前，是南島語族原住民的居住地，但因人數不多，所以臺灣的人口成長主要在於漢人的遷移。西元1650年荷據末期，臺灣人口5萬人；西元1680年明鄭末期，臺灣人口12萬人；西元1811年清朝中葉，臺灣已有194萬5千人；1905年日治初期，約300多萬人，到1945年日本結束對臺的統治時，約600萬人；臺灣光復以後，人口持續成長，且速度更快，西元2000年已有2,219萬1,000人，人口密度為每平方公里688人，僅次於孟加拉每平方公里872人，居世界第二位。臺灣人口在城鄉分布上，有向臺北和高雄兩大都會區集中之極化現象。二十一世紀臺灣的人口結構將呈現高齡化及人口成長率持續下降趨勢，但集中至都會地區及地方中心城鎮之人口仍有持續增加之現象。

(二)經濟
　　臺灣農業由於耕地狹小、單位面積產量高，是典型集約稻作農業，未來因應週休二日及加入WTO的衝擊，將朝向休閒農業發展。
臺灣礦產種類甚多，但儲量不大，煤、硫磺、石油、黃金等礦產，開採歷史悠久，可惜目前的產量，已趨枯竭。至於大理石、石灰石等的儲量和產量均豐，是目前最主要的礦業資源。
臺灣工業發展，早期是輕工業，民國60年代開始發展重工業，70年代以後是高科技產業，目前政府正積極發展策略性工業，儘速完成工業升級，以趕上先進國家的工業水準。
臺灣的對外貿易早期為入超，民國60年以後轉為出超，76年以後出超額逐漸縮小。出口商品以機械、電子產品、塑膠為大宗，進口商品以電子產品、機械、化學、鋼鐵為大宗。主要貿易夥伴，輸出方面依序為美國、香港、日本等；輸入方面依序為日本、美國、德國等。

(三)交通
　　臺灣位於東亞航運網的中心，現代化交通設施的興建始於19世紀末，由於島內地勢西低東高、山脈南北縱走，故交通網的密度西高東低，主要交通設施以鐵路、公路、海運和航空為主。

(四) 聚落
　　臺灣的聚落可分為原住民及漢人聚落。原住民的平埔族聚落採游耕、狩獵混合的生活方式，以小米及高粱為主食，由於飲水、土地公有制度或防禦等因素，聚落型態多為集村；高山族北部之泰雅族及賽夏族以散村為主，中、南部排灣族、阿美族、曹族則以集村為主，中部布農族及蘭嶼雅美族之聚落型態介於兩者之間。日本地理學者富田芳郎認為臺灣漢人的傳統聚落形式，南部多為集村聚落，北部多為散村聚落；至於聚落形成的因素，南部多血緣性聚落，北部多地緣性聚落。臺灣都市體系在日治時代被規劃為西方現代型式，且開始著手建設，後來受太平洋戰爭影響，許多都市因轟炸受損，光復初期滿目瘡痍。光復後，在都市規劃下，因商業活動與工業發展，聚落呈高度都市化現象，都市化程度達80%，並形成臺北、高雄、臺中等三大都會區。
 
(五)政治
　　臺灣的政治地理隨時代而變遷，大致可分四期：（一）17世紀前，南島語族各族分治；（二）17世紀開始，陸續為荷蘭、明鄭及清領時期；（三）1895～1945年為日本人殖民時期；（四）1945年光復為中華民國一省，1949年至今則為分裂的中國之一部份。

(六)觀光
　　直至今日，最為人知的臺灣遊記是1697年（清康熙 36年）浙江人郁永河所著的裨海記遊。清朝中葉臺灣開埠，外籍人士來臺旅行者亦眾，目的以自然觀察、傳教佈道、種族調查、商務考察等為主。日本人治臺前後，基於政治上和經濟上的理由，也曾有計畫地派遣專業學者對臺灣作全面性的調查，使得今日我們仍能由文獻及照片掌握臺灣全面開發前的部分原初風貌。日治時代臺灣著名的8景有：雙潭秋月(日月潭)、阿里雲海、玉山積雪、大屯春色、安平夕照、魯閣幽峽、清水斷崖、澎湖漁火等。
1949年國民政府來臺初期，中日戰爭剛結束、又逢國共內戰，社會一直處在戒嚴時期（直至1987年7月15日解嚴），經濟凋蔽、民生困頓，國內休閒遊憩活動不被提倡，學生戶外活動由教育部及救國團規劃寒暑假活動營隊，國外觀光被禁止，直至1979年因國民所得年年提高，加上解嚴等相關政策才獲開放，至於大陸探親的解禁則是1987年兩岸關係的改善。這些改變除了造成國內休閒遊憩業的蓬勃，也形成風起雲湧的國外觀光潮。
2001年起實施「週休二日制」，人們休閒時間增加；加上網路科技的演進，旅行業界提供線上旅遊資訊；這些要素皆促使臺灣觀光業更加蓬勃發展。

(七)文化
　　臺灣原為南島語族文化圈的一部份。17世紀初，漢人尚未大量移入前，曾被荷蘭人佔據38年(1624~1662年)，接受歐洲文化影響。其後，漢人大量移入，發展出華南農漁業文化。19世紀末，割讓給日本50年(1895~1945年)又融入大和文化；今日的台灣社會，是上述歷史影響下的多元文化社會。

(八)社會
　　臺灣的社會在17世紀以前是以南島語族的社會形式為主，17世紀以後，來自不同原鄉的一批批漢人移民進入臺灣後，因為生存競爭而發生摩擦─移民與原住民之間發生衝突；移民與移民之間也爆發械鬥；老移民與新移民也產生對立。然而，由於原鄉意識的逐漸遠去、新挑戰或新統治者的出現，使得衝突日漸淡化、消弭，共同的命運感逐漸形成，於是300多年來，臺灣的社會從一個移墾社會逐漸轉變成一個多元文化融合的本土社會。
 A. Location
Located in the southeastern corner of Eurasia, Taiwan sits in the middle of the Western Pacific festoon of islands. It faces the East China Sea to the north (600 km from the Ryukyu archipelago), the Bashi Channel to the south (350 km from the Philippines), the Taiwan Strait to the west (averaging 200 km from the Chinese mainland), and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Situated at the western rim of the Pacific Basin, the island plays an important role as an East Asian crossroad.

B. Area
The greater area of Taiwan includes the island of Taiwan, the 64 islets of the Penghu archipelago, and more than 20 other outlying islets. Taiwan also has jurisdiction over the Kinmen archipelago and Matsu archipelago of Fukien Province and the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea.

Despite having a total area of only about 36,000 sq. km, Taiwan spreads across 5°16' 27" in longitude and 4°11'5" in latitude. Its extreme western edge (Penghu) lies at 119°18'3"E, eastern edge (I-lan) at 124°34'30"E, northern (I-lan) at 25°56'30"N and southern (Hengchun) at 21°45'25"N.
C. Physical Geography
(a) Geology
The island of Taiwan is one part of the southeastern edge of the Eurasian plate. At the end of the Tertiary period (12 million years ago), the plate where today's Taiwan Strait is located collapsed, thus making Taiwan a continental island which shared its fauna and flora with Eurasia.

(b) Climate
The Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) running across Taiwan's middle section divides the island into two climactic zones, tropical in the south and subtropical in the north. The island's average annual temperature is about 24 degrees Celsius in the south and 22°C in the north. The main stream of the northward-moving Kuroshio Current passes up the eastern coast of Taiwan, thus bringing in warm and moist air. Summer and winter monsoons also bring intermittent rainfall to Taiwan's hills and central mountains. As a result, more than 2,500 millimeters of rain fall every year.

(c) Topography and Pedology
The Central Mountain Range is Taiwan's major watershed. The elevation of the land gradually decreases as we move westward and eastward from this north-south ridge. On this mountainous island, mountains account for 30% of the total area, hills and plateaus for 40%, and plains for the remaining 30%. Surrounded by seas, Taiwan's coastline is approximately 1,566 kilometers long. There are four types of coastal landscape: eastern fault coast, western emergent coast, northern mixed coast and southern coral-reef coast.
Soil develops under various influences: its origins and component materials, the local climate, the surrounding topography, hydrology and biology, as well as human activities and time. There are ten types of soil in Taiwan. Mountainous areas (over 1,000 meters) are covered with lihosol and podzol. Hills (100-1,000 meters) and plateaus (below 100 meters) are capped with reddish-yellow podzol, brown forest soil and yellowish-brown latosol. The plains are covered with reddish-brown latosol, alluvial soil, saline soil, planosol-like soil and regosol.

(d) High biodiversity
Despite its small size (36,000 sq km), Taiwan is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including many endemic species. According to 1990 statistics regarding plants there are 3,579 angiosperm species, 31 gymnosperm, 638 fern, 521 lichen, and 1,129 bryophyte species in Taiwan. As to animals, there are 62 mammalian species, 29 amphibian, 80 reptilian, 450 bird, 60 fresh-water fish and 50,000 insect species.

D. Human Geography

(a) Population
Taiwan was occupied by the aborigines before the Han Chinese moved in. These early residents were not many in number, so the Han Chinese have dominated Taiwan's population growth ever since. In 1650 (near the end of Dutch rule), Taiwan's population was 50,000; thirty years later (near the end of Ming Zheng rule), it reached 120,000. In 1811 (in the middle of the Ching Dynasty), it grew to 1,945,000. In 1905, at the beginning of Japanese colonial times, there were three million residents in Taiwan; the number had doubled to almost six million by the time the Japanese withdrew from the island in 1942. Ever since, Taiwan's population has grown even faster, reaching 22,101,000 in the year 2000. With an average of 688 persons per sq. km, Taiwan has become the second most densely populated area in the world.
Taiwan, like many other developed countries (and most notably Japan), is becoming an "aging society" as the population growth rate goes down and the elderly live longer lives. It is also becoming an increasingly urban society with its population concentrated on the northern and southern ends of the island, in Taipei and Kaohsiung.

(b) Economy
Agriculture: Due to the limited amount of arable land, Taiwan has developed a typical form of intensive agriculture. In the future, in order to cope with the impact of the new two-day weekend policy and entrance into the World Trade Organization, the island will need to adapt its agriculture to leisure and commercial purposes.
Mining: Taiwan has a wide variety of mines but their reserves are very limited. After a long period of extraction, the coal, sulfur, petroleum and gold reserves are almost exhausted. Only marble and limestone remain rich in reserves and output; these have become the main mine resources.
Industry: Taiwan transformed from early light industry to heavy industry in the 1970s and to high-tech electronics after the 1980s. The government currently aims at developing strategic industries and speeding the upgrading process so as to catch up with the most advanced countries.
Trade: Taiwan's early trade deficits turned into trade surpluses in the 1970s but the amount of surpluses gradually diminished after 1987. The main imports are machines, electronic devices and plastics; the main exports are electronic devices, machines, chemicals and steel. The leading export markets are the US, Hong Kong and Japan; the largest sources of imports are Japan, the US and Germany.

(c) Transportation
As an East Asian transportation hub, Taiwan started to build its modern transportation facilities in the late nineteenth century. Due to its more mountainous topography in the center and east, the island has a much greater concentration of infrastructure and traffic in the west. Transportation is by sea, air and overland routes (highways and railways).

(d) Settlement
There have been two stages of settlement in Taiwan: first by aboriginals and much later by Han Chinese. As for the aborigines, Pinpu and mountain tribes have had different types of settlements due to their different lifestyles. Pinpu tribes tend to live in compact communities for reasons of water, safety and public ownership of the land. As for mountain tribes, those in the north (Atayal and Saisiyat) live in scattered villages, those in central and southern Taiwan (Paiwan, Ami, Tsou) in compact communities, and Bunun and Lanyu-based Yami in settlements combining these features.
   
According to a Japanese geographer, the Han Chinese in southern Taiwan tend to live in compact communities while those in the north are prone to reside in scattered villages. It appears that the southern settlements are bound by blood relationships, their northern counterparts by geographical considerations.
A modern Western style of urban system was planned for Taiwan in Japanese colonial times. However, many construction projects undertaken then were damaged during the Second World War. After 1945, because of industrial and commercial development, Taiwan 'has become gradually more urbanized. With up to 80% of the population living in cities, three metropolitan areas appeared: Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung.

(e) Politics
Taiwan's political geography can be divided into the following four historical stages: (i) before the 17th century, Austronesian aborigines lived in their own tribes; (ii) in the 17th century, the Dutch, Ming Zheng and Ching Dynasties came to rule in succession; (iii) between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a colony of Japan; (iv) since 1945 Taiwan has been a province of the Republic of China, which separated from mainland China in 1949.

(f) Tourism
The most renowned travel book about Taiwan was written by Yu Yung-ho in 1697. After ports were opened in the Ching Dynasty, many people came to the island from overseas for missionary work and for surveying the natural, ethnic or business environments. Before and after Japan took over Taiwan, it also systematically sent scholars to carry out comprehensive investigations for political and economic reasons. Their documents have enabled us to glimpse the original look of Taiwan before it was developed. In Japanese colonial times, the island was famous for eight scenes: the moonlight on Sun Moon Lake, cloud sea on Mount Ali, snow on Mount Jade, spring on Mount Tatun, sunset in Anping, the tranquility of Taroko Gorge, cliff at Chingshui Cliff and fishing boat lights of Penghu.

(g) Culture
Taiwan used to be a part of the widespread Austronesian culture. However, at the beginning of the 17th century, Dutch settlers occupied the island for 38 years (1624-1662), thus bringing in their European culture. Later a great number of Han Chinese moved in, developing an agricultural and fishing culture akin to that of the south of China. And after fifty years of Japan's colonial rule (1895-1945), certain elements of Japanese culture became part of Taiwan's everyday life. Obviously, today's Taiwanese society is a result of various cultural influences over a long period of history.

(h) Society
Before the 17th century, Taiwan was a purely Austronesian society living in the Austronesian way. But after the 17th century, with the arrival of Han Chinese, conflicts arose not only between the new immigrants and native Austronesians but also between different groups of immigrants and between old immigrants and new ones. However, as the island has faced new challenges under new leaders, the concept of individual origin has become much less important; instead, a new sense of community and of Taiwanese cultural identity has taken shape. After three hundred years, Taiwan is no longer a society of immigrants but a socially and multi-culturally integrated island nation.