Nature

As introduced by the Taiwan Yearbook 2006:

Taiwan offers visitors diverse terrain and warm weather during much of the year. Since Portuguese sailors first dubbed the island Ilha Formosa (beautiful island) in the 16th century, Taiwan has been celebrated for its breathtaking scenery. In order to better manage and preserve Taiwan's natural as well as cultural resources, the government has established 6 national parks and 13 national scenic areas.

National Parks

Set up between 1984 and 1995, the six national parks of Kenting, Yushan, Yangmingshan, Taroko, Shei-pa, and Kinmen have a combined land and sea area of 322,845 hectares. Not including the 15,186 hectares of sea located within Kenting National Park's boundaries, the parks cover 8.5 percent of the ROC's territory.

Located on the Hengchun Peninsula at Taiwan's southernmost tip, Kenting National Park has spectacular shorelines with both coral and rock formations. With its clean white sand, Kenting has some of Taiwan's best beaches and is popular for water sports. Visitors can wander through unusual dry land coral formations or along pleasant wooded paths that wind their way through botanical gardens filled with exotic plant life, or rest at pavilions and feast their eyes on stunning seascapes.

At a height of 3,952 meters, Yushan (Jade Mountain) is the highest peak in Northeast Asia. Yushan National Park, centered on the peak's massive slopes, is Taiwan's largest national park. With a 3,600-meter variation in altitude, the park's flora varies from subtropical, through temperate, to alpine. The park's different habitats are home to a wide variety of wild animals. In addition to being sacred to some aboriginal groups, the park area was an important source of raw materials, and played a key role in early Han Chinese development of Taiwan. For example, in order to encourage Han people to immigrate to eastern Taiwan, Ching dynasty officials constructed the Batongguan Trail in 1875.

Yangmingshan National Park to the north of Taipei is noted for its waterfalls, volcanic craters, lakes, hot springs, and cherry and azalea blossoms. Well-maintained walkways and trails lead to the park's main scenic spots, which offer picnic and recreation facilities. Located nearer to a metropolitan center than any other national park in the world, Yangmingshan provides Taipei residents an ideal opportunity to get close to nature during weekends or even on spring and summer evenings.

Taroko Gorge, a spectacular marble-walled canyon that runs for 19 kilometers through the mountains on Taiwan's east coast, lies at the center of the Taroko National Park. The marble gorge was formed over millions of years by the movement of tectonic plates, followed by gradual erosion caused by the Liwu River. Yanzihkou and Jioucyudong are two popular sections: Yanzihkou ("swallow entrance") is a potholed cliff once inhabited by swallows, and Jioucyudong ("nine-curve tunnel") is the most rugged section of the gorge. The nearby Suao-Hualien Highway, constructed between high mountains and the Pacific Ocean, offers spectacular views. Particularly breathtaking is the section at Cingshuei Cliff where the highway crosses the cliff at heights of up to 1,000 meters above the ocean.

Shei-pa National Park was opened in 1992. The main watershed for northern and central Taiwan, this mountainous park has 51 peaks of 3,000 meters or higher, making it the main destination for both local and visiting mountaineers. Taiwan's largest wildlife refuge was established at the Cijiawan River in Shei-pa National Park to protect the Formosan landlocked salmon, a species once on the verge of extinction.

Kinmen National Park was established in 1995 as both a war memorial and nature reserve. It is the nation's newest and smallest national park. Situated a couple of kilometers off the coast of China, the fortress island of Kinmen (Quemoy) was first opened to tourism in 1992. Kinmen had been the target of fierce attacks by PRC forces in 1949 and of artillery battles in the late 1950s. Resistance and counterattacks from the island discouraged China from attempting to invade Taiwan proper. In addition to its historical significance, Kinmen also has a fascinating collection of traditional architecture and cultural features. Granite "wind lion" statues and remarkably well-preserved houses built in the old Fuchienese style attract many visitors; the island's renowned pottery and fiery sorghum liquor gaoliang are popular souvenirs.

National Scenic Areas

The Tourism Bureau has designated 13 national scenic areas around the country. While national parks focus on conservation, scenic areas target tourism.

The North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area and the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area encapsulate the dual charms of mountains and oceans, where unique climatic and geographic conditions have given rise to unusual geology and ecology. Wind and water have carved rocks into a variety of marvelous shapes at Yeliou ("wild willow") on the coast north of Keelung. These areas are popular in all seasons for their unforgettable mountain views and seascapes, and quaint centuries-old paths.

The Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area is reputed to have central Taiwan's most beautiful scenery and most interesting attractions. Tri-Mountain refers to Lion's Head Mountain, Li Mountain (Pear Mountain), and Bagua Mountain (Eight Trigram Mountain). Popular activities in this area include fruit picking, tea tasting, bird watching, and hiking.

The Southwest Coast National Scenic Area was established in 2003. With Taiwan's flattest alluvial plain, the wet lands on the seashore here are a unique ecosystem and a popular stop for migrant birds.

Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County is Taiwan's largest reservoir. The area is the ancestral home of the Thao, one of Taiwan's 12 officially recognized indigenous groups. In 2000, Thao people now living by the lake planted red cedar on Lalu Island in the lake in honor of their ancestors' spirits.

The Alishan (Ali Mountain) National Scenic Area is best known for its forest railway, which takes visitors up the mountain, and for its view of the sunrise over a sea of clouds. There are at least six spots in the scenic area recommended for viewing the sunrise; the most popular is at Jhushan, the forest railway's terminal station.

In 2005, the Siraya National Scenic Area was established in southern Taiwan. The area is named after an aboriginal group that used to live in this area. The thick stratum of mudstone found here indicates that part of this area was once under the ocean, while the sharp-peaked clay hills with steep, deeply eroded slopes located here are thought to be reminiscent of a lunar landscape, for which local people dubbed the landform Moon World.

The nearby mountainous Maolin National Scenic Area is popular for river hiking, boating, biking, and hot spring bathing. This is also one of very few places in the world to observe large numbers of winter butterflies. More than 600,000 spotted purple butterflies congregate each year in a mountain valley here, seeking shelter from the cold weather.

For those people who enjoy aquatic activities, the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area, with its lagoon and mangrove forest surrounded by water of the Taiwan Strait, is a prime destination. Looking to the future, the scenic area administration plans to build a water theme park here.

The East Rift Valley National Scenic Area is famed for its rural serenity. From December to February, rape blossom in the fields resembles a carpet spread from one side of the valley to the other. By paragliding, a sport that is becoming increasingly popular in Taiwan, tourists can gain a bird's-eye view of the fields.

Taiwan's rocky eastern coast is very different from the sandy beaches of western Taiwan. Ocean-eroded caves, cliffs, and rock formations are particularly attractive features of the East Coast National Scenic Area.

To preserve the cultural and natural characteristics unique to Penghu and Matsu, the two offshore island groups have been included in the list of national scenic areas.

The Penghu archipelago (also known as the Pescadores) comprises 90 basalt islets. Millions of years of sea erosion have produced elaborate fissures in the basalt, and a nature reserve has been set up to preserve the spectacular landscape. In addition to unique landforms, sand bars formed by sedimentation can also be found on Penghu. The white beach at Jibei Island is the most famous spot of this kind. The island is also well known for heart-shaped fish traps, which were built of stone in the intertidal zone by early fishermen.

Matsu is named after Ma Zu, the seafarers' deity. According to local legend, Ma Zu died on the island after rescuing her father, and has been worshiped by fishermen, seafarers and, indeed, people in all walks of life over almost a thousand years up to the present day. Moreover, the Matsu islands are located on the migration route of many of East Asia's migratory birds. With this in mind, the government established a wildlife refuge in 2000 to protect the islands' terns.

Forest Recreation Areas

Due to its mountainous terrain and humid climate, Taiwan is blessed with large areas of forest. The Sitou Forest Recreation Area has long been the top choice among locals when thinking of "taking a green shower" as they call walking in the woods. The maple forests at Aowanda and Taiping Mountain attract tourists during the autumn, while snow-capped Hehuan Mountain gives subtropical Taiwan an exotic atmosphere in winter.

Ecotourism

Environmental conservation has received increasing attention over recent years, and ecotourism has grown as a result. Dolphin and whale watching, for example, has become a popular pursuit off the eastern and northeastern coasts with boats, once loaded with fish, now crowded with tourists. Great effort has also been made to save the island's wetlands from being overdeveloped, to the benefit of both migrant birds and local bird watchers. Guandu Nature Park in Taipei and the coastal town of Cigu in Tainan are both excellent sites for bird watching.

The following is a map of Taiwan's National Parks and National Scenic Areas: