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81-762: The prosecutorial system runs parallel to its court system. As such, the jurisdiction of the THPO and its branch offices covers only Taiwan and its islands . Kinmen, Wuchiu and Matsu fall under the jurisdiction of the Kinmen Branch of the Fukien High Prosecutors Office. At whatever level, the prosecutors work under the unitary command of the Prosecutor-General of the Supreme Prosecutors Office. According to

162-574: A severe tropical storm . Once the system's maximum sustained winds reach wind speeds of 64 knots (74 mph; 119 km/h), the JMA will designate the tropical cyclone as a typhoon —the highest category on its scale. Since 2009 the Hong Kong Observatory has divided typhoons into three different classifications: typhoon , severe typhoon and super typhoon . A typhoon has wind speed of 64–79 knots (73–91 mph; 118–149 km/h),

243-758: A complex convergent boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate . In a boundary running the length of the island and continuing southwards in the Luzon Volcanic Arc (including Green Island and Orchid Island ), the Eurasian Plate is sliding under the Philippine Sea Plate. Most of the island comprises a huge fault block tilted to the west. The western part of the island, and much of

324-453: A low level feature with sufficient vorticity and convergence is required to begin tropical cyclogenesis. About 85 to 90 percent of Pacific typhoons form within the monsoon trough . Even with perfect upper-level conditions and the required atmospheric instability, the lack of a surface focus will prevent the development of organized convection and a surface low. Vertical wind shear of less than 10 m/s (20 kn, 33 ft/s) between

405-570: A marble canyon, cliff, and fold mountains. Shei-Pa National Park has alpine ecosystems, geological terrain, and valley streams. Kinmen National Park has lakes, wetlands, coastal topography, flora and fauna-shaped island. Dongsha Atoll National Park has the Pratas reef atolls for integrity, a unique marine ecology, and biodiversity, and is a key habitat for the marine resources of the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. Natural resources on

486-513: A severe typhoon has winds of at least 80 knots (92 mph; 150 km/h), and a super typhoon has winds of at least 100 knots (120 mph; 190 km/h). The United States ' Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) unofficially classifies typhoons with wind speeds of at least 130 knots (67 m/s; 150 mph; 241 km/h)—the equivalent of a strong Category 4 storm in the Saffir-Simpson scale —as super typhoons . However,

567-523: Is considered the minimum to maintain the special mesocyclone that is the tropical cyclone. These warm waters are needed to maintain the warm core that fuels tropical systems. A minimum distance of 500 km (300 mi) from the equator is normally needed for tropical cyclogenesis. Whether it be a depression in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) or monsoon trough , a broad surface front , or an outflow boundary ,

648-677: Is either Chinese or Persian-Hindustani origin. Typhoon may trace to 風癡 (meaning "winds which long last"), first attested in 1124 in China. It was pronounced as [hɔŋ tsʰi] in Min Chinese at the time, but later evolved to [hɔŋ tʰai]. New characters 風颱 were created to match the sound, no later than 1566. The word was introduced to Mandarin Chinese in the inverted Mandarin order 颱風 [tʰaɪ fɤŋ] , later picked up by foreign sailors to appear as typhoon. The usage of 颱風

729-737: Is in Japan , with other tropical cyclone warning centres for the northwest Pacific in Hawaii (the Joint Typhoon Warning Center ), the Philippines , and Hong Kong . Although the RSMC names each system, the main name list itself is coordinated among 18 countries that have territories threatened by typhoons each year. Within most of the northwestern Pacific, there are no official typhoon seasons as tropical cyclones form throughout

810-530: Is no more than 100 m (330 ft) deep, and has become a land bridge during glacial periods . Niushan Island in Nanlai village, Aoqian town, Pingtan County, Fuzhou, Fujian is the closest China (PRC)-administered island to the main island. To the south, the main island is separated from the Philippine island of Luzon by the 250 km (155 mi)-wide Luzon Strait . The South China Sea lies to

891-401: Is rich in wind energy resources, with wind farms both onshore and offshore, though limited land area favours offshore wind resources. By promoting renewable energy, Taiwan's government hopes to also aid the nascent renewable energy manufacturing industry, and develop it into an export market. Taiwan has a population of over 23 million, the vast majority of whom live in the lowlands near

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972-572: Is the steepest mountain slope in Taiwan, with fault scarps ranging in height from 120 to 1,200 m (390 to 3,900 ft). Taroko National Park , on the steep eastern side of the range, has good examples of mountainous terrain, gorges and erosion caused by a swiftly flowing river. The East Coast Mountain Range extends down the east coast of the island from the mouth of the Hualien River in

1053-447: Is the term used for a tropical system that has wind speeds not exceeding 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h). A tropical depression is upgraded to a tropical storm should its sustained wind speeds exceed 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h). Tropical storms also receive official names from RSMC Tokyo. Should the storm intensify further and reach sustained wind speeds of 48 knots (55 mph; 89 km/h) then it will be classified as

1134-746: The Formosan clouded leopard is likely extinct and the otter restricted to Kinmen island . The largest carnivore is the Formosan black bear ( Selanarctos thibetanus formosanus ), a rare and endangered species. Nine national parks in Taiwan showcase the archipelago's diverse terrain, flora and fauna. Kenting National Park on the southern tip of Taiwan contains uplifted coral reefs , moist tropical forest and marine ecosystems. Yushan National Park has alpine terrain, mountain ecology, forest types that vary with altitude, and remains of ancient roads. Yangmingshan National Park has volcanic geology, hot springs, waterfalls, and forest. Taroko National Park has

1215-445: The Formosan landlocked salmon ( Oncorhynchus masou formosanus ). A few of these are now extinct , and many others have been designated endangered species . Taiwan has 65 species of fireflies, the third highest density after Jamaica and Costa Rica. Fireflies are protected and their numbers are increasing, but they are threatened by climate change in the long term. Taiwan had relatively few carnivores , 11 species in total, of which

1296-712: The Linkou Plateau , the Taoyuan Plateau and the Dadu Plateau . About 23% of Taiwan's land area consists of fertile alluvial plains and basins watered by rivers running from the eastern mountains. Over half of this land lies in the Chianan Plain in southwest Taiwan, with lesser areas in the Pingtung Plain , Taichung Basin and Taipei Basin . The only sizable plain on the east coast is

1377-614: The Sun Moon Lake Basin in the centre of the island. The Dadu and Zhuoshui Rivers flow from the western slopes of the Central Range through the basin to the west coast of the island. The Xueshan Range lies to the northwest of the Central Mountain Range, beginning at Sandiaojiao , the northeast tip of the island, and gaining elevation as it extends southwest towards Nantou County . Xueshan ,

1458-889: The World Trade Organization in 2002. Consequently, upon the decline of subsistence, Taiwan's agriculture now relies heavily on the marketing and export of specialty crops, such as bananas , guavas , lychees , bell fruits , and high-mountain tea . Taiwan has significant coal deposits and some insignificant petroleum and natural gas deposits. As of 2010 , oil accounts for 49.0% of the total energy consumption. Coal comes next with 32.1%, followed by nuclear energy with 8.3%, natural gas (indigenous and liquefied) with 10.2%, and energy from renewable sources with 0.5%. Taiwan has six nuclear reactors and two under construction. Nearly all oil and gas for transportation and power needs must be imported, making Taiwan particularly sensitive to fluctuations in energy prices. Taiwan

1539-642: The Yilan Plain in the northeast. The island of Taiwan lies across the Tropic of Cancer , and its climate is influenced by the East Asian Monsoon . Northern Taiwan has a humid subtropical climate , with substantial seasonal variation of temperatures, while parts of central and most of southern Taiwan have a tropical monsoon climate where seasonal temperature variations are less noticeable, with temperatures typically varying from warm to hot. During

1620-544: The 1660s and 1670s. The highest reliably-estimated maximum sustained winds on record for a typhoon was that of Typhoon Haiyan at 314 km/h (195 mph) shortly before its landfall in the central Philippines on November 8, 2013. The most intense storm based on minimum pressure was Typhoon Tip in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in 1979, which reached a minimum pressure of 870 hectopascals (26 inHg) and maximum sustained wind speeds of 165 knots (85 m/s, 190 mph, 310 km/h). The deadliest typhoon of

1701-518: The 17th century. Camphor extraction and sugar refining played an important role in Taiwan's exports from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. The importance of these industries declined mainly due to the reduction of international demand rather than the exhaustion of related natural resources. Domestic agriculture (rice being the dominant kind of crop) and fisheries retain some importance. Still, they have been greatly challenged by foreign imports since Taiwan's accession to

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1782-726: The 20th century was Typhoon Nina , which killed nearly 100,000 in China in 1975 due to a flood that caused 12 reservoirs to fail. After Typhoon Morakot landed in Taiwan at midnight on August 8, 2009, almost the entire southern region of Taiwan ( Chiayi County / Chiayi City , Tainan County / Tainan City (now merged as Tainan), Kaohsiung County / Kaohsiung City (now merged as Kaohsiung), and Pingtung County ) and parts of Taitung County and Nantou County were flooded by record-breaking heavy rain. The rainfall in Pingtung County reached 2,327 millimeters (91.6 in), breaking all rainfall records of any single place in Taiwan induced by

1863-628: The Ancient Greek mythological creature Typhôn . In French typhon was attested as storm in 1504. Portuguese traveler Fernão Mendes Pinto referred to a tufão in his memoir published in 1614. The earliest form in English was "touffon" (1588), later as touffon, tuffon, tufon, tuffin, tuffoon, tayfun, tiffoon, typhawn. A tropical depression is the lowest category that the Japan Meteorological Agency uses and

1944-460: The English word typhoon traced to the Cantonese pronunciation of 颱風 [tʰɔi fuŋ] (correspond to Mandarin [tʰaɪ fɤŋ] ), in turn the Cantonese word traced to Arabic. This claim contradicts the fact that the Cantonese term for typhoon was 風舊 [fuŋ kɐu] before the national promotion of 颱風 . 風舊 (meaning "winds which long last") was first attested in 280, being

2025-585: The Law Governing Organization of Courts, prosecutors’ offices form part of the court at the same level of trial: the Supreme Court has a prosecutors’ office with a number of prosecutors, of whom one is appointed as Prosecutor-General; each of the other High Courts or District Courts have its own prosecutors’ office with a number of prosecutors, of whom one is appointed as the chief prosecutor. The Law Governing Organization of Courts and

2106-543: The Philippines, the most active season since 1945 for tropical cyclone strikes was 1993 , when nineteen tropical cyclones moved through the country. There was only one tropical cyclone that moved through the Philippines in 1958 . The 2004 Pacific typhoon season was the busiest for Okinawa since 1957. Within Guangdong in southern China, during the past thousand years, the most active decades for typhoon strikes were

2187-626: The Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia . The island of Taiwan , also known as Formosa , has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi) and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about 180 kilometres (112 mi) across the Taiwan Strait from the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The East China Sea is to the north of

2268-1747: The Statute Governing Judicial Personnel Administration also state that the qualifications of prosecutors are identical to that of judges. Both of them possess the status of judicial officials. Prosecutors are appointed from those persons who have passed the Examination of Judicial Officials, complete the Training Course for Judicial Officials and possess distinguished records after a term of practice. The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office in Taipei: Taipei, Shilin, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Keelung, and Yilan District Prosecutors Office The Branches: (1) Taichung Branch of Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Taiwan Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua and Nantou District Prosecutors Offices (2) Tainan Branch of Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Taiwan Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan District Prosecutors Offices (3) Kaohsiung Branch of Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Taiwan Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Penghu District Prosecutors Offices (4) Hualien Branch of Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Taiwan Hualien, Taitung District Prosecutors Offices 1. Review of non-prosecution decisions 2. Trial attendance 3. Review of criminal judgments 4. Enforcement of criminal judgments of last resort 5. Review of post-mortem forensic examination cases 6. A Platform for prosecutorial interaction 7. Assistance in prisoner rehabilitation and victim protection affairs 8. Public service Island of Taiwan Taiwan , officially

2349-596: The United States who have territories directly affected by typhoons. The submitted names are arranged into a list, the names on the list will be used from up to down, from left to right. When all names on the list are used, it will start again from the left-top corner. When a typhoon causes damage in a region, the affected region can request for retiring the name in the next session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. A new name will be decided by

2430-595: The Yushan Range, across the valley of the south-flowing Kaoping River . The range has major elevations between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,300 and 6,600 ft). The main peak, Data Mountain (大塔山), towers 2,663 m (8,737 ft). Below the western foothills of the ranges, such as the Hsinchu Hills and the Miaoli Hills , lie raised terraces formed of material eroded from the ranges. These include

2511-586: The beginning of June through to the end of November, with an average of four to six typhoons hitting the country annually. According to the statistics of the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, from 1950 to 2022, the Northwest Pacific generated an average of 26.5 named tropical cyclones each year, of which an average of 16.6 reached typhoon standard or above as defined by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The etymology of typhoon

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2592-459: The brunt of the landfalls, with China and Japan being less often impacted. However, some of the deadliest typhoons in history have struck China. Southern China has the longest record of typhoon impacts for the region, with a thousand-year sample via documents within their archives. Taiwan has received the wettest known typhoon on record for the northwest Pacific tropical cyclone basins . However, Vietnam recognises its typhoon season as lasting from

2673-529: The camphor laurel ( Cinnamomum camphora ) was once also widespread at lower altitudes. Taiwan is a centre of bird endemism (see List of endemic birds of Taiwan ). Before the country's industrialization , the mountainous areas held several endemic animal species and subspecies, such as the Swinhoe's pheasant ( Lophura swinhoii ), Taiwan blue magpie ( Urocissa caerulea ), the Formosan sika deer ( Cervus nippon taiwanensis or Cervus nippon taiouanus ) and

2754-513: The central range, consists of sedimentary deposits scraped from the descending edge of the Eurasian Plate. In the northeast of the island, and continuing eastwards in the Ryukyu Volcanic Arc, the Philippine Sea Plate slides under the Eurasian Plate. The tectonic boundary remains active, and Taiwan experiences 15,000 to 18,000 earthquakes each year, of which 800 to 1,000 are noticed by people. The most catastrophic recent earthquake

2835-399: The collapse of a 17-story apartment building. The terrain in Taiwan is divided into two parts: the flat to gently rolling plains in the west, where 90% of the population lives, and the mostly rugged forest-covered mountains in the eastern two-thirds. The eastern part of the island is dominated by five mountain ranges, each running from north-northeast to south-southwest, roughly parallel to

2916-457: The contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of five rugged mountain ranges running parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where the majority of the population resides. Several peaks exceed 3,500 m in height - the highest, Yu Shan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft), makes Taiwan the world's fourth-highest island . The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges remains active, and

2997-477: The country of Switzerland. Other environmental issues include water pollution from industrial emissions and raw sewage , contamination of drinking water supplies, trade in endangered species , and low-level radioactive waste disposal. Though regulation of sulfate aerosol emissions from petroleum combustion is becoming stringent, acid rain remains a threat to the health of residents and forests. Atmospheric scientists in Taiwan estimate that more than half of

3078-480: The date line from the central Pacific retain their original name, but the designation of hurricane becomes typhoon. The most active Western Pacific typhoon season was in 1964 , when 39 storms of tropical storm strength formed. Only 15 seasons had 30 or more storms developing since reliable records began. The least activity seen in the northwest Pacific Ocean was during the 2010 Pacific typhoon season , when only 14 tropical storms and seven typhoons formed. In

3159-425: The east coast of the island. As a group, they extend 330 km (210 mi) from north to south and average about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from east to west. They include more than two hundred peaks with elevations of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The Central Mountain Range extends from Su'ao in the northeast to Eluanbi at the southern tip of the island, forming a ridge of high mountains and serving as

3240-550: The exclusive preserve of the indigenous peoples until the early 20th century. A further 1.2 million people from throughout China entered Taiwan at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Some areas in Taiwan with high population density and many factories are affected by heavy pollution. The most notable areas are the southern suburbs of Taipei and the western stretch from Tainan to Lin Yuan, south of Kaohsiung. By

3321-583: The island is in Puli Township , Nantou County . The southernmost point on the island is Cape Eluanbi in Hengchun Township , Pingtung County . The main island is separated from the southeast coast of mainland China by the Taiwan Strait , which ranges from 220 km (140 mi) at its widest point to 130 km (81 mi) at its narrowest. Part of the continental shelf, the Strait

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3402-514: The island experiences many earthquakes, some of them highly destructive. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in the Taiwan Straits. The climate ranges from tropical in the south to subtropical in the north, and is governed by the East Asian Monsoon . On average, four typhoons strike the main island each year. The heavily forested eastern mountains provide a habitat for a diverse range of wildlife, while human land use in

3483-646: The island's mineral resources (e.g. coal, gold, marble), as well as wild animal reserves (e.g. deer), have been virtually exhausted. Moreover, much of Taiwan's forestry resources , especially firs were harvested during Japanese rule for the construction of shrines and have only recovered slightly since then. To this day, forests do not contribute to significant timber production mainly because of concerns about production costs and environmental regulations. The few natural resources with significant economic value remaining in Taiwan are agriculture-associated. Sugarcane and rice have been cultivated in western Taiwan since

3564-405: The island's principal watershed. The mountains are predominantly composed of hard rock formations resistant to weathering and erosion, although heavy rainfall has deeply scarred the sides with gorges and sharp valleys. The relative relief of the terrain is usually extensive, and the forest-clad mountains with their extreme ruggedness are almost impenetrable. The east side of the Central Mountain Range

3645-843: The island, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south, and the South China Sea to its southwest. The ROC also controls a number of smaller islands , including the Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, Kinmen and Matsu in Fuchien near the PRC's coast, as well as Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea. Geologically, the main island comprises a tilted fault block , characterized by

3726-409: The islands include small deposits of gold , copper , coal , natural gas , limestone , marble , and asbestos . The island is 55% forest and woodland (mostly on the mountains) and 24% arable land (mostly on the plains), with 15% going to other purposes. 5% is permanent pasture and 1% is permanent crops. Because of the intensive exploitation throughout Taiwan's pre-modern and modern history ,

3807-617: The largest of the archipelago, was known in the West until after World War II as Formosa , from the Portuguese Ilha Formosa ( [ˌiʎɐ fuɾˈmɔzɐ] ), "beautiful island". It is 394 km (245 mi) long and 144 km (89 mi) wide, and has an area of 35,808 km (13,826 sq mi). The northernmost point of the island is Cape Fugui in New Taipei 's Shimen District . The central point of

3888-661: The late 20th century, Taipei suffered from extensive vehicle and factory air pollution , but after the government required mandatory use of unleaded petrol and established the Environmental Protection Administration in 1987 to regulate air quality, the air quality of Taiwan has improved dramatically. Motor scooters , especially older or cheaper two-stroke versions, which are ubiquitous in Taiwan, contribute disproportionately to urban air pollution. The Taichung Power Plant also contributes significantly to air pollution, producing more CO 2 than

3969-433: The lower to middle levels of the troposphere , enough Coriolis force to develop a low pressure center, a pre-existing low level focus or disturbance, and low vertical wind shear. While these conditions are necessary for tropical cyclone formation, they do not guarantee that a tropical cyclone will form. Normally, an ocean temperature of 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) spanning through a depth of at least 50 metres (160 ft)

4050-534: The main peak, is 3,886 m (12,749 ft) high. The Yushan Range runs along the southwestern flank of the Central Range. It includes the island's tallest peak, the 3,952 m (12,966 ft) Yu Shan ('Jade Mountain') which makes Taiwan the world's fourth-highest island , and is the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of the Kamchatka Peninsula , New Guinea Highlands and Mount Kinabalu . The Alishan Range lies west of

4131-447: The majority of storms form between June and November, a few storms may occur between December and May (although tropical cyclone formation is very rare during that time). On average, the northwestern Pacific features the most numerous and intense tropical cyclones globally. Like other basins, they are steered by the subtropical ridge towards the west or northwest, with some systems recurving near and east of Japan . The Philippines receive

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4212-553: The maximum penalty for ocean pollution was raised from US$ 48,820 to US$ 3.25 million. Typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph). This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin , accounting for almost one third of

4293-525: The maximum sustained wind speed measurements that the JTWC uses are based on a 1-minute averaging period, akin to the U.S.'s National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center . As a result, the JTWC's wind reports are higher than JMA's measurements, as the latter is based on a 10-minute averaging interval. There are six main requirements for tropical cyclogenesis: sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, atmospheric instability, high humidity in

4374-516: The most active on Earth. Pacific typhoons have formed year-round, with peak months from August to October. The peak months correspond to that of the Atlantic hurricane seasons . Along with a high storm frequency, this basin also features the most globally intense storms on record. One of the most recent busy seasons was 2013 . Tropical cyclones form in any month of the year across the northwest Pacific Ocean and concentrate around June and November in

4455-430: The north to Taitung County in the south, and chiefly consist of sandstone and shale. It is separated from the Central Range by the narrow Huatung Valley , at an altitude of 120 m (390 ft). Although Hsinkangshan (新港山), the highest peak, reaches an elevation of 1,682 m (5,518 ft), most of the range is composed of large hills. Small streams have developed on the flanks, but only one large river cuts across

4536-567: The northern Indian Ocean. The area just northeast of the Philippines is the most active place on Earth for tropical cyclones to exist. Across the Philippines themselves, activity reaches a minimum in February, before increasing steadily through June and spiking from July through October, with September being the most active month for tropical cyclones across the archipelago . Activity falls off significantly in November, although Typhoon Haiyan ,

4617-655: The northernmost islands of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel . The islands of Kinmen and Matsu near the coast of Fujian across the Taiwan Strait have a total area of 180 km (69 sq mi); the Pratas and Taiping islets in the South China Sea are also administered by the ROC, but are not part of the Taiwanese archipelago. The island of Taiwan was formed approximately 4 to 5 million years ago at

4698-474: The ocean surface and the tropopause is required for tropical cyclone development. Typically with Pacific typhoons, there are two jets of outflow : one to the north ahead of an upper trough in the westerlies , and a second towards the equator. In general, the westerly wind increases associated with the Madden–Julian oscillation lead to increased tropical cyclogenesis in all tropical cyclone basins . As

4779-552: The oldest Chinese term for typhoon. Not one Chinese historical record links 颱風 to an Arabic or foreign origin. On the other hand, Chinese records consistently assert foreigners refer typhoon as "black wind". "Black wind" eventually enters the vocabulary of Jin Chinese as 黑老風 [xəʔ lo fəŋ] . Alternatively, some dictionaries propose that typhoon derived from (طوفان) tūfān , meaning storm in Persian and Hindustani . The root of (طوفان) tūfān possibly traces to

4860-419: The oscillation propagates from west to east, it leads to an eastward march in tropical cyclogenesis with time during that hemisphere's summer season. On average, twice per year twin tropical cyclones will form in the western Pacific Ocean, near the 5th parallel north and the 5th parallel south , along the same meridian, or line of longitude. There is an inverse relationship between tropical cyclone activity in

4941-407: The pollutants causing Taiwan's acid rain are carried from China by monsoon winds. Taiwan historically had a serious problem with the illegal dumping of household and industrial waste which became so severe that Taiwan was known as "garbage island." This high level of pollution led to civil and government action, by 2022 the recycling rate was one of the highest in the world at 55%. Community activism

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5022-404: The population. Immigrants from southern Fujian began to farm the area around modern Tainan and Kaohsiung from the 17th century, later spreading across the western and northern plains and absorbing the indigenous population of those areas. Hakka people from eastern Guangdong arrived later and settled the foothills further inland, but the rugged uplands of the eastern half of the island remained

5103-459: The range. Badlands are located at the western foot of the range, where the ground water level is the lowest and rock formations are the least resistant to weathering. Raised coral reefs along the east coast and the frequent occurrences of earthquakes in the rift valley indicate that the fault block is still rising. The ranges to the west of the Central range are divided into two groups separated by

5184-434: The region whose name was retired. Unlike tropical cyclones in other parts of the world, typhoons are not named after people. Instead, they generally refer to animals, flowers, astrological signs, and a few personal names. However, Philippines (PAGASA) retains its own naming list, which consists of both human names and other objects. Japan and some other East Asian countries also assign numbers to typhoons. Storms that cross

5265-596: The responsibility for issuing warnings for land areas about tropical cyclones affecting their country, such as the Joint Typhoon Warning Center for United States agencies, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for interests in the island archipelago nation, and the Hong Kong Observatory for storms that come close enough to cause the issuance of warning signals . The list of names consists of entries from 14 southeast and east Asian nations and regions and

5346-458: The sea surface temperature and circulation features following a near-10-year frequency. Most tropical cyclones form on the side of the subtropical ridge closer to the equator, then move poleward past the ridge axis before recurving north and northeast into the main belt of the westerlies . Most typhoons form in a region in the northwest Pacific known as typhoon alley, where the planet's most powerful tropical cyclones most frequently develop. When

5427-403: The southwest, the East China Sea to the north, and the Philippine Sea to the east. Smaller islands of the archipelago include the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait 50 km (31 mi) west of the main island, with an area of 127 km (49 sq mi), the tiny islet of Xiaoliuqiu off the southwest coast, and Orchid Island and Green Island to the southeast, separated from

5508-572: The strongest Philippine typhoon on record, was a November typhoon. The most frequently impacted areas of the Philippines by tropical cyclones are northern and central Luzon and eastern Visayas . A ten-year average of satellite determined precipitation showed that at least 30 percent of the annual rainfall in the northern Philippines could be traced to tropical cyclones, while the southern islands receive less than 10 percent of their annual rainfall from tropical cyclones. The genesis and intensity of typhoons are also modulated by slow variation of

5589-440: The subtropical ridge position, shift westward across the western Pacific Ocean, which increases the landfall threat to China and greater intensity to Philippines . Those that form near the Marshall Islands find their way to Jeju Island , Korea. Typhoon paths follow three general directions. A rare few storms, like Hurricane John , were redesignated as typhoons as they originated in the Eastern/Central Pacific and moved into

5670-424: The subtropical ridge shifts due to El Niño , so will the preferred tropical cyclone tracks. Areas west of Japan and Korea tend to experience many fewer September–November tropical cyclone impacts during El Niño and neutral years. During El Niño years, the break in the subtropical ridge tends to lie near 130°E , which would favor the Japanese archipelago. During La Niña years, the formation of tropical cyclones, and

5751-539: The vegetation on Taiwan ranged from tropical rainforest in the lowlands through temperate forests , boreal forest and alpine plants with increasing altitude. Most of the plains and low-lying hills of the west and north of the island have been cleared for agricultural use since the arrival of the Chinese immigrants during the 17th and 18th century. However the mountain forests are very diverse, with several endemic species such as Formosan cypress ( Chamaecyparis formosensis ) and Taiwan fir ( Abies kawakamii ), while

5832-532: The western Pacific basin and the North Atlantic basin, however. When one basin is active, the other is normally quiet, and vice versa. The main reason for this appears to be the phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation, or MJO, which is normally in opposite modes between the two basins at any given time. Nearly one-third of the world's tropical cyclones form within the western Pacific. This makes this basin

5913-469: The western Pacific. Within the Western Pacific, RSMC Tokyo-Typhoon Center , part of the Japan Meteorological Agency , has had the official warning responsibility for the whole of the Western Pacific since 1989, and the naming responsibility for systems of tropical storm strength or greater since 2000. However each National Meteorological and Hydrological Service within the western Pacific has

5994-445: The western and northern lowlands is intensive. The total land area of Taiwan is 36,197 km (13,976 sq mi), slightly larger than Belgium . It has a coastline of 1,566.3 km (973.3 mi). The ROC claims an exclusive economic zone of 83,231 km (32,136 sq mi) with 200  nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) and a territorial sea of 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi). The island of Taiwan,

6075-631: The western coast of the island. The island is highly urbanized, with nearly 9 million people living in the Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area at the northern end, and over 2 million each in the urban areas of Kaohsiung and Taichung . Taiwanese indigenous peoples comprise approximately 2% of the population, and now mostly live in the mountainous eastern part of the island. Most scholars believe their ancestors arrived in Taiwan by sea between 4000 and 3000 BC, most likely from southeastern China. Han Chinese make up over 95% of

6156-549: The winter (November to March), the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the island are mostly sunny. The summer monsoon (from May to October) accounts for 90% of the annual precipitation in the south, but only 60% in the north. The average rainfall is approximately 2,600 mm per year. Typhoons are most likely to strike between July and October, with on average about four direct hits per year. Intensive rain from typhoons often leads to disastrous mudslides. Before extensive human settlement,

6237-576: The world's tropical cyclones. The term hurricane refers to a tropical cyclone (again with sustained winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph)) in the north central and northeast Pacific, and the north Atlantic. In all of the preceding regions, weaker tropical cyclones are called tropical storms . For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern (North America to 140°W ), central (140°W to 180°), and western (180° to 100°E). The Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) for tropical cyclone forecasts

6318-419: The year. Like any tropical cyclone, there are several main requirements for typhoon formation and development. It must be in sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures , atmospheric instability, high humidity in the lower-to-middle levels of the troposphere , have enough Coriolis effect to develop a low pressure centre , a pre-existing low level focus or disturbance, and a low vertical wind shear . Although

6399-543: Was key to this change along with innovations such as garbage trucks which play music. Illegal extraction by Chinese sand dredging vessels has caused significant damage to the marine environment of Taiwan's outlying areas. The Taiwan Banks are a particularly hard hit target. Bottom trawling is a controversial practice due to the environmental damage it causes. Bottom trawlers with a tonnage under 50 are restricted from trawling within 5km of shore and those over 50 tons are restricted from trawling within 12km of shore. In 2023

6480-435: Was not dominant until Chu Coching , the head of meteorology of the national academy from 1929 to 1936, declared it to be the standard term. There were 29 alternative terms for typhoon recorded in a chronicle in 1762, now mostly replaced by 颱風 , although 風癡 or 風颱 continues to be used in Min Chinese - and Wu Chinese - speaking areas from Chaozhou , Guangdong to Taizhou , Zhejiang. Some English linguists proposed

6561-425: Was the magnitude-7.3 Chi-Chi earthquake , which occurred in the centre of Taiwan on 21 September 1999, killing more than 2,400 people. On 4 March 2010 at about 01:20 UTC, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit southwestern Taiwan in the mountainous area of Kaohsiung County . Another major earthquake occurred on 6 February 2016, with a magnitude of 6.4. Tainan was damaged the most, with 117 deaths, most of them caused by

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