Taiwan National Parks 2009 - Asia's Best Kept Secret (Mountains)

This was the first in a new series of vignettes for the Taiwan National Parks. Since Taiwan is such a mountainous island, this clip concentrates on Yu-Shan (Mt. Jade) and Yangmingshan National Parks. Again we scaled the highest mountain in East Asia and then had a great time exploring Yangmingshan by car, foot and mountain biike. It was great to spend time with old friends during a week of adventure. This time I also had the opportunity to invite two friends, Ashley and Adrian, along for the fun.

Taiwan covers an area of 36,000 square kilometres, which is 0,025 of the total land area on Earth. Taiwan has undergone dramatic mountain building periods and glacial ages, and is this miraculously endowed with diverse ecosystems that range from the tropical to alpine.

The tropical seas of Kenting National Park, the high mountain environment of Yu-Shan National Park, the volcanic activities of the Yangmingshan National Park and the gorges of Taroko National Park, are parts of a diverse backdrop that is unique to Taiwan. Life expresses itself in myriad forms amongst these settings.

Taiwan National Parks:
Kenting National Park (332.69 km2), the oldest and southernmost national park on the island of Taiwan (Pingdong County), with tropical coral reef and migratory birds.
Kinmen National Park (37.8 km2): due to its proximity to Mainland China, there are historical battlefields in Kinmen.
Shei-Pa National Park (768.5 km2), located in the central northern part of Taiwan island, located in both Hsinchu County and Miaoli County.
Taroko National Park (920 km2), marble gorge, eastern Taiwan.
Yangmingshan National Park (114.55 km2), the smallest and northernmost national park on the island of Taiwan; it has a volcanic landform. It is located north of the city of Taipei, in Taipei County.
Yushan National Park (1054.91 km2), the largest national park in Taiwan, located on the central part of the island. it contains Jade Mountain (Yushan literally means "Jade Mountain", 3952 m) which is the highest peak in East Asia.
Dongsha Marine National Park (3537 km2, including 1.74 km2 of land), this is the first oceanic National Park. It houses about 72 species of endemic plants,and 125 species of insects.
Taijiang National Park (39,310 hectares, 4905 hectares land and 34,405 hectares water), a national park in Southwest Taiwan on the coast of Tainan. The park's tidal landscape is one of its most distinctive forms. Around 200 years ago, a large part of the park was part of the Taijiang Inland Sea. There is a rich variety of marine life, including 205 species of shellfish, 240 species of fish and 49 crab species.

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Travel & Events

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• Taiwan
• National
• Parks
• 2009
• Asia's
• Best
• Kept
• Secret