Where am I Going Next? Taiwan! By Michael Cullen
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aiwan’s vibrant cultural and spiritual heritage, its fantastic food, world-class hot springs, and stunning scenery are all reasons why this East Asian island needs to make it on a travellers bucket list. Or so says celebrated travel guide author Joshua Samuel Brown. Having consumed his and others writing on Taiwan as a destination, it now tops my post-Covid travel list. A 3.5-hour ight from my home in Thailand, it’s easy to get to. A d d i t i o n a l l y, Ta i w a n h a s emerged as a success story in the global battle against COVID-19, so I feel it’s a safe destination for my next international travel
Photos, clockwise from top: East coast sunrise @ Sanxiantai © Taiwan Tourism; Daylily Flowers @ Sixty Rocks Mountain © Taiwan Tourism Bureau; Taiwans Paci c Coast_a bicycling & sur ng paradise© Taiwan Tourism Bureau
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Taiwan Snapsho Sitting atop the Tropic of Cancer in the West Paci c, Taiwan is north of the Philippines and about 100 miles (180 km) off China’s south-eastern coast. Narrow from east to west and long north to south, it has a total land area of about 14,400 square miles (36,000 sq km). Research suggests Taiwanese Austronesians have lived on the island for approximately 5,500 years though evidence of human habitation dates back tens of thousands of years. During their occupation in the early to mid-17th century, the Dutch called it ‘Ilha Formosa’ or the beautiful island. Han Chinese immigration followed
in the late 17th century, and they held sway until Japan took control from 1895 until the second world war. Though still claimed by communist China, 21st century Taiwan is seen as a vibrant democracy and one of four “Asian Tigers” in its modernisation and economic development. With a long summer and a short, mild winter, the island’s northern and central regions are subtropical, the southern part is tropical, and its mountainous regions are temperate. Almost two-thirds of the island is covered with alpine woodlands, while the remainder consists of
