Name: Why Taiwan's East Coast Is Basically Empty
Uploaded: 2025-03-30T14:27:15.000Z
Duration: 15 min 12 s
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Taiwan is home to over 23 million people spread across an island about half the size of the US state of South Carolina But despite its small size Taiwan's population is not spread out equally In fact, the vast majority or about 90% hugs its west coast leaving its central and east coast Relatively empty.

So why don't more people live in Taiwan's east coast?

As usual it has to do with the country's economics physical geography and history Taiwan Taiwan is a mountainous island situated in the Western Pacific Separated from mainland China by the Taiwan Strait.

It covers approximately 36,000 square kilometers about the same size as the US state of Maryland and lies at the convergence of the Philippine sea plate and the Eurasian plate making it a geologically dynamic region prone to earthquakes and typhoons Both of which are a huge part of today's story Of course the island's most striking geographic feature is the central mountain range which runs north to south Dividing Taiwan into distinct eastern and western regions These mountains are some of the tallest in East Asia with Yushan standing as the highest peak at 3,952 meters roughly the same height as the Grand Tetons in Wyoming The range consists of steep forested slopes narrow ridges and deep gorges with terrain that remains Largely undeveloped due to its difficulty of access.

The eastern side of the island is particularly rugged where the mountains rise Abruptly from the Pacific Ocean in contrast Western Taiwan is much flatter and features more extensive plains and rolling hills Taiwan's rivers are short and fast-flowing due to the island's steep topography.

The Joshui River the longest stretches only about 186 kilometers Many rivers originate in the central mountains and carve deep valleys as they descend towards the coasts making them crucial for Hydroelectric power the Taroko Gorge a famous natural wonder was formed by the Liyue River Cutting through marble rock over millions of years creating one of Taiwan's most breathtaking landscapes Taiwan's geography plays a huge role in shaping its human settlement patterns economy and Infrastructure despite being a relatively small island the rugged interior and East Coast remain largely undeveloped Meanwhile, the fertile Western Plains have supported dense population and economic growth But it's not all about the physical geography.

There are historic reasons at play, too Taiwan is quite unlike most other countries in the world Mostly because while it is an independent country with independent elections an independent military and Independent trade deals.

It's not actually recognized as an independent state and this has a lot to do with how and why Taiwan was settled by China and One of the most important things to remember in this story is that the island has been home to indigenous peoples for thousands of years These people are not directly related to the Chinese In fact, they are Austronesian speaking groups who arrived along the same migration patterns as New Zealand, Polynesia Hawaii and Indonesia these indigenous groups developed distinct cultures and lived in scattered communities Primarily in the mountainous interior and along the coasts their presence remains a significant part of Taiwan's identity today Though they make up only about 2% of the population or about 600,000 people So in a way Taiwan is as much of a colonized country as many parts of the Western Hemisphere But let's get back to how modern Taiwan was established the earliest mentions of Taiwan interacting with China begin around the year 230 when military troops from the Eastern Wu Kingdom of China's Three kingdoms period landed on its shores though There is some debate on whether this was actually Taiwan that they landed on or not Various reports would include some mention of Taiwan albeit under different names for the next 1,400 years During the 1600s Taiwan became a contested territory the Dutch established a colony in the south the Spanish briefly held territory in the north and Chinese settlers mostly from Fujian province Gradually moved on to the island the Dutch were eventually expelled by Koxinga a Ming loyalist who used Taiwan as a base of resistance against the Qing Dynasty however his rule was short-lived as Qing forces took control of Taiwan in 1683 and Incorporated it into their Empire for over two centuries Taiwan remained under Qing rule though its position on the Empire's periphery meant it was often overlooked this changed in 1895 when the Qing were forced to cede Taiwan to Japan after their defeat in the first Sino-Japanese war the Japanese brought Modernization to the island building infrastructure railways and industry while also implementing strict colonial rule Though resistance existed Japan's influence reshaped Taiwan leaving a legacy that persists in aspects of its architecture education and economy after Japan's defeat in World War two Taiwan was handed back to China in 1945 and this proved to be very lucky for the Taiwan that exists today While remaining as a backwater through much of China's history Taiwan would eventually occupy a prominent place in the Chinese Civil War which had begun in the late 1920s The Nationalist Republic of China government under Chiang Kai-shek fought against the communist forces led by Mao Zedong despite initial advantages the Nationalists suffered a series of devastating defeats due to poor leadership corruption and dwindling public support by 1949 the communists had gained control of mainland China Forcing the Nationalist government to retreat to Taiwan Chiang Kai-shek and his followers established their base on the island bringing with them millions of refugees military forces and much of China's cultural and financial wealth at the time though the Nationalist government continued to claim sovereignty over all of China its control was Effectively limited to Taiwan and a few offshore islands It was during this period that saw much of the Western world namely the United States Canada and Western Europe aligned with Taiwan and recognized it as a country leaving mainland China as a global outsider however between 1950 and 1971 this recognition gradually eroded as Western countries sought to recognize mainland China as the sole China in order to establish trade with the much larger economic base and Because mainland China still claimed ownership of Taiwan it mandated that no country could recognize Taiwan as an independent country Despite the fact that it is independent for all intents and purposes This isolated Taiwan from global diplomacy, but not from global trade despite its diplomatic isolation Taiwan's economy surged in the late 1900s transforming from an agrarian society into a global industrial and technological powerhouse Democratic reforms began in the late 1980s culminating in the first direct presidential election in 1996 since then Taiwan has functioned as a democratic society distinct from mainland China Despite Beijing's continued claims over the island which leads us to today's population divide Hey, sorry for the interruption.

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Unlock a healthier easier way to eat with Huel Taiwan's population is overwhelmingly concentrated along its western coast where nearly 90% of its people live while the central and eastern regions remain Sparsely populated and at play here are the historic geographic and current conditions that Taiwan finds itself in That's a lot to cover.

The most immediate factor is Taiwan's topography The simple fact is that the island's central and eastern regions are dominated by the central mountain range a series of steep Forested peaks that run from north to south these mountains with elevations exceeding 3,000 meters in many places Make large-scale urban development Extremely difficult.

Flatland is scarce roads and railways must navigate rugged terrain and much of the area remains covered in dense Vegetation or protected national parks such as Kenting and Taroko But while Taiwan is very mountainous overall the western part consists of broad plains and rolling hills that provide ample space for cities infrastructure and perhaps most importantly Agriculture and more to that point the relatively flat land in the West allows for efficient transportation networks the construction of industrial hubs and the expansion of urban centers such as Taipei Taichung and Kaohsiung for example in 1999 Taiwan began construction of its first and only High-speed rail line linking the country's capital at Taipei with its large southern city, Kaohsiung Taiwan's high-speed rail which can travel up to 300 kilometers per hour can only really be built in flatter areas as Such nearly all of Taiwan's west coast is connected to its high-speed rail network Its east coast though It would be very challenging to make it work there due to the mountainous topography This kind of infrastructure keeps the country's population and industry focused on Taiwan's west coast, but it's not all about Infrastructure Taiwan is very prone to natural disasters But while it's a small island not all of Taiwan suffers these disasters in the same way frequent earthquakes and typhoons disproportionately impact the central and eastern regions You see the island sits at the boundary between the Philippine sea plate and the Eurasian plate making it highly seismically active In fact most of Taiwan's east coast between the cities of Taitung and Hualien Sits on the Chishang Fault a very active fault line that creates a large earthquake every few years in 2024 a magnitude 7.4 earthquake ripped through Hualien causing extensive damage and loss of life for the city and region While Taiwan's western cities can feel these same earthquakes They're rarely subjected to the full force in the same way as the country's east coast But also Taiwan's east coast routinely suffers from another devastating natural disaster large and powerful typhoons that form over the Pacific Ocean in 2024 alone Taiwan was hit by three powerful typhoons Typhoon Kong Ray the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan since 1996 sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour this storm slammed into the country's east coast causing Extensive damage during a period of time when Taiwan was still trying to rebuild after its recent earthquake And while the whole country was under a typhoon warning It's the country's east coast that took the brunt of it suffice it to say natural disasters Don't make living in eastern Taiwan easy, but there are other economic factors at play as well One of the biggest factors is Taiwan's economic relationship with mainland China the west coast facing the Taiwan Strait is Strategically positioned to facilitate trade and transportation links with China Which remains Taiwan's largest trading partner with more than 40% of Taiwan's goods exported to its cousin country Major ports such as Kaohsiung Taichung and Keelung handle the vast majority of Taiwan's international trade Serving as gateways for goods moving between Taiwan and the global market this proximity has influenced Taiwan's economic development With industries clustering in areas that provide easy access to shipping routes and international markets the eastern coast in Contrast faces the wide open Pacific Ocean making trade and transportation routes less convenient This proximity to the mainland is reflected throughout history early Chinese settlers who arrived in increasing numbers during the Ming and Qing Dynasties primarily landed on the western side of the island the West's flatter terrain and fertile plains allowed for agriculture While the indigenous populations in the central and eastern mountains resisted large-scale settlement Even during the Japanese colonial era when major infrastructure projects such as railways and roads were developed the emphasis remained on the west coast due to its economic potential and Accessibility while the Taiwanese government has made efforts to develop the east including improved transportation networks such as the Sihua highway And the Eastern Line Railway the region remains far less populated than the West Hualien and Taitung the largest cities in eastern Taiwan are small compared to their western counterparts and function more as regional centers than major urban hubs Today Taiwan's west coast is home to about 90% of all of Taiwan's population Or a little more than 21 million people this would be led by New Taipei with 4 million people Kaohsiung with 2.8 million Taichung and Taipei with 2.7 million Taiwan with 2.1 million and Tainan with 1.8 million people by contrast Central and eastern Taiwan is home to just 2.5 million people smaller than most of Taiwan's west coast cities This region would be led by Hualien and Taitung with just 106,000 people each Guys, I'm literally walking through Hualien as I record this and let me tell you The eastern side of Taiwan is Incredibly beautiful, which is to say if you ever do visit Taiwan Don't skip out on coming to the east coast because the geography here is stunning But if you don't plan on visiting Taiwan anytime soon, and you do want to experience it Be sure to check out the two videos I have on Taiwan over on my travel channel Alex and I first go down the west coast and then back up the east coast and it's a lot of fun I hope you enjoyed learning all about Taiwan If you did, please like the video and subscribe to the channel if you want to watch more videos consider this one on Columbia's empty West Coast and Be sure to check out my adventures in Taiwan right here.