Taiwan's mountain spine

From the cities of the western plain it is easy to forget that most of Taiwan is mountainous. The island sits where the Philippine Sea Plate meets the Eurasian Plate, and that collision has pushed up a series of ranges running north to south, with the Central Mountain Range as their spine. The highest summit, Yushan (Jade Mountain), reaches 3,952 metres, and many other peaks rise above 3,000 metres.

Taiwan has nine national parks. On the main island, Yushan, Taroko, Shei-Pa and Yangmingshan protect mountain landscapes, from high forests and marble gorges to the volcanic hills just north of Taipei. Others cover coasts, coral reefs and islands.

Lower down, the mountains are full of human life: tea plantations, temples on the ridges, Indigenous villages and old forest railways such as the line up to Alishan, famous for sunrise over a sea of clouds.

Autumn and spring usually bring the clearest skies. Summer means afternoon thunderstorms and typhoons, and in a cold winter snow can fall on the highest peaks. Climbing the high mountains often requires permits arranged in advance.

The pictures here are not of one mountain, but they share its mood: mist, still water, wood and quiet.

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Photos: pppighil, allanlau2000, zhong-chong-jun, 8268513, goumbik on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.