Taiwan is a small tropical island, and home to almost 23 million people. Taiwan is less than 400 km long and about 150 km wide. Over two-thirds is rugged mountains, leaving the population crowded into ever expanding cities in the western lowlands. A number of small islands off the coast of China also fall under Taiwan's jurisdiction.

Taiwan lies off the southeast coast of China on the Tropic of Cancer. In the south it is hot and humid for most of the year, however, Taipei has cold, wet winters. Each summer, the island experiences a number of typhoons which often lead to serious flooding and landslides.

Taiwan's most prominent geographic feature is its central mountain range, which has more than 200 peaks over 3,000 meters high. Jade Mountain, at almost 4,000 meters, is one of the tallest peaks in East Asia. Rainfall is high providing the island with very rich vegetation. The flat west coast is densely planted with rice, tropical fruits and vegetables. The warm, wet weather means it is capable of producing three rice crops each year.

Taiwan lies at the juncture of two geological plates and thus like Japan, frequently experiences earthquakes. Most recently, over 2000 people died in the quake which struck central Taiwan on 21 September 1999.