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Pingtung County

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Pingtung is a large county in southern Taiwan.

Akau - Pîntong - (Pingtung County) location map
Akau - Pîntong - (Pingtung County) location map

It is the fifth-largest county in the country. To its north lies Kaohsiung City. To the east is Taitung County. The Taiwan Strait sits to the west. The Bashi Channel is to the south. The name Pingtung means "east of Banping mountain." This refers to a nearby mountain named Banping. The county seat is Pingtung City.

屏東縣政府
屏東縣政府

The weather in Pingtung is very warm and tropical. It has a monsoon climate. This means it is often hot and wet. The weather changes based on where you stand. Northern Pingtung stays hot during the day. The ocean helps keep central areas mild. The southern tip is the mildest part. This is because the Hengchun Peninsula is nearly surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. In 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought huge amounts of rain. This broke records for rainfall in Taiwan.

History in this area is very long. In the past, it was a place for Chinese criminals. It was also a place where sailors landed. In 1664, Hakka settlers arrived from China. They began farming the land. In 1684, more settlers from Fujian created villages. Later, Japan ruled the area from 1895 to 1945. In 1945, Taiwan was handed to the Republic of China. Pingtung became its own county in 1950.

Pingtung County flag
Pingtung County flag

Many different people live in Pingtung today. The Rukai and Paiwan tribes live in the mountain areas. These indigenous groups make up 7% of the population. There are also many temples here. In fact, Pingtung has the third most temples in Taiwan. Agriculture and fishing are the main jobs. Tourism is also a huge part of the economy. The county wants to grow tourism in places like Dapeng Bay.

There are many exciting things to see and do. Kenting National Park is the oldest park in Taiwan.

Kenting Hengchun-Township Taiwan Sail-Rock-01
Kenting Hengchun-Township Taiwan Sail-Rock-01

You can visit the Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium.

ROC-NMMBA Open Ocean Aquarium 20160515c
ROC-NMMBA Open Ocean Aquarium 20160515c

For energy, the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant is located in Hengchun.

Hengchun Taiwan Maanshan-Nuclear-Power-Plant-02
Hengchun Taiwan Maanshan-Nuclear-Power-Plant-02

You can also travel by train. The Pingtung Line and South-Link Line run through the county.

These tracks help people move between cities.

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🖼️ Images & Media (11)
File:Akau - Pîntong - (Pingtung County) location map.svg
Akau - Pîntong - (Pingtung County)...
File:屏東縣政府.JPG
屏東縣政府.JPG
File:周春米 (cropped).jpg
周春米 (cropped).jpg
File:Cocoblud.jpg
Cocoblud.jpg
File:Hengchun Taiwan Maanshan-Nuclear-Power-Plant-02.jpg
Hengchun Taiwan...
File:Pingtung Railway Station New20150901.jpg
Pingtung Railway Station New20150901.jpg
File:Kenting Hengchun-Township Taiwan Sail-Rock-01.jpg
Kenting Hengchun-Township Taiwan Sail-Rock-01.jpg
File:ROC-NMMBA Open Ocean Aquarium 20160515c.jpg
ROC-NMMBA Open Ocean Aquarium 20160515c.jpg
File:Kaohsiung flag.svg
Kaohsiung flag.svg
File:Pingtung County flag.svg
Pingtung County flag.svg
File:Flag of Taitung County.svg
Flag of Taitung County.svg
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