Central Mountain Range

For other uses, see Central Mountain Range (Albania).

'Ta-shan' redirects here. For other uses, see Dashan.

Central Mountain Range
Chungyang Range
Highest point
Peak	Xiuguluan Mountain
Elevation	3,860 m (12,660 ft)
Coordinates	23°11′N 120°54′E
Dimensions
Length	310 km (190 mi)
Naming
Native name	中央山脈 (Chinese)
Geography
The location of Central Mountain Range
Location	Taiwan
Geology
Mountain type	Mountain range

Central Mountain Range
Traditional Chinese	中央山脈
Simplified Chinese	中央山脉
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōngyāng Shānmài Zhōngyāng Shānmò Wade–Giles Chung-yang Shan-mai Chung-yang Shan-mo Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tiong-iong Soaⁿ-me̍h

Former names
Ta-shan
Chinese	大山
Literal meaning	Big Mountains
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dàshān Wade–Giles Ta-shan

The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not very convenient. The tallest peak of the range is Xiuguluan Mountain, 3,860 m (12,664 ft).

Names

"Central Range" or "Central Mountain Range" is a calque of the range's Chinese name, the Zhōngyāng Shānmài or Shānmò. It is also sometimes simply called the Zhongyang or Chungyang Range in English.

During the Qing Dynasty, the range was known as the Ta-shan, from the Wade-Giles romanization of the Chinese name Dàshān, meaning "Big Mountains".

Geography

In a broad sense, Central Mountain Range includes its conjoint ranges such as Xueshan Range and Yushan Range; thus the tallest peak of Central Mountain Range in this sense is Yushan (Jade Mountain/Mount Morrison), 3,952 m (12,966 ft), and the second tallest peak is Xueshan (Snow Mountain), 3,886 m (12,749 ft).

Ecology

The Central Range lies within the Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests ecoregion, and the composition of the forest varies with elevation. The coastal plains and lower elevations are covered by evergreen laurel-Castanopsis forests dominated by Cryptocarya chinensis and Castanopsis hystrix with scattered stands of the subtropical pine Pinus massoniana. As elevation increases, the evergreen broadleaf trees are gradually replaced by deciduous broadleaf trees and conifers. At higher elevations, Cyclobalanopsis glauca replaces laurel and Castanopsis as the dominant tree.

Above 3,000 m (9,840 ft), deciduous broadleaf trees like Formosan alder (Alnus formosana) and maple (Acer spp.) mix with Taiwan hemlock (Tsuga chinensis). At the highest elevations, subalpine forests are dominated by conifers, including Taiwan hemlock, Taiwan spruce (Picea morrisonicola), and Taiwan fir (Abies kawakamii).

See also

• Geography of Taiwan

References

Bibliography

• "Formosa" , Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IX, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1879, pp. 415–17.

External links

• "Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.