Central Mountain Range

Central Mountain Range from the airplane.

The Central Mountain Range, also known as the Chungyang Range (Chinese: 中央山脈; pinyin: Zhōngyāng Shānmò; Wade–Giles: Chung-yang Shan-mo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiong-iong Soaⁿ-lêng), is the principal range of mountains in Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not so convenient. The tallest peak of the range is Siouguluan Mountain, 3,860 meters (12,664 feet).

In a broad sense, Central Mountain Range include its conjoint ranges such as Hsuehshan Range and Yushan Range, thus the tallest peak of Central Mountain Range in this sense is Yu Shan (Jade Mountain), 3,952 meters (12,966 feet), and the second tallest peak is Hsuehshan (Snow Mountain), 3,886 meters (12,749 feet).

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 meters, 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 (Tsuga chinensis), Taiwan spruce (Picea morrisonicola), and Taiwan fir (Abies kawakamii).

Gallery

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Reference and external link

• Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests (World Wildlife Fund)

Coordinates: 23°11′N 120°54′E / 23.183°N 120.9°E / 23.183; 120.9