The country of Taiwan is a group of 86 small islands. The main island which is also called Taiwan, the Penghus ( the pescadores) which has 64 islands, and 21 other islands. The country is situated off the coast of Mainland China, about halfway between Hong Kong and Japan. It has a total land area of 36,000 square kilometers and a population of about 22,000,000 people.
The main island comprises 98% of the land area or 35,280 square kilometers. The island is long and thin, running almost directly north and south. It is 390 kilometers (250 miles) long and 140 kilometers (90 miles) at it's widest point. The Tropic of Cancer crosses Taiwan making the northern two-thirds of the island subtropical and the southern third tropical. There is a large mountain range running down the center of the island. The tallest mountain in Taiwan is Yu Shan or Mount Jade. It is 3,952 meters (12,966 feet) high.