Pingtung County

Infobox ROC county
englishname = Pingtung County
chinesename = 屏東縣


emblem = Pingtung_County_emblem.pngabbreviation = Pingtung (屏東)


county seat = Pingtung City
region = Southern Taiwan
countymagistrate = Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻)
totalarea = 2,775.6003
arearank = 5
percentwater = n/a
totalpop = 890,753(June 2007)
poprank = 10
density = 320.92
citiesno = 1
townshipno = 32
countyflower = Hairy Bougainvillea ("Bougainvillea brasiliensis")
countytree = Coconut tree
countybird = n/a
website = pthg.gov.tw

Pingtung County (zh-tptwp|t=屏東縣|hp=Píngdōng Xiàn|tp=Píngdong Siàn|w=P'ing-tung Hsien|poj=Pîn-tong-kōan) is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan.

Pingtung is famous for the beautiful sight of Kenting National Park. The Kenting National Park is the first National park established in 1984.

History

Modern-day Pingtung County and Kaohsiung County were part of Wan-nien Province (萬年州) during the Kingdom of Tungning and Fengshan Province in the Qing Dynasty. Pingtung County is a recently-developed county. It's largest city is Pingtung City.

At first, this area of Taiwan was where criminals were exiled to; only the settlements near the Checheng Township existed. In 1664, some soldiers, Cantonese and Hakka people came and farmed here under the farming system introduced by Zheng Jing.

Pingtung City, the biggest city in Pingtung County, also known as "the monkey" (阿猴), was where the Plain Aboriginals lived.

The name "Pingtung" refers to a former nearby mountain known as "Half-Screen Mountain" (半屏山). "Pingtung" means "East of Half-Screen Mountain."

Not until the 23rd year of Kangxi (1684) did any Han people establish villages near Pingtung and officially settle there. The first pioneers were the people of Fujian. In 1734 most of the Pingtung plain was cultivated, and in 1764 Pingtung was developed into a city of greater scale. In 1836, the government and locals worked together to build the four walls of the city (the North gate, the East gate, the West gate and the South gate), and the roads were also properly finished. (Translated from the website of Cultural Affairs Bureau of Pingtung County)

Pingtung was the site of an 7.1 magnitude earthquake on 26 December, 2006.

Administration

=City=
#Pingtung City (屏東市)

= Townships =

Urban townships

#Chaojhou Township (潮州鎮)
#Tungkang Township (東港鎮)
#Hengchun Township (恆春鎮)

Rural townships

#Changjhih Township (長治鄉)
#Checheng Township (車城鄉)
#Chunrih Township (春日鄉)
#Fangliao Township (枋寮鄉)
#Fangshan Township (枋山鄉)
#Gaoshu Township (高樹鄉)
#Jhutian Township (竹田鄉)
#Jiadong Township (佳冬鄉)
#Jiouru Township (九如鄉)
#Kanding Township (崁頂鄉)
#Laiyi Township (來義鄉)
#Ligang Township (里港鄉)
#Linbian Township (林邊鄉)
#Linluo Township (麟洛鄉)
#Liouciou Township (琉球鄉)
#Mahia Township (瑪家鄉)
#Manjhou Township (滿州鄉)
#Mudan Township (牡丹鄉)
#Nanjhou Township (南州鄉)
#Neipu Township (內埔鄉)
#Wandan Township (萬丹鄉)
#Sandimen Township (三地門鄉)
#Shihzih Township (獅子鄉)
#Sinpi Township (新埤鄉)
#Sinyuan Township (新園鄉)
#Taiwu Township (泰武鄉)
#Wanluan Township (萬巒鄉)
#Wutai Township (霧臺鄉)
#Yanpu Township (鹽埔鄉)

Higher Education

*National Pingtung University of Education
*National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
*National Pingtung Institute of Commerce
*Tajen University
*Yung Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce
*Meiho Institute of Technology
*Kao Fong College

External links

* [http://www.pthg.gov.tw/ Pingtung County Government Website zh]