Taroko National Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Taroko National Park
iucn_category = II

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caption = Tunnel of Nine Turns
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location = Taiwan
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area = 920 km²
established = November 28, 1986
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:"Taroko" can also refer to the Truku aboriginal tribe."

Taroko National Park (zh-tp|t=太魯閣國家公園|p=Tàilǔgé gúojiā gōngyuán; Taiwanese POJ: Taroko kok-ka kong-hn̂g) is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park. It spans the counties of Hualien, Taichung, and Nantou on the island of Taiwan.

The park was originally established as the Tsugitaka Taroko National Park (次高タロコ国立公園 "Tsugitaka Taroko kokuritsu kōen") by the Governor-General of Taiwan on December 12, 1937 when Taiwan was part of the Empire of Japan. After the Empire of Japan's defeat in World War II, the Republic of China assumed control of Taiwan. The ROC government subsequently abolished the park on August 15, 1945. It was not until November 28, 1986 that the park was reestablished.

Sights include:
* Tunnel of Nine Turns (九曲洞 Jiuqiu Dong, "pictured at right")
* Eternal Spring Shrine (長春祠 Changchun, pictured below)
* Swallow's Mouth (燕子口)
* Jinheng Park (靳珩公園)
* The Bridge of the Kind Mother (慈母橋)
* Tiansiang (天祥)
* Jhueilu Precipice (錐麓斷崖)
* Lioufang Bridge (流芳橋): 1,666 meters above the riverbed
* Hill of Yu the Great (大禹嶺)
* Buluo Bay (布洛灣)

Origin of the name

The name, Taroko, means the "magnificent and beautiful". Long ago a tribeman of the Truku aboriginal tribe saw the beauty of the azure Pacific when he walked out of the gorge. Astonished by the elegance of the scene, he cried: "Taroko!". And so it became the name of the place, in fashion not dissimilar to how the island, Formosa, got its name.

Geology

Taroko Gorge and its surrounding area are well known for their abundant supply of marble, leading to its nickname, "The Marble Gorge". The rock now seen in Taroko began over 200 million years ago as sediment on the bottom of the ocean. As the sediment collected, it was subject to increasingly large amounts of pressure which eventually hardened it into limestone. Over the past 100 million years, compression between the Philippine and Eurasian techtonic plates supplied additional pressure that metamorphosed the limestone into marble. Uplifting forces from the plate collision pushed this rock above the surface of the ocean to where we see it today. In fact, the region is still being uplifted by approximately 0.5cm per yearref|geology.

The gorge itself was carved into the marble by the erosive power of the Liwu River.

In addition, there are known to be Mt. Jade in this gorge. This jade is only found in Taiwan and the jade from this area supplies the jade market in Hualien. These mountains can be seen from rafting (a common activity during summer months in Taroko Gorge) through the rivers.

Pictures

References

cite web
title=Landform and Geology
work=Taroko National Park Official Website
url=http://www.taroko.gov.tw/TarokoPortalEng/0_0_0/Default.aspx
accessdate=2007-07-04

ee also

*List of national parks in Taiwan

External links

* [http://www.taroko.gov.tw/TarokoPortalEng/0_0_0/default.aspx Taroko National Park]
* [http://www.travellingbazaar.com/taroko%20gorge%20national%20park%201.html Photo galleries of Taroko National Park]