Pingtung County

Pingtung is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pingtung City.

Name

The name Pingtung means "east of Banping mountain", referring to a nearby mountain known as Banping mountain.

History

Early history

Aboriginal inhabitants of Liuqiu Island killed Dutch sailors on two occasions. In response, in the spring of 1636, Dutch sailors carried out a punitive campaign that became known as the Lamey Island Massacre.
Modern-day Pingtung County and Kaohsiung City were part of Banlian-chiu during the Kingdom of Tungning and Fongshan Prefecture during Qing dynasty rule.
Until the seventeenth century, this area of Taiwan was a place of exile for Chinese criminals and the occasional landing point for international mariners. Only the settlements near present-day Checheng Township existed. In 1664, the Hakka settlers arrived from mainland China and farmed under a homesteading system introduced by Zheng Jing.
Pingtung City, the biggest city in Pingtung County, also known as "A-Kau", was the home of Taiwanese Plains Aborigines.
In 1684, settlers from China's southern Fujian region created the first Han Chinese villages near Pingtung. By 1734, most of the Pingtung Plain was cultivated, and Pingtung was expanded in 1764. In 1836, the government and locals worked together to build the city's four walls, and the roads were completed.
In March 1867, fourteen American sailors were killed near Kenting by local aborigines in the Rover incident, which lead to the failed American Formosa Expedition three months later. In 1871, local aborigines killed 54 sailors from Ryukyu in the Mudan Incident. The Japanese carried out a punitive campaign against the local aborigines in the 1874 Japanese invasion of Taiwan.

Empire of Japan

Under Japanese rule, Hōzan Subprefecture; was initially under ;, but political divisions frequently changed between 1895 and 1901. In 1901, ; was established. In 1909, the name changed to ;. In 1920, the name was changed to ; and was under Takao Prefecture administration, which consisted of modern-day Pingtung County and Kaohsiung.

Republic of China

Following the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China on 25 October 1945, the area of present-day Pingtung County was incorporated into Kaohsiung County on 25 December 1945. On 16 August 1950, Pingtung County was established after being separated from Kaohsiung County. On 1 December 1951, Pingtung City was downgraded from provincial city to county-administered city and made the county seat of Pingtung County.
Pingtung was the site of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on 26 December 2006. In 2009, due to Typhoon Morakot, Pingtung received over of rainfall, breaking records for any place in Taiwan struck by a single typhoon.

Geography

With a land area of over, Pingtung is the fifth-largest county in Taiwan, and the second-largest of Southern Taiwan after Kaohsiung City. Geographically, it borders Kaohsiung City to the north, Taitung County to the east, the Taiwan Strait to the west and the Bashi Channel to the south. Islands administered by the county include Hsiao Liuchiu and Qixingyan.

Climate

Located in the southernmost part of Taiwan, Pingtung County is known for one of the warmest climates within the country. It has a tropical monsoon climate bordering on a tropical wet and dry climate. The climate differs across the large county due to its varying geography.
Northern Pingtung, where Pingtung City is located, is characterized by high daytime temperatures year-round with average daytime highs of from April to November, and from December to March. The lowest nighttime temperatures are around, due to distance from the sea.
Central Pingtung, such as the coastal Fangliao Township, has a lower daytime temperatures and warmer nights due to the regulating effect of the ocean, which is especially noticeable during winter.
The mildest climate of Pingtung is at its southern tip, the Hengchun Peninsula, which is nearly surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Daily highs reach during summer and during winter. Nighttime temperatures remain warm throughout the year with lows of around during summer and during the winter.

Government

Administrative divisions

Pingtung County is divided into 1 city, 3 urban townships, 21 rural townships, and 8 indigenous mountain townships. Pingtung County has the largest number of rural townships and mountain indigenous townships among the counties of Taiwan.

Type	Name	Chinese	Taiwanese	Hakka	Formosan
City	Pingtung City			Phìn-tûng
Urban townships	Chaozhou			Tshèu-chû
Urban townships	Donggang			Tûng-kóng
Urban townships	Hengchun			Hèn-tshûn
Rural townships	Changzhi			Tshòng-tshṳ
Rural townships	Checheng			Tshâ-sàng
Rural townships	Fangliao			Piông-liàu
Rural townships	Fangshan			Piông-sân
Rural townships	Gaoshu			Kô-su
Rural townships	Jiadong			Kâ-tûng
Rural townships	Jiuru			Kiú-yì
Rural townships	Kanding			Kham-táng
Rural townships	Ligang			Lî-kóng
Rural townships	Linbian			Lìm-piên
Rural townships	Linluo			Lìm-lo̍k
Rural townships	Liuqiu			Liù-khiù	Lamay Island
Rural townships	Manzhou			Mân-chû	Manutsuru^Paiwan
Rural townships	Nanzhou			Nàm-chû
Rural townships	Neipu			Lui-phû
Rural townships	Wandan			Van-tân
Rural townships	Wanluan			Van-lòng
Rural townships	Xinpi			Sîn-phî
Rural townships	Xinyuan			Sîn-yèn
Rural townships	Yanpu			Yâm-phû
Rural townships	Zhutian			Tsuk-thièn
Mountain indigenous townships	Chunri			Tshûn-ngit	Kasugagu^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Laiyi			Lòi-ngi	Rai^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Majia			Mâ-kâ	Makazayazaya^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Mudan			Méu-tân	Sinvaudjan^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Sandimen			Sâm-thi-mùn	Timur^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Shizi			Sṳ̂-é	Sisigu^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Taiwu			Thai-vú	Klaljuc^Paiwan
Mountain indigenous townships	Wutai			Vu-thòi	Vedai^Rukai

Colors indicate the statutory language status of Hakka and Formosan languages in the respective subdivisions.
File:周春米.jpg|thumb|left|Chou Chun-mi, the incumbent magistrate of Pingtung County

Politics

is the county seat of Pingtung County which houses the Pingtung County Government and Pingtung County Council. The county head is Magistrate Pan Men-an of the Democratic Progressive Party. Pingtung County elected three Democratic Progressive Party legislators to the Legislative Yuan during the 2016 legislative election.

Demographics

Pingtung is home to the indigenous Rukai and Paiwan tribes, which makes up 7% of the population. the total population of Pingtung County was 798,940. The county has been experiencing population decline for 15 consecutive years due to emigration to other cities.

Religion

Pingtung County had 1,101 registered temples, the third highest amongst Taiwan's counties after Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Donglong Temple and Checheng Fu'an Temple are some of the most prominent temples in the county. Indigenous tribes like Makatao people also have their own places of worship like Jiaruipu Temple.

Economy

The agriculture and fishing industries dominate the county's economy. In recent years, the county has also promoted the tourism sector, which constituted 30% of Taiwan's tourism industry in 2015.
In February 2014, the county government announced a plan to develop an industrial center that consists of a service center, workshop, and performance venue. The aim is to promote the development of industries that leverage the unique cultural attributes of the Linali tribe. On 22 September 2015, the National Development Council revealed a three-year large-scale development plan to boost the economy of the county by transforming Dapeng Bay, Donggang Township, and Lamay Island into a fishery, recreational, and tourism hub.