• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Taiwanese Secrets Travel Guide

  • About
  • Contact Me
  • What’s New
  • Facebook
  • Pizza Rock
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • What’s New
  • About Taiwan
    • Facts About Taiwan
    • Is Taiwan a Country?
    • Culture
      • Ancient Chinese Things
      • Taiwanese Culture
      • Language
      • Martial Arts
      • Music
    • Festivals
    • Food
      • Snacks & Fast Food Guide
  • Travel Info
    • 17 Best Road Trips in Taiwan
    • Accommodation
    • Transportation
      • Transport in Taiwan
      • High Speed Rail
      • Train
      • Bus
      • Rent a Car
      • Scooter & Motorcycle
      • Hitchhiking
    • Hiking Guide
    • Surfing in Taiwan
    • Nightlife in Taiwan
    • Visa to Taiwan
    • Important Links!
  • Taipei
    • Introduction to Taipei
    • Best Area to Stay in Taipei
    • Getting Around
      • MRT (metro) Guide
    • Attractions
      • Dihua Street
      • Museums, Memorials, Historical Buildings
      • Taipei 101
      • Temples
    • Shopping in Taipei
  • North
    • Hsinchu
    • Keelung
    • Jiufen
    • Long Dong
    • Pinglin
    • Taian Hot Spring
    • Taoyuan
    • Wulai
    • Yangmingshan National Park
  • East
    • Chenggong
    • Donghe
    • Dulan
    • Hualien
    • Highway 11
    • Jiaoxi
    • Taroko Gorge
      • Hiking in Taroko
      • Taroko Camping
      • Taipei to Taroko
    • Taitung
    • Tianxiang
    • Yilan
  • Central
    • Alishan
    • Baguashan
    • Changhua
    • Cingjing Farm
    • Mt. Hehuan (Hehuanshan)
    • Lugang
    • Sun Moon Lake
    • Taichung City
      • Attractions in Taichung
      • Parks and Canals | Walking Guide
      • Restaurants
      • Cafes
      • Hiking in Dakeng
      • Getting There and Away
    • Zhongxing New Village
  • South
    • Donggang
    • Kaohsiung
    • Kenting
      • Best of Kenting
      • Restaurants and Cafes
      • Baisha Beach
      • Fengchuisha
      • Hengchun
      • Houwan (Back Bay)
      • Jialeshui
      • Manzhou
      • Nanwan (South Bay)
      • Sail Rock
      • Snorkeling in Kenting
      • Surfing in Kenting
      • Taipei to Kenting
      • Pizza Rock Kenting
      • Wild East Guesthouse
      • Xiaowan (Little Bay)
      • Wanlitong
    • Maolin
    • Tainan
  • Islands
    • Green Island (Ludao)
    • Kinmen Island
    • Matsu Island
    • Orchid Island (Lanyu)
    • Penghu
    • Xiao Liuqiu (Lamay Island)
  • Pictures
  • About
    • Contact Me

Earthquakes in Taiwan

earthquakes in taiwan

Information About Earthquakes in Taiwan

After the massively destructive earthquakes and tsunamis in eastern Japan in March 2011, people in Taiwan were bracing for the aftereffects. Earthquakes are common in Taiwan, though ones that cause serious damage are rare and the main fear will forever be the typhoon. Still, earthquakes (“ground shake” in Chinese) are part of life here and a history of them leaves the Taiwanese on edge.

taiwan earthquakes

As the Taiwanese understand the pain and suffering caused by such a natural disaster, the response to the Japanese crisis was phenomenal. In spite of Taiwan’s tiny population and its #24 ranking on the list of world GDPs, it managed to take first place in terms of relief aid to Japan, a fact proudly displayed by the news and on the streets.

taiwan earthquake

Taiwanese are well-prepared for earthquakes!

Generally speaking, people in Taiwan are very well-prepared for earthquakes. They are very used to the phenomenon and are ready to take the proper measures to avoid injury. Unfortunately, the same cannot be easily said about the country’s buildings or infrastructure. Modern highways, bridges and trains can stand the test of more intense earthquakes in Taiwan, but most of the buildings throughout the island are relics of the post-war era and aren’t great examples of earthquake prevention architecture. Many newer buildings in Taipei are exceptions, but only exceptions.

taiwan earthquake museum
Taiwan Earthquake Museum in Wufong, Taichung County

The BIG 1999 Earthquake in Taiwan

The biggest earthquake in Taiwan in recent memory was the “921 earthquake” on September 21, 1999. It reached about 7.5 on the Richter scale and killed nearly 2,500 people in central Taiwan, injuring another 11,300. This high-volume of damage was the result of the earthquake’s striking near cities and towns such as Puli, a city of about 90,000.

quake in taiwan
Ruby and my mom at the Taiwan Earthquake Museum in Wufong

Taiwan’s mandatory military service leaves a great number of able-bodied men at the ready for damage control, though the ruling KMT party was (and has been) repeatedly challenged for its sloppy handling of the disaster response. The Construction and Planning Agency responded by dramatically upgrading building codes to reflect earthquake preparedness in Taiwan. The process has been moving slowly but markedly toward more safety.

1999 taiwan earthquake

Taiwan’s geography is influenced by earthquakes

Appreciators of Taiwan’s verdant natural beauty should not be quick to complain about earthquakes – it is after all the fault lines between the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate that not only bring about the “ground shakes”, but that have also created the towering mountain landscapes that attract hikers and travelers from all over the world.

taiwan earthquake 1999
Earthquake Museum of Taiwan in Wufong

Collisions of these two plates cause quakes in the eastern part of Taiwan, while fault lines are more commonly the cause of those in the western half. Because of this, earthquakes in eastern Taiwan occur more often but are usually weaker.

921 taiwan earthquake

Taiwan Earthquakes – In Conclusion…

All else aside, earthquakes and natural disasters in general feature prominently in the cultural point of view of the people in Taiwan. Earthquakes and typhoons are covered by news channels like an impending apocalypse, but travelers should be aware that this is mostly hyperbole; indeed, nobody seems to care that mainland China is at any given moment pointing literally thousands of ballistic missiles directly at Taipei, and just one or two wrong clicks of a mouse could… never mind.

Video of the big 921 Earthquake in Taiwan

I hope you learned something new about
earthquakes in Taiwan on this page!

Return from Earthquakes in Taiwan to Taiwanese Secrets Home Page

Filed Under: Facts About Taiwan

Back to Top

Primary Sidebar

Hello, I’m Ugo

ugo taiwanese secrets websiteI’m the weirdo behind this site. I’ve been living in Taiwan since 2000, so basically I’ve spent half my life here. I have a big passion for everything Formosa and I’ve been working on this website since 2008 to share the beauty of Taiwan with the world! Read more about me.

pizza rock taiwan logo
Read about my precious baby: Pizza Rock, a company I started in 2011.

Recent Posts

  • Hengchun Travel Guide January 10, 2021
  • Yushan Taiwan Hiking Guide January 5, 2021
  • Complete Travel Guide to Alishan in Taiwan January 3, 2021
  • Visit Kaohsiung in Southern Taiwan January 2, 2021
  • Discover Taiwan’s Finest Beaches in Kenting National Park January 1, 2021
  • Sun Moon Lake Taiwan – Complete 2021 Travel Guide January 1, 2021
  • Taichung Train Station Area December 23, 2020
  • How to Apply for Yushan Permit December 21, 2020
  • Hike Sanding Mountain in Taiping December 20, 2020
  • Kenting Nightlife December 18, 2020

Browse by Topic

Attraction Beaches Changhua Chiayi Cultural Destination Culture Directory Drinking Festival Food Guesthouse Hiking Hot-Spring Hotel Hsinchu Hualien Information Itinerary Kaohsiung Kenting Manzhou Miaoli Mountains Nantou National Park Nature New Taipei City Nightlife Orchid Island Outdoor Pingtung Pingtung County Religion Restaurant Seaside Shopping Taichung Tainan Taipei Taitung Taoyuan Taroko Temple Transportation Yilan
  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Important Links!
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright© 2021·Taiwanese Secrets