Taiwan's land area is 14,400 square miles. The island's geography is dotted with more than 200 mountains with heights of around 10,000 feet or higher. Taiwan also has 18,400 species of wildlife, 20 percent of which are rare or endangered species.
Tourist attractions include the National Palace Museum, the Taipei 101 building, Taroko Gorge and Jade Mountain--the highest mountain in Northeast Asia. There are also numerous festivals throughout the year, including the Ghost Festival, the Lantern Festival and the Goddess of the Sea Culture Festival.
In July 2008, Taiwan relaxed regulations on visits from mainland Chinese. Mainland Chinese comprise a signification portion of visitors to Taiwan. In 2009, the number of mainland Chinese visitors to Taiwan was 539,106 and this number was projected to increase to 750,000 in 2010.
