Southern Cross-Island Highway
Encyclopedia
The Southern Cross-Island Highway (南橫公路), also known as Taiwan Highway No. 20, links Tainan City, in Taiwan
's Southwest, with Taitung
, in Taiwan's East. The road is 209 kilometers long.
From west to east, the road passes through the townships of Sinhua, Yujing, Jiasian, and then the aboriginal communities of Taoyuan
, Meishan, and Lidao.
The highest point of the road, Yakou Tunnel, is 2731 m (8,960 ft) above sea level. The section from Meishan to Yakou Tunnel lies within Yushan National Park
. Before crossing the Central Mountain Range
, the road follows the Laonong River Valley for a considerable distance.
The road, considered one of South Taiwan's major tourist attractions, is sometimes damaged by landslides, especially during the wet summer months. The route was cut through the mountains in the early 1970s, but the highest sections were not properly surfaced until 1992.
This highway and its 50 m surrounding used to have mountain entry control so visitors had to pay a low fee to get Class B mountain entry permits (入山許可證). The mountain entry control is no longer in effect so mountain entry permits are no longer required.
Driving from Tainan City to Taitung takes five to seven hours.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's Southwest, with Taitung
Taitung City
Taitung City is the county seat of Taitung County, Taiwan. It lies on the southeast coast of Taiwan facing the Pacific Ocean.The city is served by Taitung Airport. Taitung is a gateway to Green Island and Orchid Island, both of which are very popular among Taiwanese tourists.-History:Taitung...
, in Taiwan's East. The road is 209 kilometers long.
From west to east, the road passes through the townships of Sinhua, Yujing, Jiasian, and then the aboriginal communities of Taoyuan
Taoyuan, Kaohsiung
Taoyuan District is a District of Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. It is the district that is most mountainous and most distant from the city center....
, Meishan, and Lidao.
The highest point of the road, Yakou Tunnel, is 2731 m (8,960 ft) above sea level. The section from Meishan to Yakou Tunnel lies within Yushan National Park
Yushan National Park
Yushan National Park is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park. The Park covers a total of 105,490 hectares including large sections of the Central Mountain Range. The Park contains over thirty peaks more than 3,000 meters in...
. Before crossing the Central Mountain Range
Central Mountain Range
The Central Mountain Range, also known as the Chungyang Range , is the principal range of mountains in Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south.Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not so convenient...
, the road follows the Laonong River Valley for a considerable distance.
The road, considered one of South Taiwan's major tourist attractions, is sometimes damaged by landslides, especially during the wet summer months. The route was cut through the mountains in the early 1970s, but the highest sections were not properly surfaced until 1992.
This highway and its 50 m surrounding used to have mountain entry control so visitors had to pay a low fee to get Class B mountain entry permits (入山許可證). The mountain entry control is no longer in effect so mountain entry permits are no longer required.
Driving from Tainan City to Taitung takes five to seven hours.