Nantou County
Taiwan's only landlocked county: Sun Moon Lake, high-altitude tea, indigenous cultures. 1999 Chi-Chi quake (2,400+ dead) created disaster response expertise. By 2026, climate-threatened tea and tourism diversification test mountain economy adaptation.
Taiwan's only landlocked county—Nantou sits at the geographic center, surrounded by mountains that isolated it from coastal development. This isolation preserved natural assets: Sun Moon Lake (Taiwan's largest natural lake), alpine forests, tea plantations (including famous Alishan oolong grown at 1,000m+), and indigenous Bunun and Tsou communities.
The 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake (M7.6) killed 2,400+ and devastated the county. Reconstruction took over a decade; tourism recovery took longer. The experience created institutional knowledge for disaster response that Hualien now seeks to replicate after 2024's quake.
Tourism remains the economic foundation: Sun Moon Lake, hot springs, tea tourism, mountain trekking. But landlocked geography limits diversification options. The county cannot develop port facilities or attract manufacturing that requires coastal logistics. Instead, Nantou specializes in what mountains provide: natural beauty, high-altitude agriculture, cultural tourism.
2026 trajectory: Climate change threatens tea cultivation as temperature zones shift upward. Tourism diversification (cycling routes, adventure tourism, indigenous cultural experiences) reduces Sun Moon Lake dependency. The county demonstrates post-disaster resilience lessons for Taiwan's earthquake-prone eastern regions.