Mining in Taiwan
Mining has been practiced in Taiwan for hundreds of years. Sulfur was an early important resource collected on the island.[1] Coal mining expanded in the 19th century to keep up with demand from increased foreign trade. Heavy industry was further expanded under Japanese rule, but air raids towards the end of World War II decimated mining infrastructure, falling below 19th century production levels. Copper mining expanded in the mid-20th century, but ended in the 1980s following a global collapse in the price of copper.
Today, Taiwan produces cement, marble, gold, oil and natural gas. Mining activities in Taiwan are regulated by the
History of mining
Pre-colonization the indigenous people of Taiwan traded sulfur from deposits around volcanic vents to Chinese merchants visiting from the continent.[2]
Chinese mining and
Under the consent of the Fujian officials,
As late as 1880, the only resources known to exist in economical quantities and locations were
After "Taiwan" (i.e.
Taiwan's heavy industry was developed by
Women were significant participants in the mining industry during the Japanese colonial period. The Empire of Japan was not a party to the Underground Work (Women) Convention, 1935. The Republic of China which took over in 1945 was a party to the convention but women continued to work in Taiwanese mines until 1963 when Soong Mei-ling intervened following an accident which killed multiple married couples.[9]
Coal mining largely ended by the 1990s due to a combination of repeated serious accidents and the low price of imported coal.[9]
Economy
As of 2013, mineral products accounted for 10% of Taiwan export value. The sector also employs 2,758 workforce.[10]
Types of mining
Aluminium
Taiwan consumed about 180,000 tonnes of aluminium alloy in 2013, in which it went to the electronics sector (41%), packing (26%), construction (9%), machinery (8%) and others (16%). The CS Aluminium Corp., subsidiary of China Steel Corporation, produced 167,000 tonnes of aluminium in 2010.[10]
Cement
Around 80% of Taiwan's cement are mined and produced in Eastern Taiwan. In 2013, the output capacity was 26 million tonnes per year. In that year, Taiwan produced 16 Mt of cement and consumed 12 Mt. Cement are exported to Ghana, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius and Australia.[10] Cement mining in Taiwan is mostly done by Taiwan Cement or Asia Cement Corporation in which its plant in Hualien County contributes to nearly 29% of Taiwan's cement production.[11]
Limestone mining was done in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung in an area what used to be a part of Mount Banping. In 1997, the mining activities ceased to operate. The abandoned site has now been turned into the Banping Lake Wetland Park for tourism by the Kaohsiung City Government.[12]
Coal
Coal is distributed mainly in northern Taiwan. All of the commercial coal deposits occurred in three
Copper
Copper mining, as well as gold, used to take place in
Gold
Taiwan has four gold-bearing deposits with metal content estimated at 100 tonnes. Three of the deposits are concentrated in the central mountain range, while the fourth one is at
Oil and gas
Taiwan produces a small amount of
Marble
Taiwan has some of the largest marble reserves in the world, they were first exploited during the Japanese colonial period for construction and as feedstock in the production of cement, fertilizer, carbide, paper, and sugar. Wide scale exploitation followed the opening of the Keelung-Suao railway in 1923. With the completion of the Suao-Hualien highway in 1931 the market expanded to Taipei. The industry collapsed during the last years of World War Two. The KMT government supported the redevelopment of the Taiwanese marble industry with the
Energy usage
In 2014 the mining sector consumed a total of 474.4 GWh of electricity.[13]
Tourism
Sites for mining-related tourism in Taiwan include:
- Banping Lake Wetland Park
- Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park
- Jingtong Coal Memorial Park
- Jingtong Mining Industry Museum
- New Taipei City Gold Museum
- Taiwan Coal Mine Museum
- Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "Mining in Taiwan (ROC) - Overview". Mbendi.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ "The Mountains of North Taiwan". topics.amcham.com.tw. Topics. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Ancient diary brings a personal touch to early Ching Formosa - Taipei Times". 16 March 2003.
- ^ a b c d e EB (1879), p. 416.
- ^ "Westernized Mining - 台灣大百科全書 Encyclopedia of Taiwan". Taiwanpedia.culture.tw. 2014-03-11. Archived from the original on 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ Russian Treaty of Tianjin (1858), Art. 3.
- ^ French Treaty of Tianjin (1858), Art. 6.
- ^ "歷史與發展 (History and Development)". Taipower Corporation. Archived from the original on 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
- ^ a b c Cottenie, Tyler. "Travel: Houtong's coal miners tell their story". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Taiwan [advance release]" (PDF). 2013 Minerals Yearbook. U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ Kuo, Chia-erh (13 June 2017). "Asia Cement denies mine site in Hualien expanded". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "A Symphony of Water and Green-Towards a Rebirth of Caogong Canal and a New Fragrant Waterfront Kaohsiung". Library.taiwanschoolnet.org. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
- ^ a b "Energy Statistical annual Reports". Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
- ^ "Coal Mining in Taiwan (ROC) - Overview". Mbendi.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ "Historical background". Taiwan.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
- ^ "Culture and Tourism Buresu of Miaoli - Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall". Miaolitravel.net. 2012-12-20. Archived from the original on 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ "ROC still digging hard to find more oil, gas". Taiwan Info. 4 October 1981. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ a b "U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". eia.gov. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Oil and Gas in Taiwan (ROC) - Overview". mbendi.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Taiwan to start oil exploration in S China Sea". Taipei Times. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ Chen, Kevin (30 July 2010). "CPC Corp, Taiwan finds gas reserves at old Miaoli well". Taipei Times.
- ^ Shardul. "Taiwan finds gas hydrates in South China Sea". naturalgasasia.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Polished and Profitable". Taiwan Today. May 1964. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "About". www.hualienstone.org. Hualien International Stone Workshop. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
Bibliography
- , Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IX, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1879, pp. 415–17.
- Gros, Jean-Baptiste-Louis; et al. (27 June 1858), "Traité de Tien-Tsin", Tianjin). (in French)
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