Gaoping (river)
Gaoping 高屏溪 |
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Map of the Gaoping and its main tributaries |
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Data | ||
location | South Taiwan | |
River system | Gaoping | |
source | Northeast slope of the Yushan | |
muzzle |
Formosa Street near Linyuan Coordinates: 22 ° 28 ′ 52 " N , 120 ° 25 ′ 14" E 22 ° 28 ′ 52 " N , 120 ° 25 ′ 14" E
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length | 171 km | |
Big cities | Kaohsiung | |
Medium-sized cities | Pinging | |
Old railway bridge over the Gaoping |
The Gaoping ( Chinese 高屏溪 , Pinyin Gāopíng Xī , Pe̍h-ōe-jī Ko-pîn-khe; also: Kaoping Hsi ) is a river in southern Taiwan and with a length of 171 km, the second longest river on the island. It rises on the northeast slope of the Yushan in the Central Taiwan Mountains and flows into Formosa Street near Linyuan , the southernmost district of Kaohsiung City .
course
The Gaoping arises from various rivers that have their source in the central Taiwan mountains . The most important are the Laonong , the Zhuokou , the Qishan (or Nanzixian ) and the Ailiao , all of which flow in a south-westerly direction down to the mountains. The Gaoping takes its name from the union of the Laonong with the Ailiao . After taking in the Qishan coming from the north, the river turns almost at right angles to the south, essentially forming the border between the city of Kaohsiung and the district of Pingtung almost to the sea . It flows into Formosa Street in the Linyuan District of Kaohsiung City .
history
The original name of the river was Tapouliangh or Tapoyan and was derived from the name of a tribe of the Taiwanese indigenous people living on the river , from which the name Ha-tam-chui (standard Chinese Ha淡水Xiadanshui ) became in the Minnan language of the Chinese immigrants . In 1960, the river was officially renamed Gaoping , based on the fact that it flowed mostly through Kaohsiung ( Gao for short ) and Pingtung ( Ping for short ) counties . The current meaning of the river name can therefore be represented with Kaohsiung Pingtung River .
Meaning and environment
Gaoping plays an important role in agricultural irrigation in the plains between Kaohsiung and Pingtung. However, it is not suitable for shipping. As with many Taiwanese rivers in the subtropical zone, the water level differs significantly in dry and rainy seasons.
While the upper reaches of the river are home to numerous animal species, some of which are endemic to Taiwan , the lower reaches of the river are severely affected by pollution from wastewater from intensive pig farming in the catchment area and the Linyuan Industrial Park. Since the 1990s, the authorities have been taking measures to protect the environment, which gradually improves the water quality.
One of the most famous sights of gaoping is the old railway bridge in Kaohsiung's Dashu district, built between 1911 and 1914 by the Japanese colonial government , which was officially in operation until 1992 and is now a listed building.
Web links
- Kaohsiung & Pingtung River Management Committee website
- Gaoping on the website of the Agency of Water Resources (Taiwan) (chin.)
- Kaoping River , taiwan-tour.tw (tourist attractions along the river; Eng.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Taiwan center.org ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Kaohsiung & Pingtung River Management, September 14, 2008 ( Memento of the original from August 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.