Kenting National Park

Etymology

Kenting (墾丁, Kun-ting in Taiwanese) means pathfinders or pioneers.

Geography

The park covers about 181 km2 of land, 152 km2 of sea, weighing in at 333 km2 combined. Nan Wan and Banana Bay (香蕉灣) is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Taiwan Strait, and the Luzon Strait. The park is 90 km away from Kaohsiung, 140 km away from Tainan.

The landscape boasted by Kenting National Park is divided into two parts by the long and narrow Hengchun Longitudinal Valley Plain that extends from north to south. With coral sea cliffs teemed with fringing reefs along the west coast, the park features a large number of mountains in the north, and coral tablelands and foothills in the south. The plain, which is formed by fault valleys, has a vast lake called Longluan Lake, together with rising coral tablelands and limestone caves to the east. The east side of the coral tablelands features unique sand rivers and sand waterfalls formed by the combined effects of winds and rivers, as well as coral cliffs, sunken caves and stalactites.

Climate

Kenting is known for its tropical climate with warm to hot weather year-round. Along with the rest of Pingtung, the climate is geographically classified as a tropical monsoon climate.

|access-date = 27 September 2024 }}

Biodiversity

The park hosts rich terrestrial biodiversity of fauna and flora including 15 species of mammals, 310 species of birds, 59 species of reptiles and amphibians, 21 species of freshwater fish, 216 species of butterflies, and various insects.

Eluanbi Park or Oluanpi Park (鹅鑾鼻公園) is located at Cape Eluanbi. Nature reserves such as the Longkeng Ecological Protection Area (龍坑生態保護區) protecting coral reefs and virgin forest of Banana Bay and Hengchun Peninsula. 26 species of land crabs inhabit in the area and which is the highest diversity of terrestrial crabs in single areas in the world. 34 species of terrestrial mammals have been recorded, including 5 that are locally extinct (such as the Formosan clouded leopard) and 4 that are introduced (such as the water buffalo). Formosan sika deer which became extinct in the wild in 1969, were first reintroduced into Kenting National Park in 1994. Aside from sika deer, It was thought that 6 species of terrestrial mammals were extinct in the area, but the critically endangered Chinese pangolin was rediscovered a decade later.

Ocean currents which flows off the park provides rich diversities of marine ecosystems including sea birds, sea turtles including critically endangered hawksbill turtles, sharks such as bull sharksmanta-rays, and whale sharks, and smaller to medium-sized cetaceans. The area was once a major wintering ground for sperm and baleen whales especially humpback whales that migrated into Nan Wan and Banana Bay. Japanese whaling during Japanese colonial days, led to severe depletions or disappearances of whales in consequence. Today, no or very few whales may constantly migrate along Hengchun Peninsula and into the park's waters. Dugongs, thought to be either fully or functionally extinct in Taiwan, were reported in the 1950s and 60s, and these were some of the last report of the species in Taiwanese waters.

The national park is an important stopover on the migration path of the gray-faced buzzard.

Lighthouse

Eluanbi Lighthouse was completed in 1883, following requests from the American and Japanese governments to the Chinese government after several shipwrecks occurred in the 1860s (including the Rover incident). Chinese troops had to be sent to protect the lighthouse during construction from attacks by local tribesmen, and the lighthouse was surrounded by a fort with cannons and a ditch for protection. It is one of the rare examples in the world of a fortified lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is 21.4 m high and its light is 56.4 m above the tidal high water. The light flashes every 10 seconds and its range is 27.2 nmi.

Transportation

• Bus: Frequent buses link this park with Kaohsiung International Airport, Taiwan Railway's Kaohsiung Station and the Taiwan High Speed Rail Zuoying Station, a journey of 2.5 hours.
• Air: This park is served by the domestic Hengchun Airport although flights are rare and are subject to cancellation due to the strong Katabatic wind which is frequent in the Hengchun Peninsula.

In popular culture

• Spring Scream: A well-known international rock-band festival held inside this park since 1995.
• Most parts of the 2008 film Cape No. 7 were filmed inside this park, and nearby Hengchun.
• Part of the 2012 film Life of Pi was filmed inside the park, which is not far from its director Ang Lee's birthplace.

Gallery

Image:Kenting National Park Beach 2.JPG|Beach view from Kenting beach Image:Baishawan.jpg|Another beach in Kenting, Baishawan, White Sand beach Image:Jialeshui-surf.jpg|Jialeshui beach in Kenting, the surfer beach Image:Estv2.gif|East Coast in Kenting National Park Image:Eluanbi.jpg|Cape Eluanbi Image:鵝鑾鼻燈塔 屏東縣 歷史建築燈塔 Venation 2.JPG|Eluanbi Lighthouse Image:Pacific Dabbling Plaza, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium 20110607.jpg|National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium Kenting National Park WAN,CHIA-LIANG萬家良 92865.jpg|Water Buffaloes

References

References

1. (1991). "The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Asia and the Pacifics". Springer.
2. "www.springscream.com".
3. Matthew Strong. (2017-04-08). "Kenting is Taiwan’s most popular national park". Taiwan News.
4. "3.3 Wildlife-Ecology-Kenting National Park".
5. "Entrance fee to Eluanbi Park to be increased in 2016 - Focus Taiwan".
6. "悠遊墾丁旅遊網 Kenting Vacation, Travel Guide .".
7. "墾丁民宿 - 包棟、Villa泳池、面海、寵物友好、可烤肉民宿一覽".
8. (February 25, 2013). "椰子蟹的Party".
9. [https://www.ktnp.gov.tw/News_Content.aspx?n=5900082022C17E11&sms=C3C8C7E3C8A38EF2&s=727EA06A70F7FE78 墾丁國家公園陸域野生哺乳類動物調查研究（第三年）]
10. [http://e-info.org.tw/node/57024 墾丁社頂生態遊 梅花鹿見客. 台灣環境資訊協會-環境資訊中心]. E-info.org.tw (2010-06-30). Retrieved on 2020-12-09.
11. [https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/1920635 10年來首見！野生穿山甲於墾丁現蹤跡]
12. "Kenting National Park HQ releases a green turtle into the wild".
13. (July 9, 2010). "戲水要當心！兇猛公牛鯊 出沒恆春海域 - 焦點 - 自由時報電子報".
14. (December 2025). "｜ 蘋果新聞網 ｜ 蘋果日報".
15. "2度擱淺 粗魯野放 海生館「害死鯨鯊」".
16. "墾丁國家公園海域哺乳類動物相調查".
17. "墾丁國家公園鄰近海域鯨豚類生物調查研究".
18. "海域哺乳類動物相調查 - 墾丁國家公園".
19. 2017, [http://m.match.net.tw/mi/news/life/20170605/4100620 墾丁後壁湖 海豚跳躍引尖叫聲]{{Dead link. (May 2025)
20. (May 2025). "墾丁國家公園－生物資料庫查詢".
21. Acebes V.M.J., 2009, [http://www.murdoch.edu.au/Research-capabilities/Asia-Research-Centre/_document/working-papers/wp161.pdf A history of Whaling in Philippines], Historical Perspectives of Fisheries Exploitation in the Indo-Pacific, Asia Research Centre, [[Murdoch University]]
22. "【鯨彩一生】鯨生鯨逝：台灣的捕鯨歷史".
23. "海中鯨靈".
24. "鯨魚噴水奇景 墾丁民眾驚嘆".
25. (January 9, 2015). "恆春鯨魚噴水！ 萬里桐居民驚喜 - 地方 - 自由時報電子報".
26. 2017, [http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/new/20170522/1123680/ 稀客大翅鯨現身墾丁外海　遺憾是鯨屍]
27. [https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/2002-001.pdf Dugong - Status Report and Action Plans for Countries and Territories]
28. "Record-high gray-faced buzzards seen in Kenting in annual migration". Focus Taiwan.
29. Chanson, H.. (2007). "Coastal Observations: Erluanbi, Southern Taiwan". Shore & Beach, Vol. 75, No. 2, pp. 36-39 (ISSN 0037-4237).
30. (November 20, 2012). "李安30億打造《奇幻漂流》 掐預算導演兼伙夫".
31. (January 19, 2012). "Ang Lee begins shooting in Pondy, Life of Pi' comes alive". [[The Times of India]].