Huadong Valley

"East Rift Valley" redirects here. For "Eastern Rift Valley" branch of the Great Rift Valley, see Gregory Rift.

The Huadong Valley (in green), according to a geological compartment called groundwater zones.

The Huadong Valley or Hualien–Taitung Valley (Chinese: 花東縱谷; pinyin: Huādōng Zònggǔ; Wade–Giles: Hua¹-tung¹ Tsung⁴-ku³), also known as East Rift Valley or the Longitudinal Valley, is a long and narrow valley located between Central Mountain Range and Hai'an Range. It is also recognized as a plain area which stretches for about 180 kilometers near the eastern coast of Taiwan, passes from Hualien City at the north to Taitung City at the south. It was called Nakasendō Plain (中仙道平野, Nakasendō Heiya) or simply Nakasendō during the era of Japanese rule.

The valley is believed to be part of the northern terminus of the Philippine Mobile Belt, a complex collection of tectonic plate fragments and volcanic intrusions. There are three large river systems flowing through this valley, including the Hualian, Xiugulan and Beinan Rivers, all of which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

The Huadong Highway, a section of Provincial Highway No. 9, runs the entire length of the valley from north to south.

Gallery

• 
  Huadong Valley; the Hai'an Range can be seen in the distance.
• 
  A rice paddy in the valley in Fengli, Shoufeng
• 
  Bicyclists on PH 23 in Fuli
• 
  Decommissioned railway tracks by PH 9 on Ruisui

See also

• Geology of Taiwan

External links

• East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration