Do you know the population of the United Kingdom?To start with, the population of Taiwan is about 23 million, and that of the UK is about 60 million. Remember that the UK is made up of four countries. England has a population of 51 million, Scotland 5 million, Wales 3 million, and Northern Ireland less than 2 million.

The area of Taiwan is 23 000 square kilometers. That of England is 130 000 square kilometers, and that of the whole of the UK is 243 000 square kilometers.

So, is Taiwan more crowded than the UK, or vice versa? If a country has a very big population, but it is also a very large country, then the country may not be very crowded. The UK has a larger population than Taiwan, but it is also a larger country. If you divide the country’s population by its area, you will find out the answer. It turns out that Taiwan is twice as crowded as the UK. If you also consider that mountainous regions make up a large part of Taiwan, and that not many people live in these parts, then the population density (a number which tells you how crowded a country is) is far greater than the UK. But if you want to compare the populations densities of Taiwan and England, rather than Taiwan and the UK, then there isn’t a great difference.

Like Taiwan, the UK has a lot of countryside. Let’s compare.

Both Taiwan and the UK have mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, beaches. The UK’s highest mountain is in Scotland, and has a height of 1344 meters. Most of the mountains in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are less than 1000 meters in height. In Yang Ming Shan, the highest mountain, Qi Xing Shan, rises to a height of 1120 meters. Therefore the mountains in the UK are similar in height to those in Yang Ming Shan.

The mountains in Yang Ming Shan are generally covered in trees. For this reason, when you climb the mountain, the tress shelter you from the sun when it is shining. In the UK, there aren’t many trees on the mountains, so you aren’t sheltered from the sunshine. But this is actually a benefit, not a disadvantage. ?Why? The weather in the UK isn’t very hot, so the sunshine, especially on colder days is very pleasant. When climbing mountains in the UK, because there aren’t many trees, one’s view isn’t obscured, and it is easy to admire the scenery.

There are many lakes in the UK, although most are not very big, apart from two in Northern Ireland. Lough Neagh is the largest, and has an area of 388 square kilometers. The UK’s second largest lake is also in Northern Ireland. The largest lakes in Scotland are around ten times smaller than these two in Northern Ireland, and the largest lakes in England and Wales are only about 1% of the size of these two. Taiwan’s largest lake , Sun Moon Lake, has an area about 40% bigger than England’s largest lake, but has only a fraction of the area of Lough Neagh.

Neither Taiwan nor the UK have any deserts. The UK, though, does have a region of land which is below sea-level, but not greatly so.

Both Taiwan and the UK have many beaches, both stony and sandy beaches. The weather, along with the sea water is rarely warm enough to enable most people to go to the beach in the UK, and in addition, many beaches are in fairly small towns which are frequented by those interested in getting drunk rather than enjoying the seaside. Because the weather in the UK isn’t usually very warm, even in summer, most people like to go to the beach between 11:00 and 3:00, when the sun is strongest. In Taiwan, on the other hand, most people prefer to go to the beach in the later afternoon or evening, or, for those who are happy to get up early, before 8 a.m.

Both Taiwan and the UK have many rivers, and hence many bridges.

Taiwan has eight national parks, six of these being on the mainland. The UK has 16 national parks, with ten of these being in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland, and the remaining one in Northern Ireland.

Both Taiwan and the UK have many villages, and lots of countryside. One of the best things about the UK, if not the best, is that there are thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of ‘public footpaths’ throughout the country. These date (back) from hundreds of years ago. They are paths across land, mainly privately owned land, most of which is farmland, and they are rights of way for the public. This means that although they are often on private land, the public is allowed to use them. They were originally used by people going to or from work (hundreds of years ago there were no cars, motorcycles or bicycles), and also for the people to get to church on a Sunday. The owner of the land cannot stop you from using the footpaths. In fact, the head of department in the university I attended in England lived in a former farmhouse which had a public footpath passing within one meter of his back door! These footpaths are nowadays used mainly by people as a means of leisure, such as going for a walk or taking one’s dog for a walk. However, even though most people in the UK drive a car, these public footpaths are still used by some people for getting to work. I myself used a public footpath to go to high school when I lived in Wales, and because the university I attended in England was outside the city, I was able to use a footpath to go to and from my classes.