I-lan

I-lan, shih (municipality) and seat of I-lan hsien (county), northeastern Taiwan, the centre of the only sizable alluvial basin on the island’s mountainous eastern coast. The basin itself was largely formed as the delta of the Cho-Shui River and is about 30 miles (50 km) from north to south. I-lan city lies in the centre of this plain on the Lan River. The plain is a fertile rice-producing region, and I-lan is a major rice market. A railway connects the city with Chi-lung (Keelung) and Taipei to the north and also runs southward to Su-ao, Hua-lien, and T’ai-tung. The I-lan area was largely settled by Chinese. There is some minor industry, mainly papermaking (using wood from the forests in the surrounding mountains) and the manufacture of fertilizers. Pop. (2007 est.) 96,094.