Taitung County (; Paiwan: Valangaw;lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest county in Taiwan Province, Republic of China, located primarily on the island's southeastern coast and also including Green Island, Orchid Island and Lesser Orchid Island. The seat is located in Taitung City. Name While its name means "Eastern Taiwan", it is also known as "Houshan" () by many of the locals, meaning behind the mountains or the back mountains. History Qing Dynasty In 1887, the new Fujian-Taiwan Province included Taitung Prefecture as one of four prefectures. Empire of Japan During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, Taitung County was administered as Taitō Prefecture. Republic of China After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China on 25 October 1945, Taitung was established as a county of Taiwan Province on 25 December the same year. Geography Taitung runs along the south east coast of Taiwan. Taitung county, controlling is the 3rd largest county in Taiwan after Hualien County and Nantou County. Mainland Taitung County's coastline is long. The Huatung Valley runs along the northern half of the county. Taitung currently has a population of 234,123. Due in part to its remote location and isolation by mountains from Taiwan's main population centers, Taitung was the last part of the island to be colonized by Han Chinese immigrants (late 19th century). Throughout the 20th century Taitung remained an economic backwater. Sparsely populated even today, this isolation may have been a blessing in disguise, as Taitung mostly escaped the urbanization and pollution that have come to plague much of the island's lowland areas. In addition to the area on Taiwan proper, the county includes two major islands, Green Island or Isla Verde and Orchid Island. Green Island was home to an infamous penal colony used for political prisoners during the "White Terror" period of Chinese Nationalist (KMT) rule (from 1947 until the end of martial law in 1987). Orchid Island, home of the Tao people (Taiwanese aborigines closely related to the people of the northern Philippines), has become a major tourist attraction despite the government-operated Taiwan Power Company's controversial use of part of the island as a nuclear waste dump. Government Administrative divisions Taitung County is divided into 1 city, 2 urban townships, 8 rural townships and 5 mountain indigenous townships. Taitung County has the second highest number of mountain indigenous townships in Taiwan after Pingtung County. The seat of