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Background: Taiwan is endemic for viral hepatitis infections. A field survey was performed in the isolated aborigines in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, to investigate the geographic and ethnic variations in hepatitis epidemiology., Materials and Methods: From 1996 to 1998, blood was drawn from 1,748 subjects from two southern Ami and two northern Atayal villages for serum markers of hepatitis A, B and C., Results: Hepatitis A infection approached 100% in all groups. Hepatitis B infection and carrier rates were higher in the Atayal than in the Ami (92.3% vs. 49.1% and 20.8% vs. 5.3%; p<0.01). Hepatitis C infection rates were higher in three villages (27.5%, 20.1% and 25.4% vs. 3.6%; p<0.01). Hepatitis C infection increased with age (p<0.01) while hepatitis B infection did not., Conclusion: Hepatitis A infected most aborigines before the age of 15 years. Hepatitis B seldom infected people after the age of 15 years, while hepatitis C continued to infect people who were older. Geographic factors are important for hepatitis C infection, whereas for hepatitis B infection, in addition ethnicity is also important.