Portal:Taiwan

Introduction

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined territories under ROC control consist of 168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The largest metropolitan area is formed by Taipei (the capital), New Taipei City, and Keelung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.

Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale Han Chinese immigration began under a Dutch colony and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning, the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history. The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1912, took control following the surrender of Japan in 1945. Japan renounced sovereignty over Taiwan in 1952. The immediate resumption of the Chinese Civil War resulted in the loss of the Chinese mainlandtoCommunist forces, who established the People's Republic of China, and the flight of the ROC central government to Taiwan in 1949. The effective jurisdiction of the ROC has since been limited to Taiwan, Penghu, and smaller islands.

In the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization called the "Taiwan Miracle". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a one-party state under martial law to a multi-party democracy, with democratically elected presidents since 1996. Taiwan's export-oriented industrial economy is the 21st-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the 20th-largest by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a developed country. It is ranked highly in terms of civil liberties, healthcare, and human development.

The political status of Taiwan is contentious. Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as a member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead. The ROC maintained its claim of being the sole legitimate representative of China and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to regard the Chinese Communist Party as a rebellious group and recognized its control over mainland China. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognise the ROC. Taiwan maintains official diplomatic relations with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the Holy See. Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates. International organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate on a non-state basis. Domestically, the major political contention is between parties favoring eventual Chinese unification and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with those aspiring to formal international recognition and promoting a Taiwanese identity; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. (Full article...)

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Proportion of residents aged 6 or older using Hokkien at home in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen & Matsu in 2010

Taiwanese Hokkien (/ˈhɒkiɛn/ HOK-ee-en, US also /ˈhoʊkiɛn/ HOH-kee-en; Chinese: 臺灣話; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-oân-ōe; Tâi-lô: Tâi-uân-uē), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taiuanoe, Taigi, Taigu (Chinese: 臺語; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/Tâi-lô: Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú), Taiwanese Minnan (Chinese: 臺灣閩南語), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by more than 70 percent of the population of Taiwan. It is spoken by a significant portion of those Taiwanese people who are descended from Hoklo immigrants of southern Fujian. It is one of the national languages of Taiwan.

Selected biography

Lee in 2016

Ang Lee OBS (Chinese: 李安; pinyin: Lǐ Ān; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and numerous accolades including three Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was ranked 27th in The Guardian's 40 best directors.

Selected picture - show another

Dream MallinQianzhen, Kaohsiung is the biggest shopping mall in Taiwan and the 12th largest in the worldbygross leasable area.

Photo credit: User:小鄧

Chai Trong-rong (Chinese: 蔡同榮; pinyin: Cài Tóngróng; Wade–Giles: Ts‘ài⁴ T‘ung²-jung²; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhòa Tông-êng; June 13, 1935 – January 11, 2014), sometimes known in English as Trong Chai, was a Taiwanese politician.

Did you know - show different entries

• ... that Acer (pictured) is ranked as one of the world's top five branded PC vendors and has a history dating to 1976?

• ... that Taipei was the first city in the world to roll out a city-wide Wi-Fi network with 4,000 hot spots serving a city population of 2.6 million?

• ... that the 2006 Hengchun earthquake (6.7 Richter scale) off the southwest coast of Taiwan damaged several submarine communications cables resulting in severe disruptions to telecommunication services including Internet access to many East and Southeast Asian countries?

General images

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  Image 1Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 2The Imperial Guard Defeats the Enemy in Hard Fighting at Keelung on the Island of Taiwan, 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 31901 map with red line marking approximate boundary separating territory under actual Japanese administration from "Savage District" (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 4Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 5Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 6Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 7Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 8Sky Lantern festival in Pingxi, Taiwan (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 9Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 10Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert HallinTaipei and Play Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony No. 3 (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 11Two 7-Eleven stores opposite each other on a crossroad. Taiwan has the highest density of 7-Eleven stores per person in the world (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 12Mid-17th century portrait of Koxinga (Guoxingye or "Kok seng ia" in southern Fujianese), "Lord of the Imperial Surname" (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 13Severed heads of Seediq rebels (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 14The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 15Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 16The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 17Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 18Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 19Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 20Bird's eye view of Fort ZeelandiainDutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 21Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 22Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 23The Qing Empire in 1820, with provinces in yellow, military governorates and protectorates in light yellow, tributary states in orange. (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 24Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 25Zheng Keshuang (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 26Statue of Chen DiinLianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 27The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 28Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 29Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 30Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 31Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 32Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 33A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 34Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 35Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 36Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 37Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 38Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 39Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 40Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 41Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 42Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 43Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 44Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 45Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 46Taiwan in the 17th century, showing Dutch (magenta) and Spanish (green) possessions, and the Kingdom of Middag (orange) (from History of Taiwan)

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Administrative divisions

Chiayi City	Chiayi County	Changhua County	Hsinchu City	Hsinchu County
Hualian County	Kaohsiung City	Keelung City	Kinmen Country	Lienchang County
Miaoli County	Nantou County	New Taipei City	Penghu County	Pingtung County
Taichung City	Tainan City	Taipei City	Taitung County	Taoyuan City
Yilan County	Yunlin County

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