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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Selected biography

Kao Chin Su-mei (born September 21, 1965), also known as Chin Su-mei, May Chin and Ciwas Ali, is a Taiwanese politician and retired actress and singer. She is of Manchu and Atayal descent, Ciwas Ali being her Atayal name.

Selected picture - show another

The view of the Alishan National Scenic Area from the peak of the mountain in Chiayi County.

Photo credit: User:Taiwantaffy

Pe̍h-ōe-jī (Taiwanese Hokkien: [pe˩ˀ o̯e̞˩ d͡ʑi˧] ^ⓘ, English approximation: /ˌpɛɔɪˈdʒiː/ PEH-oy-JEE; abbr. POJ; lit. 'vernacular writing'), sometimes known as Church Romanization, is an orthography used to write variants of Hokkien Southern Min, particularly Taiwanese and Amoy Hokkien, and it is widely employed as one of the writing systems for Southern Min. During its peak, it had hundreds of thousands of readers.

Did you know - show different entries

• ... there are thirteen officially recognized Taiwanese aboriginal tribes (pictured) in Taiwan comprising 2% (458,000) of Taiwan's population. Did you also know that the Ami tribe are the most populous (37.5%) and that pop-singer A-mei is from the Puyuma tribe?

• ... that Ketagalan Boulevard was originally named Chiehshou Road in honor of Chiang Kai-shek but was renamed on March 20, 1996 by president Chen Shui-bian after the Ketagalan tribe in honor of aboriginal history and culture?

• ... that the Sakizaya people, a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe, has been recognized by the government of Taiwan since January 2007?

General images

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  Image 1Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 2Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 3The 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 4Statue of Chen DiinLianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 5Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 6Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 7Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 8Severed heads of Seediq rebels (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 9Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 10Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 11Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 12Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 13Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 14Mid-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 15Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 16Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 17Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 18Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 19A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 20Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 21Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 22Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 23Sky Lantern festival in Pingxi, Taiwan (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 24Taiwan 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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  Image 251901 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 26Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 27Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 28Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 29Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 30Apo 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 31Bird's eye view of Fort ZeelandiainDutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 32Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 33Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 34Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 35Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 36Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 37Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 38Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 39Two 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 40The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 41The 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 42Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 43The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 44Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
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  Image 45The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
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  Image 46Zheng Keshuang (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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