Taiwan
country in East Asia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
country in East Asia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC; Chinese: 中華民國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó), is an island country (not recognised by almost every country) of the coast of China. The Republic of China once governed all of China (from 1911 to 1949), but moved to the island of Taiwan after a Chinese civil war. In the years since, the PRC (People's Republic of China) has become the recognized government of China (replacing the ROC at the United Nations in 1971), and the status of the ROC has been left disputed.
Republic of China | |
|---|---|
 Emblem
| |
| Anthem: 中華民國國歌 Zhōnghuá Mínguó guógē "National Anthem of the Republic of China" Flag anthem: 中華民國國旗歌 Zhōnghuá Míngúo Gúoqígē "National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China" | |
| National seal 中華民國之璽 "Seal of the Republic of China"  National flower  梅花 Plum blossom | |
.svg)  .svg) | |
| Capital | Taipei[lower-alpha 2][2] 25°04′N 121°31′E |
| Largest city | New Taipei |
| Official languages | None designated (de jure) Mandarin (de facto)[3] Vernacular Chinese (used in more serious scenarios)[4] |
| Official script | Traditional Chinese[5] |
| National languages[lower-alpha 3] |
|
| Ethnic groups | >95% Han Taiwanese —70% Hoklo —14% Hakka —14% Waishengren 2% Indigenous[9][lower-alpha 5] |
| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Taiwanese[11] |
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic |
| Kahmesh Kumaar | |
| Lai Ching-te | |
• Premier | Chen Chien-jen |
• Legislative Yuan President | Yu Shyi-kun |
• Control Yuan President | Chen Chu |
• Judicial Yuan President | Hsu Tzong-li |
• Examination Yuan President | Huang Jong-tsun |
| Legislature | Legislative Yuan |
| Formation | |
• Establishment | 1 January 1912 |
• Took control of Taiwan | 25 October 1945 |
• Constitution adopted | 25 December 1947 |
• Government moved to Taipei | 7 December 1949 |
• Status defined by law | 16 July 1992 |
| Area | |
• Total | 36,197 km2 (13,976 sq mi)[11][12] |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 23,568,378[13] (56th) |
• 2010 census | 23,123,866[14] |
• Density | 650/km2 (1,683.5/sq mi) (10th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2021 estimate |
• Total |  $1.403 trillion[15] (19th) |
• Per capita | $56,959[15] (13th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $682.702 billion[15] (21st) |
• Per capita | $32,123[16] (29th) |
| Gini (2017) |  34.1[17]medium |
| HDI (2019) | 0.916[18] very high · 23rd |
| Currency | New Taiwan dollar (NT$) (TWD) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (National Standard Time) |
| Date format |
|
| Mains electricity | 110 V–60 Hz[lower-alpha 6] |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +886 |
| ISO 3166 code | TW |
| Internet TLD | |
The ROC includes the main island of Taiwan plus nearby islands (Pescadores islands and parts of Fujian). Taiwan is located southeast of the Chinese mainland, south of Japan, and north of the Philippines. The capital is Taipei.
Taiwan has also been called Formosa, a Portuguese name which means "beautiful" in Portuguese.
Most people living in Taiwan (called Taiwanese) are Han. Taiwan has three large Han groups. They speak different dialects (variations) of Chinese and their ancestors came from different places: the Southern Fujianese (from China's Fujian Province), the Hakka (from China), and Mainlanders (from Mainland China after 1948).
There are also Taiwanese Aborigines (native tribes) who lived in Taiwan before the Han came to live there.
The largest cities in Taiwan are the capital, Taipei, and the port city of Kaohsiung.
There are two Chinese governments: The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). Today, in reality, the PRC government controls mainland China, and the ROC government governs Taiwan. The ROC government governed most of China mainland from 1911 to 1949, before losing control of China mainland to the PRC. The ROC constitution still claims ownership of all of China.
The People's Republic of China claims ownership of Taiwan, but it has never ruled over the island of Taiwan. The last time Taiwan and the mainland were united under one government was under the rule of the ROC.
Although Taiwan's status prevents it from participating in some international organizations, polls show that most Taiwanese prefer to keep things as they are (referred to as the status quo), rather than declare formal independence (and risk inviting an attack by communist China), or to be "reunified" with China.
Most countries of the world recognize the People's Republic of China as China. Although Taiwan is not recognized by the UN as a sovereign nation,[24] most countries still have close economic and cultural relations with Taiwan. Countries often set up de facto embassies in Taiwan — officially non-government organizations — that perform the same functions as an embassy.
In 1992, the ROC and PRC agreed to a consensus that there was only "one China" but that both sides could continue to disagree on what that meant.
In March 2004, China's government passed a law called the Anti-Secession Law. The law requires the Chinese military to invade Taiwan immediately if they declare independence.[25] Tsai Ing-wen, the elected President of Taiwan, says Taiwan is already an independent country and does not need to declare independence.[26]
President of communist China, President Xi Jinping, has vowed "reunification" with Taiwan by any means, including through military force.[27] Joe Biden, President of The United States, has said that the US will defend Taiwan from Chinese attack.[28] Australia has said they would join the US,[29] and Japan has indicated they may as well.
Polls show a majority of people in Taiwan want to never be a part of the People's Republic of China. Some of these people believe in complete Taiwan independence and want to rename the ROC (Taiwan) to "Republic of Taiwan" so Taiwan can participate in international affairs. Most others want the status quo, which means keeping everything the way it is now. A small minority wish to someday unite with the People's Republic of China; they want Chinese reunification.
The island of Taiwan is about 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of China. It is across the Taiwan Strait. It has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi).[30]
The East China Sea is to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest.[31]
Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan (Jade Mountain). It is 3,952 meters high (12,966 ft). There are five other peaks over 3,500 meters.
West of Taiwan Island, there are three small groups of islands that also belong to ROC. They are:
The largest cities in Taiwan are:
| Rank | Division name | Chinese name | Type | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Taipei City | 新北市 | Special municipality | 3,903,745 |
| 2 | Kaohsiung City | 高雄市 | Special municipality | 2,772,461 |
| 3 | Taichung City | 臺中市 (台中市) | Special municipality | 2,655,456 |
| 4 | Taipei City | 臺北市 (台北市) | Special municipality | 2,635,766 |
| 5 | Taoyuan City | 桃園市 | Special municipality | 2,163,728 |
| 6 | Tainan City | 臺南市 (台南市) | Special municipality | 1,874,724 |
| 7 | Hsinchu City | 新竹市 | Provincial city | 417,335 |
| 8 | Keelung City | 基隆市 | Provincial city | 381,770 |
| 9 | Chiayi City | 嘉義市 | Provincial city | 272,128 |
| 10 | Changhua City | 彰化市 | County-controlled city | 236,447 |
| 11 | Pingtung City | 屏東市 | County-controlled city | 210,275 |
| 12 | Zhubei City | 竹北市 | County-controlled city | 144,234 |
| 13 | Hualien City | 花蓮市 | County-controlled city | 108,938 |
| 14 | Taitung City | 臺東市 | County-controlled city | 108,648 |
| 15 | Douliu City | 斗六市 | County-controlled city | 107,012 |
| 16 | Nantou City | 南投市 | County-controlled city | 104,069 |
| 17 | Magong | 馬公市 | County-controlled city | 104,069 |
There are administrative divisions in different levels and types.
157 Districts (區 qū ㄑㄩ), 17 Country-controlled cities (縣轄市 xiànxiáshì ㄒㄧㄢˋㄒㄧㄚˊㄕˋ), 41 Urban Townships (鎮 zhèn ㄓㄣˋ), and 153 Rural Townships (鄉 xiāng ㄒㄧㄤ) stand the 3rd level. Districts stand under either Special municipalities or Provincial cities; Country-controlled cities, Urban Townships, and Rural Townships stand under Counties.
Villages (里 lǐ ㄌㄧˇ or 村 cūn ㄘㄨㄣ) stand the 4th level, and Neighborhoods (鄰 lín ㄌㄧㄣˊ) stand the 5th level.
Most Taiwanese people speak Standard Chinese known as Mandarin, and others speak local dialects such as Min Nan (Taiwanese) or Hakka. The Cantonese language, spoken in parts of southern China (for example, the province of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau), is not spoken in Taiwan. A small percentage of Aboriginal Taiwanese speak aboriginal languages, but the rest of the Chinese people have treated them badly, and many of these people, and their languages, struggle to survive. Some older Taiwanese people who went to school while the country was under Japanese rule can speak Japanese.
After the Nationalist government fled the Mainland in 1949, they brought Mandarin and promoted it in Taiwan. Then everyone in the ROC had to learn Mandarin. But, unlike the people in Mainland China, the Taiwanese never changed to simplified Chinese characters and so they have always used traditional Chinese characters. In the past, students were not allowed to speak their first language in school and were expected to speak only Mandarin. Taiwanese, Hakka, and native languages were considered bad until the early 1990s, when education in these languages began to be taught in some school systems. They were promoted, but by this time, many young people could speak only Mandarin.
Currently, nearly one third of Taiwanese report knowing some amount of English. Full English fluency is not common, however. The government plans to expand English education and make it an official language by 2030.
