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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 mainland to Communist 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 acknowledged 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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The island of Taiwan, also commonly known as Formosa, was partly under colonial rule by the Dutch Republic from 1624 to 1662 and from 1664 to 1668. In the context of the Age of Discovery, the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Formosa to trade with the Ming Empire in neighbouring China and Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, and also to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and colonial activities in East Asia.

The Dutch were not universally welcomed, and uprisings by both aborigines and recent Han arrivals were quelled by the Dutch military on more than one occasion. With the rise of the Qing dynasty in the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company cut ties with the Ming dynasty and allied with the Qing instead, in exchange for the right to unfettered access to their trade and shipping routes. The colonial period was brought to an end after the 1662 siege of Fort Zeelandia by Koxinga's army who promptly dismantled the Dutch colony, expelled the Dutch and established the Ming loyalist, anti-Qing Kingdom of Tungning. (Full article...)

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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.

Born in Pingtung County, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. He rose to prominence directing films such as Pushing Hands (1991), The Wedding Banquet (1993), and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), which explored the relationships and conflicts between tradition and modernity, Eastern and Western; the three films are informally known as the "Father Knows Best" trilogy. The films were critically successful both in Taiwan and internationally. (Full article...)

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Tsai Ing-wen Cheng Yen Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Teresa Teng Tsai Wan-lin Wang Jinping (scholar and activist) Jay Chou S.H.E Lee Teng-hui Justin Huang Chiau Wen-yan Kao Chin Su-mei Latisha Chan Wu Nien-jen Wu Zhaonan

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The East Gate of the historical walled city of Taipei

Photo credit: User:Jiang

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

EVA Airways Corporation (/ˌiːviːˈeɪ, ˈiːvə/ EE-vee-AY, EE-və; Chinese: 長榮航空; pinyin: Chángróng Hángkōng) (TWSE: 2618) is a Taiwanese international airline headquartered in Taoyuan City. It is one of the two largest airlines in Taiwan along with state-owned China Airlines. The privately owned airline operates passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe & North America. Its network fully consists of international routes, with no domestic routes. It is rated as a 5-star airline by Skytrax, and is the second largest airline based in Taiwan after China Airlines. EVA Air is headquartered at Taoyuan International Airport in Luzhu, Taoyuan City. The company slogan is "Sharing the World, Flying Together" (分享世界，比翼雙飛; Fēnxiǎng shìjiè, bǐyì shuāngfēi).

Since its founding in 1989 as an affiliate of shipping conglomerate Evergreen Group, EVA Air has expanded to include air cargo, airline catering, ground handling, and aviation engineering services. Its cargo arm, EVA Air Cargo, links with the Evergreen worldwide shipping network on sea and land. Its domestic and regional subsidiary, UNI Air, operates a medium and short-haul network to destinations within the island of Taiwan, Macau as well as mainland China with its main hub in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (Full article...)

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Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa Chen Chi-mai Chai Trong-rong Taiwan High Speed Rail Pe̍h-ōe-jī Mei-Ann Chen Hsu Tain-tsair You Are the Apple of My Eye

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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?

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General images

The following are images from various Taiwan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 2Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 3Taiwan in the 17th century, showing Dutch (magenta) and Spanish (green) possessions, and the Kingdom of Middag (orange) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 4Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
Image 5Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 6Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
Image 7Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
Image 8A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 9Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 10Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert Hall in Taipei and Play Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony No. 3 (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 11Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 12Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
Image 13Sky Lantern festival in Pingxi, Taiwan (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 14Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 15Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 16Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 17Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 18The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 19Two 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)
Image 20Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 21Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 22Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 23Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 24Bird's eye view of Fort Zeelandia in Dutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
Image 251901 map with red line marking approximate boundary separating territory under actual Japanese administration from "Savage District" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 26Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 27Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 28Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 29Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
Image 30Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 31Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 32Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 33Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
Image 34Mid-17th century portrait of Koxinga (Guoxingye or "Kok seng ia" in southern Fujianese), "Lord of the Imperial Surname" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 35Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 36Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 37Statue of Chen Di in Lianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
Image 38The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 39Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 40The Imperial Guard Defeats the Enemy in Hard Fighting at Keelung on the Island of Taiwan, 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
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)
Image 42Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 43The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
Image 44Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 45Zheng Keshuang (from History of Taiwan)
Image 46Severed heads of Seediq rebels (from History of Taiwan)

On this day...

More July anniversaries

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In the news

24 July 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: Two people are killed and 266 others are injured by Typhoon Gaemi in northern Taiwan as the typhoon passes through Fujian province, China, and heads inland. (Reuters)
28 June 2024 –: Indonesian officials arrest and intend to deport 103 Taiwanese nationals suspected of running a cybercrime operation in Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia. (Al Jazeera)
21 June 2024 – Cross-Strait relations: China officially defines Taiwanese separatist behavior as a criminal act. (Financial Times)

Topics

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Administrative divisions

The Republic of China government governs 22 administrative divisions
The administrative divisions presently consist of 13 counties, 6 special municipalities and three cities.


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

Related portals

East Asia

Southeast Asia

Portals listed here are related to Taiwan by way of history, Asian region, diplomatic relations with ROC, and significant diaspora of overseas Taiwanese

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