Taiwan (臺灣 pinyin tai2 wan1) is an island off the coast of Mainland China. It is also known by the name Formosa which was the name, which means "beautiful (island)", first given to it by the Portuguese. The island is administered by a government which calls itself the Republic of China (ROC). Whether the island is or is not part of China and the meaning of China in this context is an extremely complex and controversial issue.
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| National motto: Xxxxx | |||||
| Official language | Mandarin Chinese | ||||
| Capital | Taipei | ||||
| President | Chen Shui-bian | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 135th 35,980 km² 10.3% | ||||
| Population
- Density | Ranked 46th
617/km² | ||||
| Establishment
- Established | Wuchang Uprising
January 1, 1912 | ||||
| Currency | TWD New Taiwan Dollar | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +8 | ||||
| National anthem | Three People's Principles | ||||
| Internet TLD | .TW | ||||
| Calling Code | 886 | ||||
History
Main article: History of Taiwan
The Republic of China was founded after Chinese revolutionaries overthrew the Qing government in 1911. The Kuomintang, which at the time controlled the government of the ROC, was exiled to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party ended in the Communists favor in 1949. Until 1991, the government on Taiwan continued to maintain that it was the sole legitimate government of China.
The Republic of China was in the United Nations from the founding of the UN in 1946 until 1971, when the China seat was given to the People's Republic of China government. The United States continued to recognize the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China until 1979. Since the 1970's, the number of nations officially recognizing the ROC has continued to decrease. Although Taiwan has no current objections to dual recognition of both the People's Republic of China and the ROC, the People's Republic of China refuses to maintain diplomatic relations with any government which formally recognizes the ROC. This has produced a unique and complex diplomatic situation which is described in political status of Taiwan.
See Taiwan independence, Chinese reunification, Taiwan province
Politics
Main article: Politics of Taiwan
(Subdivisions)
Main article: (Subdivisions) of Taiwan
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Cities |
Counties |
Geography
Main article: Geography of Taiwan
Economy
Main article: Economy of Taiwan
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Taiwan
Culture
Main article: Culture of Taiwan
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Founding Day | 開國紀念日 | also New Year |
| February 28 | Peace Memorial Day | 和平紀念日 | Commemorates February 28 Incident (二二八事件) in February 28, 1947 |
| May 1 | Labor Day | 勞動節 | |
| September 28 | Teacher's Day | 教師節 | Confucius' Birthday |
| October 10 | Double Tenth Day | 國慶日 | Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911 |
| October 25 | Retrocession Day | 光復節 | Japan surrenders Taiwan to Chiang Kai-shek on October 25, 1945 |
| December 25 | Constitution Day | 行憲紀念日 | also Christmas |
| 1st day of 1st lunar month | Chinese New Year | 春節 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 5th day of 5th lunar month | Dragon Boat Festival (Dragon Festival) | 端午節 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 8th lunar month | Mid-autumn Festival (Moon Festival) | 中秋節 | Based on Chinese calendar |
International rankings
- world-wide press freedom index Rank 35 out of 139 countries
Miscellaneous topics
External Links
- US mirror Republic of China Information Office
- [1]Article from the CIA World Factbook (upon which the first version of this article was based)