Where to find it….?
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About Taiwan
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Fun Facts
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Taiwan (Chinese: 臺灣) officially the Republic of China (ROC; Chinese: 中華民國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó), is a sovereign state in East Asia. The Republic of China, originally based in mainland China, has since 1945 governed the island of Taiwan, which constitutes more than 99% of its territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other minor islands, following its loss of the mainland China territory in 1949 in the Chinese Civil War. This remaining area is also called the "Free area of the Republic of China", which is not ruled by the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing although only 23 countries recognize it as a country.
Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China (mainland China) to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population density of 649 people per km2 in October 2015. Taipei is the seat of the central government, and together with the surrounding cities of New Taipei and Keelung forms the largest metropolitan area on the island. History The island of Taiwan (formerly known as "Formosa") was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines until the Dutch and Spanish settlement during the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, when Han Chinese began immigrating to the island. In 1662, the pro-Ming loyalist Koxinga expelled the Dutch and established the first Han Chinese polity on the island, the Kingdom of Tungning. The Qing dynasty of China later defeated the kingdom and annexed Taiwan. By the time Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895, the majority of Taiwan's inhabitants were Han Chinese either by ancestry or by assimilation. The Republic of China (ROC) was established in mainland China in 1912. After Japan's surrender in 1945, the ROC gained control of Taiwan. During the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China took full control of mainland China and founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. ROC loyalists fled to Taiwan and re-established the national government there, claiming to be the legitimate government of all of China. Effective ROC jurisdiction was actually now limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands, with the main island making up 99% of its de facto territory. The ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971, when the PRC assumed China's seat via Resolution 2758. The ROC lost UN membership. International recognition of the ROC gradually eroded as most countries switched their 'China' recognition to the PRC. 21 UN member states currently maintain official diplomatic relations with the ROC. Numerous other states maintain unofficial ties through representative offices via institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates. |
Republic of China
The country is commonly known by the name “Taiwan” but officially it is actually called the Republic of China. This should not be confused with the People's Republic of China. To this day, the majority of countries in the world, including the People's Republic of China, still do not recognise Taiwan as an independent country. Biking is popular Forget the car, train and metro. When you are in Taiwan, hop on a bike instead! Taiwanese people love to cycle and it is getting more and more popular every day. The government invests a considerable amount of money in creating and maintaining cycle paths. The country's capital city, Taipei, in particular has an extensive infrastructure for cyclists. Wi-Fi everywhere Recently, the city government of Taipei decided that everyone should have access to the Internet in any public space. Now, free Wi-Fi has been introduced throughout the city. All you have to do is to register once and then you will have access to the Wi-Fi in public spaces such as shopping areas, hospitals and libraries. The idea is that in a few years, all the densely populated areas together with all public transport will have free Wi-Fi available. More information can be found on the official website. Traditional Chinese Taiwan is one of the few countries that still use traditional Chinese characters in the written form of the language. These days, in almost every country where people speak Chinese, simplified Chinese characters are used. However, Taiwan and two autonomous parts of China (Hong Kong and Macau) never adopted these and still continue to use traditional characters. Garbage trucks play music Normally, trucks that play music are associated with ice creams and kids running behind them. In Taiwan, you’ll be disappointed if you hear music and hope to buy an ice cream. Here the garbage trucks play music to prompt people to bring their garbage to the truck. Beethoven's Für Elise can be heard in the streets on a regular base and during the holidays you can expect Christmas songs. Aboriginals In Taiwan there are 14 recognised aboriginal tribes. Together they make up 1.8% of the country's population. It is estimated that aboriginals had been living in the country for 8,000 years before mass immigration by the Han Chinese commenced in the 17th century. 0.9 babies In 2011, fertility rates showed that the average number of children that Taiwanese women gave birth to during their lives was 0.9. This makes Taiwan the country with the lowest fertility rate in the world. One of the reasons for this is probably the fact that more women have better access to university and full-time jobs these days, whilst childcare is expensive. Formosa When the Portuguese saw the island of Taiwan back in the 16th century, they called it Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island). The name was the official name for the island until the Second World War and nowadays Formosa is still informally used as a name for Taiwan. Densely populated Taiwan is slightly bigger than Belgium, but has a population of more than 23 million people! (For the record: the already dense population of Belgium is not even half as big with about 11 million residents). This makes Taiwan one of the most densely populated countries in the world, also considering that the large majority of people live in the flatter west side of the country. |