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Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. It is located at the junction of 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. The territories controlled by the ROC consist of 168 islands with a combined area of 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, 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 capital, Taipei, forms along with New Taipei City and Keelung the largest metropolitan area. 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. 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 CCP 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; into the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. (Full article...)

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Clockwise from top: Downtown Tainan, statue of Yoichi Hatta, THSR Tainan Station, danzai noodles, Fort Provintia, beehive firework in Yanshuei

Tainan (/ˈtaɪˈnɑːn/), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "prefectural capital" for its over 260 years of history as the capital of Taiwan under the Dutch rule, the Kingdom of Tungning and later Qing dynasty rule until 1887. Tainan's complex history of comebacks, redefinitions and renewals inspired its popular nickname "the Phoenix City". Tainan is classified as a "Sufficiency"-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

As Taiwan's oldest urban area, Tainan was initially established by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a ruling and trading base called Fort Zeelandia during the Dutch colonial rule on the island. After Koxinga seized the Dutch fort in 1662, Tainan remained as the capital of the Tungning Kingdom ruled by House of Koxinga until 1683 and afterwards the capital of Taiwan Prefecture under the Qing dynasty until 1887, when the new provincial capital was first moved to present-day Taichung, and then to Taipei eventually. Following the cession of Taiwan, Tainan became the second capital of the short-lived Republic of Formosa from June to October in 1895 until the Capitulation of Tainan by the invading forces of Japanese empire. Under Japanese rule, the city was the seat of Tainan Prefecture. After the surrender of Japan in World War II, the Republic of China took control of Taiwan in 1945 and reorganized the city as a provincial city in Taiwan Province; a role that would remain in place until 2010 when the city was merged with nearby Tainan County into a new special municipality. (Full article...)

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Chen Yi as pictured in The Most Recent Biographies of Chinese Dignitaries

Chen Yi (Chinese: 陳儀; pinyin: Chén Yí; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June 18, 1950) was the chief executive and garrison commander of Taiwan Province after the Empire of Japan surrendered to the Republic of China. He acted on behalf of the Allied Powers to accept the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in Taipei Zhongshan Hall on October 25, 1945. He is considered to have mismanaged the tension between the Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese which resulted in the February 28 Incident in 1947, resulting in the deaths of 18,000 to 28,000 people, and was dismissed. In June 1948 he was appointed Chairman of Zhejiang Province, but was dismissed and arrested when his plan to surrender to the Chinese Communist Party was discovered. He was sentenced to death and executed by shooting in Taipei in 1950. (Full article...)

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Tsai Ing-wen Cheng Yen Teresa Teng Tsai Wan-lin Wang Jinping (scholar and activist) Jay Chou Ang Lee 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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Fort Zeelandia in Anping, Tainan was built by the Dutch East India Company in 1624 but was laid siege 38 years later by Koxinga resulting in the Dutch surrender and end of Dutch colonization of Taiwan.

Photo credit: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

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Official portrait, 2019

Chen Chi-mai (Chinese: 陳其邁; pinyin: Chén Qímài; Wade–Giles: Ch'ên² Ch'i²-mai⁴; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Kî-māi; born December 23, 1964) is a Taiwanese politician and the current Mayor of Kaoshiung since August 24, 2020. He has served as spokesperson of the Democratic Progressive Party and the chief executive officer of its Policy Research and Coordinating Committee. A physician from Keelung, Chen started his political career by becoming member of the Legislative Yuan in 1996 and served as legislator for almost eight years before becoming the spokesperson of the Executive Yuan.

In 2005, Chen succeeded to the mayoralty of Kaohsiung after Frank Hsieh's appointment as premier. Chen became the Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidential Office in 2007 and served until the inauguration of President Ma Ying-jeou. Following his December 2018 loss in the Kaohsiung mayoral election, Chen was appointed Vice Premier of the Republic of China by President Tsai Ing-wen. Chen yielded the vice premiership to Shen Jong-chin in June 2020, and won the Kaohsiung mayoralty in a by-election on August 15, 2020 after previous mayor Han Kuo-yu was recalled. (Full article...)

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Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa EVA Air 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 1Taiwan in the 17th century, showing Dutch (magenta) and Spanish (green) possessions, and the Kingdom of Middag (orange) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 2The Qing Empire in 1820, with provinces in yellow, military governorates and protectorates in light yellow, tributary states in orange. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 3The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
Image 4Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 5Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
Image 6A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 7Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 8Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 9Bird's eye view of Fort Zeelandia in Dutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
Image 10Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 11Sky Lantern festival in Pingxi, Taiwan (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 121901 map with red line marking approximate boundary separating territory under actual Japanese administration from "Savage District" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 13Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
Image 14Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 15Two 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 16Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 17Decapitated heads of Seediq rebels (from History of Taiwan)
Image 18The Imperial Guard Defeats the Enemy in Hard Fighting at Keelung on the Island of Taiwan, 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 19Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 20Apo 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 21Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
Image 22Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 23The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 24Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
Image 25Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 26Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 27Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 28The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 29Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 30Mid-17th century portrait of Koxinga (Guoxingye or "Kok seng ia" in southern Fujianese), "Lord of the Imperial Surname" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 31Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
Image 32Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 33Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 34Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 35Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 36Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 37Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 38Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 39Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
Image 40Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 41Zheng Keshuang (from History of Taiwan)
Image 42Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 43Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 44Statue of Chen Di in Lianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
Image 45Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 46Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)

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In the news

3 April 2024 – 2024 Hualien earthquake: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off the coast of Taiwan, prompting tsunami warnings for Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. A large section of the uninhabited Guishan Island collapses into the ocean. Nine people are killed in Taiwan, including four by rockfalls, with more than 930 others injured. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
3 April 2024 – Cross-Strait relations: The National Defense Ministry of Taiwan says that more than 30 Chinese PLA Air Force warplanes have entered Taiwanese airspace and that at least nine PLA Navy warships have been detected around Taiwan. The ROC Armed Forces are deployed in response to the violation. (Times Now News)

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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

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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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