Portal:Taiwan

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Introduction

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 Dutch colonial rule 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 and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1912 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, assumed control following the surrender of Japan in World War II. With the loss of mainland China to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan in 1949 under the Kuomintang (KMT).

From the early 1960s, Taiwan saw rapid economic growth and industrialization known as 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 beginning in 1996. Taiwan's export-oriented 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 and international 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 Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as a member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead.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 to be 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 the Pan-Blue Coalition, which favors eventual Chinese unification under the ROC and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with the Pan-Green Coalition, which favors eventual Taiwan independence and promoting a Taiwanese identity; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. (Full article...)

Selected article -

Formosan sika deer on Daqiu Island

The Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) is a subspecies of sika deer endemic to the island of Taiwan. Formosan sika, like most of the terrestrial fauna and flora of Taiwan, arrived on the island during Pleistocene glacial periods when lower sea levels connected Taiwan to the Asian mainland. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected biography

Kao Chin Su-mei (Chinese: 高金素梅; pinyin: Gāo Jīn Sùméi; born September 21, 1965), also known as Chin Su-mei, May Chin and Ciwas Ali, is a Taiwanese politician and retired actress and singer. She is of Manchu and Atayal descent, Ciwas Ali being her Atayal name.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she starred in many popular TV series and films, including Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet (1993). She also released several Mandopop albums. She retired from showbiz in 1999 following her diagnosis of liver cancer which she recovered from. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Selected picture -

Dream Mall in Qianzhen, Kaohsiung is the biggest shopping mall in Taiwan and the 12th largest in the world by gross leasable area.

Photo credit: User:小鄧

Good article -

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

You Are the Apple of My Eye (Chinese: 那些年，我們一起追的女孩, lit. 'Those Years, The Girl We Went After Together') is a 2011 Taiwanese coming of age romance film. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Taiwanese author Giddens Ko, who also made his directorial debut with the film. The film stars Ko Chen-tung as Ko Ching-teng, a prankster and a mischievous student who eventually becomes a writer. Michelle Chen stars as Shen Chia-yi, an honor student who is very popular amongst the boys in her class.

You Are the Apple of My Eye was filmed almost entirely on location in Changhua County, including at the high school which Giddens attended. The lyrics of "Those Years", the film's main theme, were written by Giddens. The song, which was well received by the public, was nominated for Best Original Film Song at the 48th Golden Horse Awards. (Full article...)

List of Good articles

Did you know -

... that Longshan Temple (pictured) is the oldest temple in Taipei, originally built by settlers from Fujian Province in 1738 and is an example of classical Taiwanese architecture?

... that Taiwan Grand Shrine was once the largest and most important Shinto shrine in Taiwan but was destroyed in a fire in 1944. Did you also know that the Grand Hotel in Taipei was built in its place?

... that Taipei Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in Taiwan and that there are over 140,000 Muslims residing in Taiwan?

General images

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

Image 1Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 2Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 3The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
Image 4Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
Image 5Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 6Zheng Keshuang (from History of Taiwan)
Image 7Mid-17th century portrait of Koxinga (Guoxingye or "Kok seng ia" in southern Fujianese), "Lord of the Imperial Surname" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 8Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
Image 9Severed heads of Seediq rebels (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 11Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 12Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
Image 13Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 14Two 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 15Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 16Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 17Taiwan in the 17th century, showing Dutch (magenta) and Spanish (green) possessions, and the Kingdom of Middag (orange) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 18Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 19Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
Image 20Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 21Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 221901 map with red line marking approximate boundary separating territory under actual Japanese administration from "Savage District" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 23Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 24The Imperial Guard Defeats the Enemy in Hard Fighting at Keelung on the Island of Taiwan, 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 25Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 26Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 27A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 28Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 29Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 30Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 31Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the Cairo Conference in Cairo, 25 November 1943. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 32Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 33Bird's eye view of Fort Zeelandia in Dutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
Image 34Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 35Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 36Penghu next to Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
Image 37Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 38Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
Image 39Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 40Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
Image 41The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 42An example of a text message sent through the Line app, featuring sticker options. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 43Statue of Chen Di in Lianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
Image 44Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 45Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 46The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 47Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 48The Qing Empire in 1820, with provinces in yellow, military governorates and protectorates in light yellow, tributary states in orange. (from History of Taiwan)

On this day...

In the news

25 January 2026 – Skyscraper Live (2026): American climber Alex Honnold free-solo climbs the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan, setting the record for the highest free solo climb of an urban structure, after completing the 508 m (1,667 ft) climb during a livestreamed event. (AFP via The Sun) (Reuters)
19 January 2026 – Aging of China, Aging of South Korea: Reflecting a broader demographic decline across East Asia, the birth rate in China fell to 5.6 per 1,000 people last year, the lowest since records began in 1949, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, as similar downward trends persist in Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. (CNBC) (BBC News)
16 January 2026 – Taiwan–United States relations, Tariffs in the second Trump administration: Taiwan and the United States reach a trade agreement that would reduce U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods from 20% to 15% in return for promised Taiwanese investment in U.S. businesses. (AFP via France 24)
7 January 2026 – Cross-strait relations: China bans Taiwanese interior minister Liu Shyh-fang and education minister Cheng Ying-yao, along with their relatives, from entering the country, alleging their involvement in the Taiwan independence movement. (Reuters)
6 January 2026 – China–Japan relations: China tightens export controls on dual-use technology to Japan, banning shipments that could support the Japanese military, following diplomatic tensions over remarks related to Taiwan. (AFP via The Sun)

Topics

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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