Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi) and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about 180 kilometres (112 mi) across the Taiwan Strait from the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The East China Sea is to the north of the island, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south, and the South China Sea to its southwest. The ROC also controls a number of smaller islands, including the Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, Kinmen and Matsu in Fuchien near the PRC's coast, as well as Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea.
The Taiwan blue magpie, also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie, or the "long-tailed mountain lady", is a bird species in the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan.
Several proposals for a flag of Taiwan have been initiated by supporters of the Taiwan independence movement to replace the flag of the Republic of China as the national flag flown over Taiwan. Supporters of the movement object to the use of the flag of the Republic of China since it was designed by and is closely associated with the Kuomintang. However, no single flag has been established as the symbol of the independence movement, and supporters of Taiwanese independence, such as the Democratic Progressive Party, have accepted the flag of the Republic of China for the time being and have not pushed for a new flag. The flag of the Republic of China in current use is defined in the 6th article of the Constitution, and amending the Constitution requires a referendum which would only succeed with wide political support. The Republic of China, originally based in mainland China, retreated to Taiwan in 1949 and established its capital in Taipei. The region, now commonly referred to as "Taiwan" in vernacular, retains its official name "Republic of China" and still officially claims territories governed by the People's Republic of China, just as the PRC claims all ROC territories.
The Formosan languages are a geographic grouping comprising the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, all of which are Austronesian. They do not form a single subfamily of Austronesian but rather up to nine separate primary subfamilies. The Taiwanese indigenous peoples recognized by the government are about 2.3% of the island's population. However, only 35% speak their ancestral language, due to centuries of language shift. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, at least ten are extinct, another four are moribund, and all others are to some degree endangered. They are national languages of Taiwan.
The sika deer, also known as the Northernspotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to the Russian Far East in the north, it was hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. Protection laws were enacted in the mid-20th century, leading to a rapid recovery of their population from the 1950s to the 1980s.
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 to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and colonial activities in East Asia.
Kenting National Park, commonly known as Kenting, is a national park located on the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan, covering Hengchun, Checheng, and Manzhou Townships. Established on 1 January 1984, it is Taiwan's oldest and the southernmost national park on the main island, covering the southernmost area of the Taiwan island along Bashi Channel. Administered by the National Park Service of the Ministry of the Interior, this national park is well known for its tropical climate and sunshine, scenic mountain and beach, the Spring Scream rock-band festival held in every March, and has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Taiwan with 5.84 million visitors in 2016.
The languages of Taiwan consist of several varieties of languages under the families of Austronesian languages and Sino-Tibetan languages. The Formosan languages, a geographically designated branch of Austronesian languages, have been spoken by the Taiwanese indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Owing to the wide internal variety of the Formosan languages, research on historical linguistics recognizes Taiwan as the Urheimat (homeland) of the whole Austronesian languages family. In the last 400 years, several waves of Han emigrations brought several different Sinitic languages into Taiwan. These languages include Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Mandarin, which have become the major languages spoken in present-day Taiwan.
The Taiwan Dog is a breed of small or medium dog indigenous to Taiwan. These dogs are also known as the Formosan Mountain Dog. They are well-adapted to the uneven and thickly forested terrain of Taiwan, having become a semi-wild breed prior to the arrival of several colonial reigns and foreign powers. Notwithstanding these adaptations, Formosans retained the potential to be trained and are now used as hunting dogs, guard dogs, stunt dogs, rescue dogs, or simply as companions. Formosans are classified into one medium type and two small types.
Beigan Township, is an insular rural township in Lienchiang County, Taiwan (ROC). The township is in the East China Sea off the coast of Fujian Province, China near Fuzhou (Foochow). Beigan Island, the main island of the township, is the second largest island in the Matsu Islands. Other smaller islands in the township include Daqiu Island, known for its Formosan sika deer, and Gaodeng Island and Liang Island which are off-limits to the public. The native language many of the inhabitants is Matsu dialect which is one of the statutory languages for public transport announcements in the Matsu Islands.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Taiwan:
The recordkeeping and development of the economic history of Taiwan started in the Age of Discovery. In the 17th century, the Europeans realized that Taiwan is located on the strategic cusp between the Far East and Southeast Asia. Two main European empires that competed to colonize it were the Dutch and Spanish Empires. Taiwan also became an intermediate destination for trade between Western European empires and East Asia states. The history of Taiwan as a colony of the Dutch Empire, Kingdom of Tungning, Qing China, and Empire of Japan between 1630 and 1945 was based heavily on economics.
A series of military actions and diplomatic moves were undertaken in 1635 and 1636 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Dutch-era Taiwan (Formosa) aimed at subduing hostile aboriginal villages in the southwestern region of the island. Prior to the campaign the Dutch had been in Formosa for eleven years, but did not control much of the island beyond their principal fortress at Tayouan, and an alliance with the town of Sinkan. The other aboriginal villages in the area conducted numerous attacks on the Dutch and their allies, with the chief belligerents being the village of Mattau, who in 1629 ambushed and slaughtered a group of sixty Dutch soldiers.
Han Taiwanese, Taiwanese Han, Taiwanese Han Chinese, or Han Chinese are Taiwanese people of full or partial ethnic Han ancestry. According to the Executive Yuan of Taiwan, they comprise 95 to 97 percent of the Taiwanese population, which also includes Austronesians and other non-Han people. Major waves of Han immigration occurred since the 17th century to the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949, with the exception of the Japanese colonial period (1895–1945). Han Taiwanese mainly speak three languages of Chinese: Mandarin, Hokkien and Hakka.
Gaodeng Island is an island in the East China Sea, part of Beigan Township, Lienchiang County, Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan). The island is closed to the public. Gaodeng is located 9.25 kilometres (5.75 mi) away from the Beijiao Peninsula in Lianjiang County, Fuzhou, Fujian, China (PRC). The island can be seen from the nearby Beigan Island and Daqiu Island.
Daqiu Island (Ta Chiu/Tachiu) (Chinese: 大坵島; pinyin: Dàqiū Dǎo; Wade–Giles: Ta4-chʻiu1 Tao3; Foochow Romanized: Duâi-kiŭ-dō̤) is an island in the East China Sea, part of Beigan Township, Lienchiang County (the Matsu Islands), Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan). The island has been uninhabited; it is open to the public. The smaller Xiaoqiu Island (小坵島) is located to the northeast of Daqiu Island.
The Fujian–Taiwan relations, also known as the Min–Tai relations, refers to the relationship between Fujian, which is located in mainland China, and Taiwan, which is across the Taiwan Strait. Since the average width of the Taiwan Strait is 180 kilometers, Fujian and Taiwan are adjacent, similar in both climate and environment. Although the relationship between Taiwan and Fujian has changed with the development of history, the two places have maintained close relations in terms of personnel, economy, military, culture and other aspects. At present, Taiwan residents are mostly descendants of immigrants from mainland China, of which the southern Fujian ethnic group is the main group, accounting for 73.5% of Taiwan's total population. In terms of culture, language, religion, and customs, Fujian and Taiwan also share similarities.
Piper kawakamii, also known as the Kawakamii pepper, is a species of flowering plant in the family Piperaceae. It is native to southern Taiwan and the northern Philippines. In Taiwan plant is mainly distributed in the Hengchun Peninsula. It was collected by Takiya Kawakami at the Kuraru Community, on July 2, 1906. In 1911, the plant was published by Bunzō Hayata as a new species. The type specimen of this plant is being preserved in the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan.and the Herbarium of Taiwan Forest Research Institute
Zhongzheng Mountain, originally named Mituo Mountain and also known as Shiba Fen Mountain or Daganlin Mountain, is a peak in the northern part of the Taipei Basin within the Datun Volcano Group in Taiwan. With an elevation of 646 meters, it is located in Beitou District, Taipei City, within the Yangmingshan National Park. Formed by volcanic rocks on the southern side of Mt. Datun, it is referred to as Maitreya Mountain by the abbot of Fahua Temple at the foot of the mountain.
Hengchun Peninsula is located in Pingtung County, Taiwan, and is named after Hengchun Township. It is the southernmost part of Taiwan. The Hengchun Peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides: the Taiwan Strait to the west, the Bashi Channel to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Only the northern end of the peninsula connects to the main island of Taiwan. Due to the maritime influence, the climate is moderated by the sea's moisture. The peninsula's terrain is mostly below 800 meters in height, a result of the steep descent from the Central Mountain Range, allowing sea breezes to pass through easily. These environmental factors distinguish it from the main island of Taiwan.
