Taiwan is a territory located in East Asia. Historically, Taiwan is considered an integral part of the People's Republic of China, despite high local political and economic autonomy. The Republic of Taiwan was founded through the exile of opponents of the Chinese Communist government.
Taiwan's geography is characterized by mountainous relief and tropical climate. Taiwan's territory is densely populated. The local economy is one of the most developed in the entire Asia. In Taiwan there is an excellent transport and communications infrastructure, great freedom of expression and a culture open to multiculturalism. The Republic of Taiwan is one of four Asian tigers.
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Summary about Taiwan
The Republic of Taiwan is a territory located in East Asia considered a rebel province by the China.
The occupation of the island was heavily influenced by the arrival of political exiles from China during the Chinese Civil War.
Currently, despite not being considered a country, Taiwan enjoys extensive political and economic autonomy.
Geographically, Taiwan is an insular territory, strongly marked by the presence of humidity typical of the tropical climate with oceanic influence.
The island of Taiwan is densely populated and has several cities with over 1 million inhabitants.
The Republic of Taiwan is one of the most developed and industrialized territories in the entire Asian continent.
The local infrastructure is marked by the daily use of various high-tech devices in the areas of transport and communications.
Taiwan's culture is characterized by wide cultural diversity and the hospitality of its inhabitants.
Is Taiwan a country?
The Republic of Taiwan is not considered a country, as it lacks recognition by the main international organizations, as well as by most countries of the globe. That territory is considered a province by China, that is, an integral part of Chinese territory, occupied by Chinese who fled the local communist government.
Even lacking international recognition, Taiwan has great autonomy in political and economic terms. The island also has very particular cultural characteristics and is considered a regional economic power. Furthermore, Taiwan counts on the support of important nations in geopolitical terms, with emphasis on the United States.
General information about Taiwan
Official name: Republic of Taiwan.
gentle: Taiwanese.
Territorial extension: 35,980 square kilometers.
Location: Eastern Asia.
capital: Taipei.
Climate: tropical.
Government: semi-presidential republic.
Language: mandarin.
religions: 35% — Buddhism, 33% — Taoism, 32% — others.
Population: 23,570,000 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 610 inhabitants/square kilometer.
ÍHuman Development Index (HDI): 0.907 (very high).
Coin: new Taiwan dollar.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 589 billion.
per capita GDP: $25,000.
Gini: 33%.
Timezone: UTC+8.
External relations: does not participate as an effective member of the main international organizations.
Administrative division: eight regions, namely:
Hoko |
taichu |
Takao |
Karenko |
Taito |
schinchiku |
taian |
Taihoku |
Taiwan history
The territory of the Republic of Taiwan is very old occupation. Its geographical location, at a crossing point for several commercial entourages, made it different economic agreements have been carried out by the nations, with emphasis on the Portuguese, British and Dutchmen.
THE island history has changed radically after Second World War, through Japan's defeat in World War II (1939-1945), a fact that caused China to annex the island of Taiwan and other smaller islands nearby.
After the Chinese Civil War, which lasted for much of the first half of the 20th century, Taiwan served as a refuge for Chinese fighters. called the Republic of China, which lost the civil war to the communists, who founded the People's Republic of China on the mainland. Therefore, Taiwan is historically a cradle of Chinese resistance in opposition to communist rule based in Beijing. Since then, Taiwan remains a territory dependent on China, but with broad political, economic and social autonomy.
Taiwan geography
O Taiwan territory is formed by a large island, called Ilha Formosa, in addition to several smaller islands. It is located in East Asia, more precisely on the southeastern coast of China, bathed by the East China, Philippine and South China Seas.
In geomorphological terms, Taiwan is a very mountainous island, with a record of large altitudes, in addition to the presence of small amounts of plateaus and plains. The local hydrography is formed by low-flowing rivers, with great influence of altitude and small extension.
In terms of climate, Taiwan has a tropical weather, with strong oceanic aspects, especially the influence of humidity. The occurrence of typhoons is very common in the country. At the highest points, the subtropical climate stands out. Taiwan's vegetation is formed by tropical forests.
Taiwan map
Taiwan Demographics
The Republic of Taiwan has about 23.5 million inhabitants. Therefore, this is a densely populated territory, with high rates of relative population in urban areas. The majority of Taiwan's population is made up of people of Chinese ethnic origin, as well as other important regional ethnic groups.
The local population has a consistent growth rate, in addition to high indicators in terms of Life expectancy and literacy rate. In general terms, Taiwanese enjoy a high standard of living, with the human development Index location is considered very high.
Taiwan's cities with more than 1 million inhabitants are: New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei, Taoyuan and Tainan.
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Taiwan economy
Taiwan's economy is highly developed and industrialized. The country is considered a regional economic power and has great prominence in the production of high technology goods. However, Taiwan is highly dependent on the importation of natural resources, as the country does not has important deposits and mineral resources and favorable geographic conditions for the development of agricultural.
O primary sector is the smallest in Taiwan, representing a small part of its economy, with emphasis on subsistence food production and fishing. The sectors secondary and tertiary are highly developed in Taiwan, especially due to the information and communication technology industries, with emphasis on the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic devices.
Taiwan infrastructure
The Republic of Taiwan is considered a highly developed territory. Therefore, It has a very modern infrastructure., highlighting the wide network of transport and island communications. The use of high-speed trains and the universalization of the internet are examples of the development of local structures.
In terms of services, Taiwan offers its population a quality structure in the areas of health and education. The island also stands out in the adoption of environmentally sustainable public policies and in the implementation of robust water treatment, sewage and garbage collection systems.
Taiwan government
The government of the Republic of Taiwan has great political independence, especially in relation to China, a country that considers the Taiwanese island part of its territory. The Republic of Taiwan has a democratic regime, based on a semi-presidential government freely elected by the population, through direct voting and the presence of several political parties. The island of Taiwan is a regional example when it comes to freedom of expression, respect for individual freedoms and the practice of democracy.
Taiwanese culture
Taiwanese culture is fruit ofThe influence of diverse Asian populations, especially the Chinese, with whom the Taiwanese have strong historical-cultural ties. The use of the Mandarin language and the presence of Eastern religions are examples of China's influence on Taiwan.
The island has a strong sense of nationalism and it has cultural aspects that are fundamental for its self-affirmation, among them painting, regional music and typical dances. The cuisine is based on the consumption of rice and the use of food from the sea. In sport, the practice of baseball and taekwondo stands out.
etymology of Taiwan
The term Taiwan, historically, it referred to an important sandbar located in the country's island territory, which served as a support point for the establishment of maritime trade. The importance of this trading point led to the entire island being called Taiwan.
It is important to note that Taiwan is also commonly called Ilha Formosa, a name resulting from the influence of Portugal in the region, which by through explorers, it explored an important part of the island, being described precisely as a very “beautiful” territory by the Portuguese.
Taiwan facts
The Republic of Taiwan, together with Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, is one of the four Asian Tigers.
In 2019, Taiwan pioneered the Asian regional context in approving same-sex marriage.
Taipei 101, located in the capital of Taiwan, was considered until 2007 the tallest building in the world.
Taiwan's cemeteries are considered tourist attractions because they have architecture typical of oriental religions.
image credits
[1] nambaman / shutterstock
By Mateus Campos
Geography teacher
