"Formosa" redirects here. For other uses see Formosa (disambiguation). This article is about the island. For the state governing it which is also commonly called "Taiwan" see Republic of China. For other uses see Taiwan (disambiguation). This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support you may see question marks boxes or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Taiwan Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east with gently sloping plains in the west. The Penghu Islands are west of Taiwan. Geography Location Pacific Ocean 120 km (74.6 mi) off the coast of mainland China Coordinates 2346N 12100E / 23.767N 121E / 23.767; 121 Area 36008 km2 (13902.8 sq mi) Area rank 38th Highest elevation 3952 m (12966 ft) Highest point Yushan (Jade Mountain) Country  Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan) Capital city Taipei City Largest city New Taipei City  (pop. 39001991) Demographics Demonym Taiwanese Population 23061689 1 (as of April 2011 the population in Kinmen and Matsu Islands are not included) Density 668 /km2 (1730 /sq mi) Ethnic groups

98% Han23  70% Hoklo  14% Hakka  14% Waishengren4 2% Taiwanese aborigines5 Taiwan Chinese or Simplified Chinese Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Thi-vn Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Tiwn - WadeGiles T'ai-wan - Gwoyeu Romatzyh Tairuan - Bopomofo Min - Hokkien POJ Ti-on - Min-dong BUC Di-ung Wu - Romanization IPA: de u Cantonese - Jyutping Toi4 Waan1 Portuguese: (Ilha) Formosa Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese Literal meaning beautiful island Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin frmsh - Bopomofo Cantonese - Jyutping fuk1ji5mo1saa1

Taiwan (i /tawn/ ty-wahn)6 also known especially in the past as Formosa (from Portuguese: Ilha Formosa "Beautiful Island") is an island of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. As it comprises over 99% of the territory of the Republic of China (ROC) since 1950 the term "Taiwan" is thus also commonly used to refer to the ROC a case of pars pro toto.7

Separated from the Asian continent by the 160 km (99 mi) wide Taiwan Strait8 the main island of the group is 394 km (245 mi) long and 144 kilometres (89 mi) wide.9 To the northeast are the main islands of Japan and the East China Sea and the southern end of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan is directly to the east; the Batanes Islands of the Philippines lie to its south across the Bashi Channel. The mountainous island spans the Tropic of Cancer and is covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. Other minor islands and islets of the group include the Penghu Islands (Pescadores) Green Island and Orchid Island as well as the Diaoyutai Islands (Senkaku islands) which have been controlled by Japan since the 1970s.

Taiwan was ceded to the Empire of Japan by the Qing Empire in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. In 1945 Taiwan was freed from Japan as a result of World War II. Four years later the ROC lost mainland China in the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China and resettled its government to Taiwan. Taiwan composes the vast majority of the ROC's territory since 1950 and this is one of multiple reasons that the ROC is commonly known as "Taiwan". The political status of Taiwan is disputed because it is claimed by the People's Republic of China which was established in 1949 by the communists on mainland China and considers itself the successor state to the ROC.10 In fact since PRC's establishment it never controlled any of the territories the ROC government currently governs. Japan had originally acquired Taiwan from the Qing Empire in 1895 under Article 2 of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. At the end of World War II Japan renounced all claims to sovereignty over its former colonial possessions including Taiwan and Penghu (Pescadores)11 but did not specify to whom Taiwan and Penghu should be assigned. This fact and subsequent handling of Taiwan's sovereignty by the Allies of World War II led to the complex and unresolved issues of the legal and political status of Taiwan.

Taiwan's rapid economic growth in the decades after World War II has transformed it into an industrialized developed country and one of the Four Asian Tigers.12 This economic rise is known as the Taiwan Miracle. It is categorized as an advanced economy by the IMF and as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Its advanced technology industry plays a key role in the global economy.13 Taiwanese companies manufacture a large portion of the world's consumer electronics although most of them are now made in their factories in mainland China.14 Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Prehistory and early settlements 2.2 European settlement 2.3 Kingdom of Tungning 2.4 Qing Dynasty rule 2.5 Empire of Japan rule 2.6 Republic of China rule 2.6.1 Kuomintang Martial Law Era 2.6.2 Post-Martial Law 3 Geography 3.1 Geology 3.2 Climate 3.3 Environment and pollution 3.4 Natural resources 3.5 Energy resources 4 Demographics 4.1 Ethnic groups 4.2 Languages 4.3 Religion 5 Culture 5.1 Higher education 5.2 Sports 6 Economy 7 Political status 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links Etymology Further information: Etymology of the word "Taiwan"

There are various names of Taiwan in use today derived from explorers or rulers by each particular period. The former name "Formosa" means "beautiful" in Portuguese and was given to Taiwan by the Portuguese explorers when they sailed past in the 16th century.15 In the early 17th century when the Dutch East India Company came to build a commercial post at Fort Zeelandia (today's Tainan City) they allegedly adopted the name of an aboriginal tribe transliterated as "Tayouan" or "Teyowan" in their records.16 History Main articles: History of Taiwan and Timeline of Taiwanese history Prehistory and early settlements Main articles: Prehistory of Taiwan and Kingdom of Middag

Evidence of human settlement in Taiwan dates back 30000 years although the first inhabitants of Taiwan may have been genetically distinct from any groups currently on the island. About 4000 years ago ancestors of current Taiwanese aborigines settled in Taiwan. These aborigines are genetically related to Austronesian peoples and maternally to Polynesians and linguists classify their languages as Austronesian.17 It is thought likely that Polynesian ancestry may be traceable throughout Taiwan.

Disputed records from ancient China indicate that the Han Chinese might have known of the existence of the main island of Taiwan since the Three Kingdoms period (third century A.D. 230) having assigned offshore islands in the vicinity names like Greater Liuqiu and Lesser Liuqiu (etymologically but perhaps not semantically identical to Ryky in Japanese) though none of these names has been definitively matched to the main island of Taiwan. Han Chinese began settling in the Penghu islands in the 1200s but Taiwan's hostile tribes and its lack of the trade resources valued in that era rendered it unattractive to all but "occasional adventurers or fishermen engaging in barter" until the 16th century.18

Around 1540 Taiwan's main settlement was the Kingdom of Middag a kingdom or supra-tribal alliance located in the central western plains; a monarchy of which the capital was Middag. The city still exists today and is now known as Dadu. The origins of the name Middag are not documented but based on its ethymology may be attributed to an early Dutch settlement of the island (the name Middag still occurs as a family name in the Netherlands). During the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor of Qing later in that century the population in the traditional Middag territories rose to oppose heavy labor imposed by the Qing authorities and was brutally quelled by Qing troops and collaborative tribes in 1732 a year after the initial uprising. After this turmoil came to an end a supra-tribal leadership apparently ceased to exist in the island's central-western plains. In the aftermath of this the descendants of Middag either fused into the majority "Chinese" population through intermarriage or migrated to present-day Puli a basin township surrounded by high mountains in central Taiwan. European settlement Main articles: Dutch Formosa and Spanish Formosa 1600 drawing of Dutch ships in Taiwan. In 1544 with the Kingdom of Middag just being founded a Portuguese ship sighted the main island of Taiwan and named it Ilha Formosa which means "Beautiful Island". In 1624 the Dutch established a commercial base on Taiwan and began to import workers from Fujian and Penghu (Pescadores) as laborers many of whom settled. The Dutch made Taiwan a colony with its colonial capital at Tayoan City (present day Anping Tainan). Both Tayoan and the island name Taiwan derive from a word in Sirayan one of the Formosan languages. The Dutch military presence was concentrated at a stronghold called Castle Zeelandia.19 The Dutch colonists also started to hunt the native Formosan Sika deer (Cervus nippon taioanus) that inhabited Taiwan contributing to the eventual extinction of the subspecies on the island.20 However the subspecies was kept alive in captivity and subsequent reintroduction of the subspecies into the wild has been successful.21 Furthermore this contributed to the subsequent identification of native tribes. In 1626 the Spanish landed on and occupied northern Taiwan (Keelong and Tanshui) as a base to extend its commercial trading. This colonial period lasted 16 years until 1642. Kingdom of Tungning Main article: Kingdom of Tungning Chinese naval and troop forces of Southern Fujian defeated the Dutch in 1662 subsequently expelling the Dutch government and military from the island. They were led by Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong). Following the fall of the Ming Dynasty Koxinga retreated to Taiwan as a self-styled Ming loyalist and established the Kingdom of Tungning (16621683). Koxinga established his capital at Tainan and he and his heirs Zheng Jing who ruled from 1662 to 1682 and Zheng Keshuang who served less than a year continued to launch raids on the south-east coast of mainland China well into the Qing Dynasty attempting to recapture mainland China. Qing Dynasty rule Main article: Taiwan under Qing Dynasty rule In 1683 following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang of Southern Fujian the Qing formally annexed Taiwan placing it under the jurisdiction of Fujian province. The Qing imperial government tried to reduce piracy and vagrancy in the area issuing a series of edicts to manage immigration and respect aboriginal land rights. Immigrants mostly from Southern Fujian continued to enter Taiwan. The border between taxpaying lands and "savage" lands shifted eastward with some aborigines 'Sinicizing' while others retreated into the mountains. During this time there were a number of conflicts between Chinese from different regions of Southern Fujian and between Southern Fujian Chinese and aborigines. Northern Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were the scene of an important subsidiary campaign in the Sino-French War (August 1884 to April 1885). The French occupied Keelung from 1 October 1884 to 22 June 1885 and the Penghu Islands from 31 March to 22 July 1885. A French attempt to capture Tamsui was defeated at the Battle of Tamsui (8 October 1884). Several battles were fought around Keelung between October 1884 and March 1885 between Liu Ming-ch'uan's Army of Northern Taiwan and Colonel Jacques Duchesne's Formosa Expeditionary Corps. The Keelung Campaign despite some notable French tactical victories ended in a stalemate. The Pescadores Campaign was a French victory but had no long-term consequences. The French evacuated both Keelung and the Penghu archipelago at the end of the war. In 1885 the Qing upgraded Taiwan's status from prefecture of Fujian to full province the twentieth in the empire with its capital at Taipei. This was accompanied by a modernization drive that included building Taiwan's first railroad and starting a postal service.22 Empire of Japan rule Main articles: Taiwan under Japanese rule and Republic of Formosa The building currently known as the ROC Presidential Office was originally built as the Office of the Governor-General by the Japanese government. Japan had sought to control Taiwan since 1592 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi began extending Japanese influence overseas. In 1609 the Tokugawa Shogunate sent Arima Harunobu on an exploratory mission. In 1616 Murayama Toan led an unsuccessful invasion of the island. In 1871 an Okinawan vessel shipwrecked on the southern tip of Taiwan and the crew of fifty-four was beheaded by the Paiwan aborigines. The Ryky Kingdom kept a tributary relationship with Great Qing Empire at the same time was subordinate to Satsuma Domain of Japan. When Japan sought compensation from Qing China it was first rejected because Qing considered the incident an internal affair since Taiwan was a prefecture of Fujian Province of Qing and the Ryky Kingdom was a tributary of Qing. When Japanese foreign minister Soejima Taneomi asked the compensation again claiming four of the victims were Japanese citizens from Okayama prefecture of Japan Qing officials rejected the demand on the grounds that the "wild" and "unsubjugated" aboriginals (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Tiwn shngfn) were outside its jurisdiction. Such aboriginals were treated extremely harshly; American consul J.W. Davidson described how the Chinese in Taiwan ate and traded in their aboriginal victims' flesh.23 The open renunciation of sovereignty led to a Japanese invasion of Taiwan. In 1874 an expeditionary force of three thousand troops was sent to the island. There were about thirty Taiwanese and 543 Japanese casualties (twelve in battle and 531 by endemic diseases for the Japanese side).24 25 2627 Japanese Soldiers Entering Taipei City in 1895 after the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Qing Dynasty was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War (18941895) and Taiwan and Penghu were ceded in full sovereignty to the Empire of Japan. Inhabitants wishing to remain Qing subjects were given a two-year grace period to sell their property and move to mainland China. Very few Taiwanese saw this as feasible.28 On 25 May 1895 a group of pro-Qing high officials proclaimed the Republic of Formosa to resist impending Japanese rule. Japanese forces entered the capital at Tainan and quelled this resistance on 21 October 1895.citation needed The Japanese rulers were instrumental in the industrialization of the island; they extended the railroads and other transportation networks built an extensive sanitation system and revised the public school system. During this period both rice and sugarcane production greatly increased. By 1939 Taiwan was the seventh greatest sugar producer in the world.29 Still the Taiwanese and Aborigines were classified as second- and third-class citizens. Large-scale violence continued in the first decade of rule. Japan launched over 160 battles to destroy Taiwan's aboriginal tribes during its 51-year rule of the island ...'30 Around 1935 the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project to bind the island more firmly to the Japanese Empire and people were taught to see themselves as Japanese. During World War II tens of thousands of Taiwanese served in the Japanese military.31 For example former ROC President Lee Teng-hui's elder brother served in the Japanese navy and died while on duty in the Philippines in February 1945. The Imperial Japanese Navy operated heavily out of Taiwan. The "South Strike Group" was based out of the Taihoku Imperial University in Taiwan. Many of the Japanese forces participating in the Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa were based in Taiwan. Important Japanese military bases and industrial centers throughout Taiwan like Kaohsiung were targets of heavy American bombing.32 Taiwan under Empire of Japan rule ended after it lost World War II and signed the Instrument of Surrender of Japan on 14 August 1945. But the Japanese rule had long lasting effects on Taiwan. Education became compulsory for school age children. Significant parts of Taiwanese infrastructure were started under the Japanese rule. The current Presidential Building was also built during that time. In 1938 there were 309000 Japanese settlers in Taiwan.33 After World War II most of the Japanese were repatriated to Japan. Republic of China rule Main article: Taiwan after World War II Kuomintang Martial Law Era Main article: White Terror (Taiwan) The Cairo Conference from 22 to 26 November 1943 in Cairo Egypt was held to address the Allied position against Japan during World War II and to make decisions about postwar Asia. One of the three main clauses of the Cairo Declaration was that "all the territories Japan has stolen from China including Manchuria Taiwan and the Pescadores shall be restored to the Republic of China'. However many challenged that the document was merely a statement of intent for possible reference used for those who would draft the post-war peace treaty and that it was a press release without force of law to transfer sovereignty from Taiwan to the Republic of China. The general counter-argument for this claim is that while the Cairo Declaration itself was a non-binding declaration it was given legal effect by the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. On 25 October 1945 the US Navy ferried ROC troops to Taiwan in order to accept the formal surrender of Japanese military forces in Taipei (then called Taihoku). General Rikichi And governor-general of Taiwan and commander-in-chief of all Japanese forces on the island signed the instrument of surrender and handed it over to General Chen Yi of the RoC military to complete the official turnover. Chen Yi proclaimed that day to be "Retrocession Day of Taiwan". The ROC administration of Taiwan under Chen Yi was strained by social and political instabilities which were compounded by economic woes such as hyperinflation. Furthermore cultural and linguistic conflicts between Taiwanese and the mainland Chinese quickly led to the loss of popular support for the new government.34 This culminated in a series of severe clashes between the ROC occupiers and the Taiwanese in turn leading to the 228 incident (an estimated 20000-30000 civilians were executed by the ROC Army) and the reign of White Terror.35 During the White Terror a period of the longest martial law in the world over 38 years was imposed and many many thousands of Taiwanese were arrested tortured imprisoned and executed for their real or perceived opposition to the Kuomintang Party. Since these people were mainly from the intellectual and social elite an entire generation of political and social leaders was decimated. It was not until 2008 that a public apology was made for those actions. No form of restitution or compensation has ever been made (as of 2010).36 In 1949 during the Chinese Civil War the ROC government led by President Chiang Kai-shek retreated from Nanjing (then romanised as "Nanking") to Taipei Taiwan's largest city. The ROC continued to claim sovereignty over all "China" which the ROC defines to include mainland China Taiwan Outer Mongolia and other areas. The only remaining portions of territory besides Taiwan under ROC control are the Kinmen Matsu Islands and two major islands of Dongsha Islands and Nansha Islands. In mainland China the victorious Communists established the PRC claiming to be the sole and only China (which they claimed included Taiwan) and the ROC no longer existed.37 However since PRC's establishment it never controlled any of the territories the ROC government currently governs. Some 2 million people consisting mainly of soldiers Kuomintang party (KMT Chinese Nationalist Party) members and most importantly the intellectual and business elites were evacuated from mainland China and arrived in Taiwan around that time. In addition as part of its escape from Communists in mainland China the ROC government relocated to Taipei with many national treasures including gold reserves and foreign currency reserves.38 From this period through the 1980s Taiwan was governed in a state of Martial Law. Little to no distinction was made between the government and the Nationalist party with public property government property and party property being largely interchangeable. Government workers and party members were mostly indistinguishable with many government workers required to become KMT members and party workers paid salaries and promised retirement benefits along the lines of government employees. In addition the creation of other parties was outlawed and many political opponents were persecuted and incarcerated.citation needed The ROC remained a de facto one-party state under martial law under the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion" from 1948 to 1987 when the ROC Presidents Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui gradually liberalized and democratized the system. With the advent of democratization the issue of the political status of Taiwan has resurfaced as a controversial issue (previously discussion of anything other than unification under the ROC was taboo). As the Chinese Civil War continued without truce the ROC built up military fortifications throughout Taiwan. Within this effort former KMT soldiers built the now famous Central Cross-Island Highway through the Taroko Gorge in the 1950s. The two sides would continue to engage in sporadic military clashes with seldom publicized details well into the 1960s on the nearby islands with an unknown number of night raids. During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in September 1958 Taiwan's landscape saw Nike-Hercules missile batteries added with the formation of the 1st Missile Battalion Chinese Army that would not be deactivated until 1997. Newer generations of missile batteries have since replaced the Nike Hercules systems throughout the island. During the 1960s and 1970s Taiwan began to develop into a prosperous industrialized developed country with a strong and dynamic economy becoming one of the Four Asian Tigers while maintaining martial law and under the KMT monopoly. Because of the Cold War most Western nations and the United Nations regarded the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China until the 1970s when most nations began switching recognition to the PRC (see United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758). Post-Martial Law Main article: History of Taiwan#Democratic reforms Chiang Kai-shek's eventual successor his son Chiang Ching-kuo began to liberalize the ROC's political system in mid-1980s. In 1984 the younger Chiang selected Lee Teng-hui an ethnically Taiwanese and U.S.-educated technocrat to be his vice president. In 1986 the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was formed and inaugurated as the first opposition party in Taiwan to counter the KMT. A year later Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law. After the death of Chiang Ching-Kuo in January 1988 Dr. Lee Teng-hui succeed as President and became the first ethnically Taiwanese president of the ROC. Lee continued to democratize the government and decrease the concentration of government authority in the hands of mainland Chinese. Under Lee Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint in contrast to earlier KMT policies which had promoted a Chinese identity. Lee's reforms included printing banknotes from the Central Bank rather than the Provincial Bank of Taiwan and streamlining the Taiwan Provincial Government with most of its functions transferred to the Executive Yuan. Under Lee the original members of the Legislative Yuan and National Assembly elected in 1947 to represent mainland Chinese constituencies and having taken the seats without re-election for more than four decades were forced to resign in 1991. The previously nominal representation in the Legislative Yuan was brought to an end to reflect the reality that the ROC government had no jurisdiction over mainland China and vice versa. Restrictions on the use of Taiwanese Hokkien in the broadcast media and in schools were lifted as well. During later years of Lee's administration he was involved in corruption controversies relating to government release of land and weapons purchase although no legal proceedings commenced. In the 1990s the ROC continued its democratic reforms as President Lee Teng-hui was elected by the first popular vote held in the ROC during the 1996 Presidential election. In 2000 Chen Shui-bian of the DPP was elected as the first non-KMT President and was re-elected to serve his second and last term since 2004. Polarized politics has emerged in Taiwan with the formation of the Pan-Blue Coalition of parties led by the KMT favoring eventual Chinese reunification and the Pan-Green Coalition of parties led by the DPP favoring an eventual and official declaration of Taiwan independence. On 30 September 2007 the ruling Democratic Progressive Party approved a resolution asserting separate identity from China and called for the enactment of a new constitution for a "normal country". It also called for general use of "Taiwan" as the island's name without abolishing its formal name the Republic of China.39 The Chen administration also pushed for referendums on national defense and UN entry in the 2004 and 2008 elections which failed due to voter turnout below the required legal threshold of 50% of all registered voters.40 The Chen administration was dogged by public concerns over reduced economic growth legislative gridlock due to a pan-blue opposition controlled Legislative Yuan and corruption involving the First Family as well as government officials.4142 The KMT increased its majority in the Legislative Yuan in the January 2008 legislative elections while its nominee Ma Ying-jeou went on to win the presidency in March of the same year campaigning on a platform of increased economic growth and better ties with the PRC under a policy of "mutual nondenial".40 Ma took office on 20 May 2008. Part of the rationale for campaigning for closer economic ties with the PRC stem from the strong economic growth China attained since joining the World Trade Organization. However some analysts say that despite the election of Ma Ying-jeou the diplomatic and military tensions with the PRC have not been reduced.43 Geography Main article: Geography of Taiwan See also: Administrative divisions of the Republic of China and List of islands of the Republic of China#Taiwan Map of Taiwan Landscape of Taiwan. The island of Taiwan lies some 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of China across the Taiwan Strait and has an area of 35881 km2 (13853.7 sq mi). If included the Penghu Islands which is now a nominal county under the Taiwan Province administered by the Executive Yuan Taiwan's area is 36008 km2 (13902.8 sq mi).1 The East China Sea lies to the north the Philippine Sea to the east the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island and the flat to gently rolling Chianan Plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan at 3952 meters and there are five other peaks over 3500 meters. This makes it the world's fourth-highest island.44 Taroko National Park located on the mountainous eastern side of the island has good examples of mountainous terrain gorges and erosion caused by a swiftly flowing river. The shape of the main island of Taiwan is similar to a sweet potato seen in a south-to-north direction and therefore Taiwanese especially the Min-nan division often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato."45 There are also other interpretations of the island shape one of which is a whale in the ocean (the Pacific Ocean) if viewed in a west-to-east direction which is a common orientation in ancient maps plotted either by Western explorers or the Great Qing. Geology Dabajian Mountain. Main article: Geology of Taiwan The island of Taiwan lies in a complex tectonic area between the Yangtze Plate to the west and north the Okinawa Plate on the north-east and the Philippine Mobile Belt on the east and south. The upper part of the crust on the island is primarily made up of a series of terranes mostly old island arcs which have been forced together by the collision of the forerunners of the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. These have been further uplifted as a result of the detachment of a portion of the Eurasian Plate as it was subducted beneath remnants of the Philippine Sea Plate a process which left the crust under Taiwan more buoyant.46 The east and south of Taiwan are a complex system of belts formed by and part of the zone of active collision between the North Luzon Trough portion of the Luzon Volcanic Arc and South China where accreted portions of the Luzon Arc and Luzon forearc form the eastern Coastal Range and parallel inland Longitudinal Valley of Taiwan respectively.47 The major seismic faults in Taiwan correspond to the various suture zones between the various terranes. These have produced major quakes throughout the history of the island. On 21 September 1999 a 7.3 quake known as the "921 earthquake" occurred. The seismic hazard map for Taiwan by the USGS shows 9/10 of the island as the highest rating (most hazardous).48 On 4 March 2010 at about 01:20 UTC a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit southern Taiwan.49 Climate Siouguluan River Taiwan lies on the Tropic of Cancer. It's southern tip lies about 10 miles further north than Oahu Hawaii and roughly 25 miles further north than Cancun Mexico. It's climate is marine tropical.50 The northern part of the island has a rainy season that lasts from January through late March during the northeast monsoon and experiences meiyu in May.51 The entire island experiences hot humid weather from June through September. The middle and southern parts of the island do not have an extended monsoon season during the winter months. Natural hazards such as typhoons and earthquakes52 are common in the region. Taiwan is a center of bird endemism; see Endemic birds of Taiwan for further information. Environment and pollution Scooters are a very common means of transportation in Taiwan and contribute to urban air pollution. With its high population density and many factories some areas in Taiwan suffer from heavy pollution. Most notable are the southern suburbs of Taipei and the western stretch from Tainan to Lin Yuan south of Kaohsiung. In the past Taipei suffered from extensive vehicle and factory air pollution but with mandatory use of unleaded petrol and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency the air quality of Taiwan has improved dramatically.53 Motor scooters especially older or cheaper two-stroke versions which are ubiquitous in Taiwan also contribute disproportionately to urban air pollution.5455 Natural resources Because of the intensive exploitation throughout Taiwan's pre-modern and modern history the island's mineral resources (e.g. coal gold marble) as well as wild animal reserves (e.g. deer) have been virtually exhausted. Moreover much of its forestry resources especially firs were harvested during Japanese rule for the construction of shrines and have only recovered slightly since then. To this day forests do not contribute to significant timber production mainly because of concerns about production costs and environmental regulations. Camphor extraction and sugarcane refining played an important role in Taiwan's exportation from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. The importance of the above industries subsequently declined not because of the exhaustion of related natural resources but mainly of the decline of international market demands. Nowadays few natural resources with significant economic value are retained in Taiwan which are essentially agriculture-associated. Domestic agriculture (rice being the dominant kind of crop) and fisheries retain importance to a certain degree but they have been greatly challenged by foreign imports since Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. Consequently upon the decline of subsistent importance Taiwan's agriculture now relies heavily on the marketing and exportation of certain kinds of specialty fruits such as banana guava lychee wax apple and high-mountain tea. Energy resources See also: Energy in Taiwan Wind power in Taichung Taiwan has significant coal deposits and some insignificant petroleum and natural gas deposits. Electrical power generation is nearly 55% coal-based 18% nuclear power 17% natural gas 5% oil and 5% from renewable energy sources. Nearly all oil and gas for transportation and power needs must be imported making Taiwan particularly sensitive to fluctuations in energy prices. Because of this Taiwan's Executive Yuan is pushing for 10% of energy generation to come from renewable energy by 2010 double from the current figure of approximately 5%. In fact several wind farms built by American and German companies have come online or will in the near future. Taiwan is rich in wind energy resources with wind farms both onshore and offshore though limited land area favors offshore wind resources. Solar energy is also a potential resource to some extent. By promoting renewable energy Taiwan's government hopes to also aid the nascent renewable energy manufacturing industry and develop it into an export market. Demographics Main article: Demographics of Taiwan Ethnic groups Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress. Main articles: Taiwanese aborigines and Taiwanese people Taiwan's population was estimated in 2011 at 23.2 million most of whom are on the island of Taiwan. About 98% of the population is of Han Chinese ethnicity. Of these 86% are descendants of early Han Chinese immigrants known as the "benshengren" (Chinese: ; pinyin: Bnshng rn; literally "home-province person") in Chinese. This group is often referred to "native Taiwanese" in English while the Taiwanese aborigines are also considered as "native Taiwanese" frequently. The benshengren group contains two subgroups: the Hoklo people (70% of the total population) whose ancestors migrated from the coastal Southern Fujian (Min-nan) region in the southeast of mainland China starting in the 17th century; and the Hakka (15% of the total population) whose ancestors originally migrated south to Guangdong its surrounding areas and Taiwan. Some of the benshengren do not often speak Mandarin but instead use their mother tongues such as Taiwanese or Hakka. 12% of population are known as waishengren (Chinese: ; pinyin: Wishng rn; literally "out-of-province person") composed of people who (or whose ancestors) emigrated from mainland China after the Chinese Civil War with the KMT government. Most Waishengren speak primarily Mandarin. The other 2% of Taiwan's population numbering about 458000 are listed as the Taiwanese aborigines divided into 13 major groups: Ami Atayal Paiwan Bunun Rukai Puyuma Tsou Saisiyat Tao (Yami) Thao Kavalan Truku and Sakizaya.56 For sociologists these ethnic classifications are a social construct the contestation and compromise between political forces. Sociology scholar Wang Fu-chang writes in his book that Minnanren (Hoklo people) Hakka Waishengren and indigenous peoples are social categories that have developed over the last fifty years.57 Languages Main article: Languages of Taiwan Mandarin is officially recognized by the Republic of China as the national language and is spoken by the vast majority of residents. About 70% of the people in Taiwan belong to the Hoklo ethnic group and speak both Taiwanese (a variant of Min Nan) as their mother tongue and Mandarin. Mandarin has been the primary language of instruction in schools since the Japanese were forced out in the 1940s. The Hakka ethnic group comprising around 15% of the population use the Hakka language. Taiwan's aboriginal minority groups mostly speak their own native languages although most also speak Mandarin. The aboriginal languages do not belong to the Chinese or Sino-Tibetan language family but rather to the Austronesian language family. Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio non-Mandarin languages or dialects have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan particularly since the 1990s after restrictions on their use were lifted. A large proportion of the population can speak Taiwanese and many others have some degree of understanding. People educated during the period of Japanese rule (18951945) were taught using Japanese as the medium of instruction. A declining number of persons in the older generations only speak the Japanese they learned in school and the Taiwanese they spoke at home and understand little or no Mandarin. Religion Main article: Religion in Taiwan Confucius temple at Lotus Lake in Kaohsiung The Constitution of the Republic of China protects people's freedom of religion and the practices of belief. Over 93% of Taiwanese are adherents of a combination of the polytheistic ancient Chinese religion Buddhism Confucianism and Taoism; 4.5% are adherents of Christianity which includes Protestants Catholics and other non-denominational Christian groups; and less than 2.5% are adherents of other religions such as Islam. Taiwanese aborigines comprise a notable subgroup among professing Christians: "...over 64 percent identify as Christian... Church buildings are the most obvious markers of Aboriginal villages distinguishing them from Taiwanese or Hakka villages."58 Confucianism is a philosophy that deals with secular moral ethics and serves as the foundation of both Chinese and Taiwanese culture. The majority of Taiwanese people usually combine the secular moral teachings of Confucianism with whatever religions they are affiliated with. One especially important goddess for Taiwanese people is Matsu who symbolizes the seafaring spirit of Taiwan's ancestors from Fujian and Guangdong. As of 2009 there are 14993 temples in Taiwan approximately one place of worship per 1500 residents. 9202 of those temples were dedicated to Taoism. In 2008 Taiwan had 3262 Churches an increase of 145.59 Culture Main article: Culture of Taiwan See also: Literature of Taiwan Cultural history of Taiwan Music of Taiwan and Cinema of Taiwan The National Palace Museum in Taipei has over 655283 items in its vaults ranking it as one of the world's top five museums.60 Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert Hall Taipei 101 at night Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building from its opening in 2004 until 2010. The cultures of Taiwan are a hybrid blend of various sources incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture attributable to the historical and ancestry origin of the majority of its current residents Japanese culture traditional Confucianist beliefs and increasingly Western values. After their move to Taiwan the Kuomintang imposed an official interpretation of traditional Chinese culture over Taiwanese cultures. The government launched a program promoting Chinese calligraphy traditional Chinese painting folk art and Chinese opera. Since the Taiwan localization movement of the 1990s Taiwan's cultural identity has enjoyed greater expression. Identity politics along with the over one hundred years of political separation from mainland China has led to distinct traditions in many areas including cuisine and music. The status of Taiwanese culture is debated. It is disputed whether Taiwanese culture is a regional form of Chinese culture or a distinct culture. Speaking Taiwanese as a symbol of the localization movement has become an emblem of Taiwanese identity. One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the National Palace Museum which houses more than 650000 pieces of Chinese bronze jade calligraphy painting and porcelain and is considered one of the greatest collection of Chinese art and objects in the world.61 The KMT moved this collection from the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1949 when it fled to Taiwan. The collection estimated to be one-tenth of China's cultural treasures is so extensive that only 1% is on display at any time. The PRC had said that the collection was stolen and that it legitimately belongs in China but Taiwan has long defended its collection as a necessary act to protect the pieces from destruction especially during the Cultural Revolution. Relations regarding this treasure have warmed recently as each side has agreed to lend relics to the other; Beijing Palace Museum Curator Zheng Xinmiao said that artifacts in both Chinese and Taiwanese museums are "China's cultural heritage jointly owned by people across the Taiwan Strait."62 Popular sports in Taiwan include basketball and baseball. Taiwan is also a major Asian country for Korfball. In 2008 Taiwan hosted the World Youth Korfball Championship and took the silver medal.63 In 2009 Taiwan's korfball team won a bronze medal at the World Game.64 International Community Radio Taipei is the most listened to International Radio Media in Taiwan.citation needed Karaoke drawn from contemporary Japanese culture is extremely popular in Taiwan where it is known as KTV. KTV businesses operate in a hotel-like style renting out small rooms and ballrooms varying on the number of guests in a group. Many KTV establishments partner with restaurants and buffets to form all-encompassing elaborate evening affairs for families friends or businessmen. Tour buses that travel around Taiwan have several TV's equipped not for watching movies but primarily for singing Karaoke. The entertainment counterpart of a KTV is an MTV being found much less frequently out of the city. There movies out on DVD can be selected and played in a private theater room. However MTV more so than KTV has a growing reputation for being a place that young couples will go to be alone and intimate. Taiwan has a high density of 24-hour convenience stores which in addition to the usual services provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies such as collection of parking fees utility bills traffic violation fines and credit card payments.65 They also provide a service for mailing packages. Taiwanese culture has also influenced other cultures. Bubble tea and milk tea are available in Singapore Malaysia Australia Europe and North America. Taiwan television shows are popular in Singapore Malaysia and other Asian countries. Taiwanese films have won various international awards at film festivals around the world. Ang Lee a Taiwanese director has directed critically acclaimed films such as: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; Eat Drink Man Woman; Sense and Sensibility; Brokeback Mountain; and Lust Caution. Other famous Taiwanese directors include Tsai Ming-Liang Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien. Higher education Main article: Education in Taiwan Taiwan has several major public universities including: National Taiwan University National Chiao Tung University National Taiwan Normal University National Tsing Hua University National Chengchi University National Cheng Kung University National Yang Ming University National Taipei University National Central University National Sun Yat-sen University National Chung Cheng University National Chung Hsing University Taipei National University of the Arts National Taiwan University of Science and Technology National Taipei University of Technology and National Kaohsiung Normal University. The more notable private universities in Taiwan include: Soo Chow University Fu Jen Catholic University Chang Gung University Tamkang University Tunghai University Yuan Ze University Tzu Chi University Ming Chuan University Chinese Culture University and Shih Hsin University. Sports Main article: Sport in Taiwan Baseball is Taiwan's national sport and it is a popular spectator sport. One of the most famous Taiwanese baseball pitchers is Chien-Ming Wang who is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Other notable players playing in the United States include Chin-hui Tsao who played for the Colorado Rockies (20032005) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2007) Hong-Chih Kuo Fu-Te Ni and Chin-lung Hu. The Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan was established in 198966 and eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003. As of 2008update the CPBL has four teams with average attendance of approximately 3000 per game. Besides baseball taekwondo has become a rather mature and successful sport in recent years. In the 2004 Olympics Mu Yen Chu and Shih Hsin Chen proudly won the first two gold medals in men's flyweight event and women's flyweight event respectively. Ever since the 2004 Olympics Taiwan's taekwondo potential has become extremely prominent. Subsequent taekwondo competitors such as Shu Chun Yang successfully consolidated Taiwan's taekwondo culture. In 2009 Taiwan hosted two international sporting events on the island. The World Games 2009 were held in Kaohsiung City between 16 July and 26 July 2009. Taipei City hosted the 21st Summer Deaflympics in September of the same year. Economy Main articles: Economy of Taiwan and Economic history of Taiwan Taipei 101 is a symbol of the success of the Taiwanese economy. Taiwan High Speed Rail with trains running at above 300 km/h links Taipei and the southern port city of Kaohsiung in just 90 minutes. Taiwan's quick industrialization and rapid growth during the latter half of the 20th century has been called the "Taiwan Miracle" () or "Taiwan Economic Miracle". As Taiwan has developed alongside Singapore South Korea and Hong Kong they are collectively known as the "Four Asian Dragons" (or "Four Asian Tigers"). Japanese rule prior to and during World War II brought changes in the public and private sectors most notably in the area of public works which enabled rapid communications and facilitated transport throughout much of the island. The Japanese also improved public education and made it compulsory for all Taiwanese citizens. When the KMT government fled to Taiwan it brought millions of taels of gold and the foreign currency reserve of mainland China to the island which according to the KMT stabilized prices and reduced hyperinflation.67 Perhaps more importantly as part of its retreat to Taiwan the KMT brought the intellectual and business elites from mainland China.68 The KMT government instituted many laws and land reforms that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. The government also implemented a policy of import-substitution attempting to produce imported goods domestically. Much of this was made possible through US economic aid subsidizing the higher cost of domestic production. In 1962 Taiwan had a per-capita gross national product (GNP) of $170 placing its economy on a par with those of Zaire and Congo. By 2008 per-capita GNP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) had risen to $33000 contributing to a Human Development Index equivalent to that of other developed countries. Taiwan's HDI in 2007 is 0943 (25th very high)69 and stands at 0868 in 2010 (18e very high) according to the UN's new calculating method ("Inequality-adjusted HDI"). Today Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist export-driven economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade. Some large government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Real annual growth in GDP has averaged about eight percent during the past three decades. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial and foreign reserves are the world's fifth largest as of 31 December 2007.70 Taiwans total trade in 2010 reached an all-time high of US$526.04 billion according to Taiwan's Ministry of Finance. Both exports and imports for the year reached record levels totaling US$274.64 billion and US$251.4 billion respectively.71 Agriculture constitutes only two percent of the GDP down from 35 percent in 1952. Since the 1980s traditional labor-intensive industries have steadily been moved offshore and with capital and technology-intensive industries replacing them. High-technology industrial parks have sprung up in every region in Taiwan. Taiwan has become a major foreign investor in mainland China Thailand Indonesia the Philippines Malaysia and Vietnam. As of the end of 2003 it is estimated that some 50000 Taiwanese businesses and 1000000 businesspeople and their dependents are established in the PRC.72 Because of its conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial strengths Taiwan suffered little compared with many of its neighbors from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.citation needed Unlike its neighbors South Korea and Japan the Taiwanese economy is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses rather than large business groups. The global economic downturn however combined with increasing bad debts in the banking system pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001 the first whole year of negative growth since 1947. Due to the relocation of many manufacturing and labor-intensive industries to mainland China unemployment also reached a level not seen since the 1973 oil crisis. This became a major issue in the 2004 presidential election. Growth averaged more than 4% in the 20022006 period and the unemployment rate fell below 4%. Since the global financial crisis starting with United States in 2007 the unemployment rate has risen to over 5.9% and Economic Growth fallen to -2.9%.citation needed However Taiwan managed to move out of the crisis in very good shape. In 2010 economic growth topped 10% the highest rate in almost 30 years; international trade jumped more than 39% to US$526.04 billion; and the job market has turned a rosy picture with most businesses set to recruit. As a result IMF estimated Taiwan's 2010 GDP-PPP at over US$34700 surpassing that of Finland France and Japan all at once. Leading technologies of Taiwan include: Bicycle manufacturing ex: Giant Bicycles Merida Biotechnology Nanotechnology Communication & Network ex: D-Link Laptops and other computers and displays ex: Acer Asus BenQ Shipping ex: Evergreen Semiconductor device fabrication TSMC Smartphones ex: HTC TFT-LCD ex: Chimei InnoLux Corporation AU Optronics Photovoltaic industry LED Political status Main articles: Political status of Taiwan and Legal status of Taiwan See also: Republic of China and Cross-Strait relations See also Taiwan portal Republic of China portal Main article: Outline of Taiwan Index of Taiwan-related articles List of airlines of Taiwan List of companies of Taiwan List of Taiwan-related topics List of Taiwanese counties and cities by population References a b c Monthly Bulletin of Interior Statistics 2011.4 Department of Statistics Ministry of the Interior Taiwan/R.O.C. "The Republic of China Yearbook 2009 / Chapter 2: People and Language". Gio.gov.tw. http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/ch02.html. Retrieved 1 August 2010. dead link Taiwan entry at The World Factbook Waishengren usually refers to people who moved from mainland China to Taiwan after 1949 when the KMT retreated to Taiwan due to the Chinese Civil War and to their descendants born in Taiwan. It usually does not include citizens of the People's Republic of China who more recently moved to Taiwan. Taiwanese Aborigines are officially categorised into 14 separate ethnic groups by the Republic of China. They have all been grouped into one group here for simplicity. For the entire list of groups see List of ethnic groups in Taiwan Historically Taiwan has also been called in traditional Chinese: / / / / / "Country Profile:Taiwan". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/countryprofiles/1285915.stm. Retrieved 2 September 2009.  "Sea Surface Observation in the Taiwan Strait Using Satellite Imager from HRPT Station". Environmental Protection Agency Republic of China. http://ivy3.epa.gov.tw/OMISAR/Data/OMISAR/wksp.mtg/WOM9/01-1445Kuorev.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-23.  "Outline". National Statistics Republic of China (Taiwan). http://eng.stat.gov.tw/ct.aspxItem5066&CtNode2200&mp5. Retrieved 2011-01-23.  "The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue". Taiwan Affairs Office and the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. 21 February 2000. http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asptableWhitePaper&titleWhite%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&mid4. Retrieved 2 August 2008. dead link "FOCUS: Taiwan-Japan ties back on shaky ground as Taipei snubs Tokyo envoy". Kyodo News. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.phpstoryid453676. Retrieved 14 January 2010.  "World Economic Outlook". International Monetary Fund. 8 October 2008. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/groups.htm#ae. Retrieved 1 August 2010.  Einhorn Bruce (16 May 2005). "Why Taiwan Matters". BusinessWeek (New York). http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/0520/b3933011.htm.  "Slideshow: Taiwan's Tech Clout". BusinessWeek. 16 May 2005. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/05/taiwanindustry/index01.htm.  "Formosa-calling". http://homepage.usask.ca/llr130/taiwanlibrary/formosacalling/formosa-calling.pdf.  1dead link Trejaut Jean; Toomas Kivisild Jun Hun Loo Chien Liang Lee Chun Lin He Chia Jung Hsu Zheng Yuan Li Marie Lin (August 2005). "Traces of Archaic Mitochondrial Lineages Persist in Austronesian-Speaking Formosan Populations". PLoS Biology 3 (8): e247. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030247. PMC 1166350. PMID 15984912.  Shepherd John R. (1993). Statecraft and Political Economy on the Taiwan Frontier 16001800. Stanford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780804720663.  Reprinted Taipei: SMC Publishing 1995. "Finding the Heritage  Reasons for the project". National Anping Harbor Histosrical Park. http://anping.tncg.gov.tw/archaeology/eaha01.jsp. Retrieved 8 March 2006.  Hsu Minna J.; Agoramoorthy Govindasamy; Desender Konjev; Baert Leon; Bonilla Hector Reyes (August 1997). "Wildlife conservation in Taiwan". Conservation Biology 11 (4): 834836. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.011004834.x. JSTOR 2387316.  - (2010-06-30). " -". E-info.org.tw. http://e-info.org.tw/node/57024. Retrieved 2011-05-30.  Taiwan Railway Administration "Build History of Main Routes of Taiwan Railway". Taiwan Railway Administration. 2006. Archived from the original on 18 February 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060218073123/http://www.railway.gov.tw/n/n101.htm Taiwan Railway Administration. Retrieved 6 March 2006.  "Taiwan Review". http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/fp.aspxItem1456&CtNode119.  Chiu Hungdah (1979). China and the Taiwan Issue. London: Praeger Publishers Inc.. ISBN 0030489113.  Paine S.C.M (2002). The Sino-Japanese War of 18941895: Perceptions Power and Primacy. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81714-5.  Ravina Mark (2003). The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. Wiley. ISBN 0471089702.  Smits Gregory (1999). "Visions of Ryky: Identity and Ideology in Early-Modern Thought and Politics." Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. Ryotaro Shiba. Taiwan Kikou "The History of Taiwan". The Republic of China Year Book 2001 fourth last paragraph last sentence. http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2001/chpt04-3.htm.  2dead link "History". Oversea Office Republic of China (Taiwan). 2007. http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ct.aspxItem456&CtNode2243&mp1&xp1. Retrieved 2 July 2007.  "Shu LinKou Air Station: World War II". Shu LinKou Air Station: World War II. Ken Ashley U.S. military photo archives. http://shulinkou.tripod.com/dawg2e.html. Retrieved June 14 2011.  Formosa (Taiwan) Under Japanese Rule "This Is the Shame". Time (New York). 10 June 1946. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/01098779297900.html.  "China: Snow Red & Moon Angel". Time (New York). 7 April 1947. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/01098780409000.html.  Gluck Caroline (16 July 2008). "Taiwan sorry for white terror era". BBC News Online (London). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7509805.stm.  "The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue". PRC Taiwan Affairs Office and the Information Office of the State Council. 2005. http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asptableWhitePaper&titleWhite%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&mid4. "Section 1: Since the KMT ruling clique retreated to Taiwan its regime has continued to use the designations 'Republic of China' and 'government of the Republic of China' despite having long since completely forfeited its right to exercise state sovereignty on behalf of China." dead link Dunbabin J. P. D. (2008). The Cold War. Pearson Education. p. 187. ISBN 0582423988. http://books.google.com/idIVriqPvx7iwC&pgPA187. "In 1949 Chiang Kai-shek had transferred to Taiwan the government gold reserve and some of the army of his Republic of China."  "AP Taiwan Party Asserts Separate Identity". http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jF4syWWBWq5u3MZEs-3s9IUT8pGgD8RVKVM80. dead link a b Lam Willy (28 March 2008). "Ma Ying-jeou and the Future of Cross-Strait Relations" (  Scholar search). China Brief (Jamestown Foundation) 8 (7). Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080413105956/http://www.jamestown.org/chinabrief/article.phparticleid2374064. Retrieved 4 April 2008.  "The Nationalists are back in Taiwan". The Economist (London). 23 March 2008.  "Straitened times: Taiwan looks to China". The Financial Times. 03-25. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07d43e18-fa9a-11dc-aa46-000077b07658.html.  August 2009-voa17.cfm "Taiwan-China Economic Ties Boom Military Tensions Remain News English". Voanews.com. 20 August 2009. http://www.voanews.com/english/20 August 2009-voa17.cfm. Retrieved 1 August 2010. dead link "Tallest Islands of the World  World Island Info web site". Worldislandinfo.com. http://www.worldislandinfo.com/TALLESTV1.htm. Retrieved 1 August 2010.  Chao Kang & Johnson Marshall (2000). Nationalist Social Sciences and the Fabrication of Subimperial Subjects in Taiwan. Positions 8:1. Page 167. "Geology of Taiwan  University of Arizona". Geo.arizona.edu. http://www.geo.arizona.edu/anderson/taiwan/taiindex.html. Retrieved 1 August 2010.  Clift Schouten and Draut (2003) in Intra-Oceanic Subduction Systems: Tectonic and Magmatic Processes ISBN 1-86239-147-5 p8486 "USGS seismic hazard map of Eastern Asia". Seismo.ethz.ch. http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/GSHAP/eastasia/asiafin.gif. Retrieved 2011-05-30.  Theodorou Christine; Lee Andrew (3 March 2010). "6.4-magnitude quake hits southern Taiwan". CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/03/03/taiwan.quake/index.htmlhptT1. Retrieved 4 March 2010.  "Field Listing  Climate". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2059.html. Retrieved 8 March 2006.  "Monthly Mean Days of Precipitation". Climate Data. ROC Central Weather Bureau. Archived from the original on 3 December 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20051203145112/http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V4e/climate/Data/table2e.html. Retrieved 8 March 2006.  "Rescuers hunt quake survivors". BBC. 21 September 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/453087.stm.  "Taiwan: Environmental Issues". Country Analysis Brief  Taiwan. United States Department of Energy. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/taiwanenv.html. Retrieved 8 March 2006. "The government credits the APC system with helping to reduce the number of days when the country's pollution standard index score exceeded 100 from 7% of days in 1994 to 3% of days in 2001." dead link Taiwan Country Analysis Briefdead link US Energy Information Administration 2005: "Taipei has the most obvious air pollution primary caused by the motorbikes and scooters used by millions of the city's residents." "A Viable Niche Market--Fuel Cell Scooters in Taiwan" Taiwan Institute of Economic Research 2002: "In Taiwan's cities the main source of air pollution is the waste gas exhausted by scooters especially by the great number of two-stroke engine scooters." "The World Factbook". CIA. 3 May 2006. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tw.html.  "Taiwan Culture Portal". http://www.culture.tw/index.phpoptioncomcontent&taskrdmap&id1777&Itemid262.  Stainton Michael (2002). Presbyterians and the Aboriginal Revitalization Movement in Taiwan. Cultural Survival Quarterly 26.2. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 15000 temples. Retrieved 27 July 2009. Tsai Ting-I (Apr 17 2007). "Taiwan's 'sleeping lion' stirs". Asia Times. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/ID17Ad01.html. Retrieved June 14 2011.  3dead link "Taiwan to loan art to China amid warming ties". Agence France-Presse. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5tLc0bqi3.  "Netherlands Retains World Youth Korfball Champion; Taiwan is On the Way to the World...". Reuters Newswire. Sat Nov 8 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/08/idUS82890+08-Nov-2008+BW20081108. Retrieved June 14 2011.  Hazeldine Richard (Jul 22 2009). "Jujitsu korfball put Taiwan back on winning track". Taipei Times. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/07/22/2003449286. Retrieved June 14 2011.  American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. "Convenience Stores Aim at Differentiation" (  Scholar search). Taiwan Business Topics 34 (11). http://www.amcham.com.tw/publicationtopicsview.phpvolume34&volnum11&topicsid558. dead link "Intro of CPBL". Cpbl.com.tw. http://www.cpbl.com.tw/html/english/cpbl.asp. Retrieved 1 August 2010. dead link "Gold Shipped to Taiwan in 1949 Helped Stabilize ROC on Taiwan". Gold Shipped to Taiwan in 1949 Helped Stabilize ROC on Taiwan. Kuomintang News Network. http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/page.aspxtypearticle&mnum112&anum9442. Retrieved June 14 2011.  Roy Denny (2003). Taiwan: A Political History. Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press. pp. 76 77. ISBN 0-8014-8805-2.  As calculated by Taiwan's Ministry of Budget National Accountancy and Statistics based on the following figures (2007): life expectancy / 784 years ; literacy rate / 976% ; gross combined schooling rate / 1019% ; per capita GDP-PPP / US$30 352 "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold". World Fact Book. CIA. 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. http://www.webcitation.org/5b7FcMQjc. Retrieved 26 September 2008. "Rank 5 Taiwan $ 274700000000 31 December 2007"  "Taiwans 2010 trade hits record high". Taiwan Today. 2010-01-10. http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.aspxItem142731&ctNode453&mp9. Retrieved 2011-01-10.  Morris Peter (4 February 2004). "Taiwan business in China supports opposition". Asia Times Online. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/FB04Ad04.html.  Further reading Bush R. & O'Hanlon M. (2007). A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-98677-1 Bush R. (2006). Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0-8157-1290-1 Carpenter T. (2006). America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6841-1 Cole B. (2006). Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-36581-3 Copper J. (2006). Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan. Praeger Security International General Interest. ISBN 0-275-98888-0 Copper J. (2000). Historical Dictionary of Taiwan (Republic of China). The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3665-3 Federation of American Scientists et al. (2006). Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning Gill B. (2007). Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0-8157-3146-9 Knapp R. (1980). China's Island Frontier: Studies in the Historical Geography of Taiwan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0705-7 Rubinstein M. (2006). Taiwan: A New History. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 0-7656-1495-2 Shirk S. (2007). China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-530609-0 Tsang S. (2006). If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy Politics and Economics. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-40785-0 Tucker N.B. (2005). Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13564-5 External links Find more about Taiwan on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary Images and media from Commons Learning resources from Wikiversity News stories from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Chief of State and Cabinet Members Taiwan entry at The World Factbook Taiwan (Republic of China - Taiwan Chinese Taipei) at UCB Libraries GovPubs Taiwan at the Open Directory Project Wikimedia Atlas of Taiwan Taiwan travel guide from Wikitravel Satellite view of Taiwan at WikiMapia Forumosa  Taiwan's largest online community in English Taiwan Today - Taiwan-focused news articles in English v d eTaiwan topics History Timeline Prehistory  Kingdom of Middag  Dutch rule  Kingdom of Tungning  Qing Dynasty rule  Republic of Formosa  Japanese rule  Republic of China rule Topics Archaeological sites  Culture  Economy  Education Society Demographics  Education  Ethnic groups  Healthcare  Human rights (LGBT rights)  International rankings  Languages  Religion  Smoking  Women Culture Aborigines  Cinema  Communications  Cuisine  Holidays  Literature  Media  Music  Night markets  Opera  Photography  Sports  Tea  Television Economy Banks (Central bank)  Companies  Currency  Energy  Metropolitan areas  Stock exchange  Taiwan Miracle  Tourism  Transportation Geography Cities  Endemic species (protected)  Hot springs  Islands  Mountains  National parks  Rivers  Scenic areas  Volcanoes v d eTerritorial disputes in East South and Southeast Asia Type Territory Currently administered by Claimants Land: Aksai Chin People's Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China1 India Baekdu/Changbai Mountain North Korea People's Republic of China North Korea South Korea People's Republic of China Republic of China Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriysky (Eastern part)1 People's Republic of China Russia Republic of China1 Indo-Bangladesh enclaves2 Bangladesh India Bangladesh India Kachin State Myanmar Myanmar Republic of China1 Kashmir2 India Pakistan India Pakistan Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands South Korea North Korea South Korea North Korea Mainland China People's Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China North Borneo (Sabah)1 Malaysia Malaysia Philippines Outer Mongolia1 Mongolia Republic of China Mongolia Pamir Mountains2 Afghanistan Tajikistan Afghanistan Republic of China1 Tajikistan Sixty-Four Villages East of the River1 Russia Republic of China1 Russia South Tibet India People's Republic of China Republic of China1 India Tannu Uriankhai (now Tuva Republic of Russia)1 Russia Republic of China1 Russia Trans-Karakoram Tract People's Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China1 India Islands and waters: Diaoyutai / Senkaku Islands Japan People's Republic of China Republic of China Japan Kinmen Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China Kori Creek1 India Pakistan India Pakistan Liancourt Rocks South Korea South Korea North Korea1 Japan Macclesfield Bank People's Republic of China Republic of China Philippines Matsu Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China Paracel Islands People's Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China Vietnam Pedra Branca Middle Rocks and South Ledge Singapore Malaysia Singapore Pratas Islands Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China Scarborough Shoal Philippines People's Republic of China Republic of China Philippines Socotra Rock South Korea South Korea People's Republic of China1 Southern Kuril Islands Russia Russia Japan Spratly Islands2 People's Republic of China Republic of China Malaysia Philippines Vietnam Brunei People's Republic of China Republic of China Malaysia Philippines Vietnam Taiwan and Penghu1 Republic of China People's Republic of China Republic of China Notes: 1Inactive dispute. 2Divided among multiple claimants.  Language v d eChinese-speaking nations and regions  People's Republic of China   Hong Kong   Macau   Malaysia   Singapore   Republic of China (Taiwan) v d eAustronesian-speaking countries and territories Formosan Taiwan Malayo-Polynesian American Samoa  Brunei  Burma (Myanmar)  Cambodia  Christmas Island  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Cook Islands  Easter Island  East Timor  Fiji  French Polynesia  Guam  Hainan  Indonesia  Kiribati  Madagascar  Malaysia  Marshall Islands  FS Micronesia  Nauru  New Caledonia  New Zealand  Niue  Northern Mariana Islands  Orchid Island  Palau  Papua New Guinea   Philippines  Samoa  Singapore  Solomon Islands  Sri Lanka  Suriname  Tokelau  Tonga  Tuvalu  United States (Hawaii)  Vanuatu  Vietnam  Wallis and Futuna Coordinates: 2346N 12100E / 23.767N 121E / 23.767; 121