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#REDIRECT [[Taiwan]]
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Republic of China
|native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hant|中華民國}}}}<br/>''Zhōnghuá Mínguó''{{efn|See [[Names of the Republic of China]].}}<!---Do not change to "Jhonghua Minguo" (i.e. Tongyong pinyin); Hanyu pinyin has been the official romanization since 1 January 2009.--->
|common_name = Taiwan
|image_flag = Flag of the Republic of China.svg
|alt_flag = A red flag, with a small blue rectangle in the top left hand corner on which sits a white sun composed of a circle surrounded by 12 rays.
|image_coat = Republic of China National Emblem.svg
|symbol_type = National Emblem
|alt_coat = A blue circular emblem on which sits a white sun composed of a circle surrounded by 12 rays.
|image_map = Taiwan on the globe (Southeast Asia centered).svg
|map_caption = Location of Taiwan (red) on the globe
|image_map2 = Locator map of the ROC Taiwan.svg
|map_caption2 = [[Free area of the Republic of China|Territory under the control of the Republic of China]]
|alt_map2 = A map depicting the territory under the control of the Republic of China in East Asia and in the World
|national_anthem = <br />{{lang|zh-hant|《中華民國國歌》}}<br/>{{small|"[[National Anthem of the Republic of China]]"}} [[File:National Anthem of the Republic of China.ogg|center]]
----
<div style="padding-top:0.5em;">'''Flag anthem:'''<br />{{lang|zh-hant|《中華民國國旗歌》}}<br/>{{small|"[[National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China]]"}}</div> [[File:National Banner Song.ogg|center]]
|capital = [[Taipei]]<ref name="capital">{{cite news |title=Interior minister reaffirms Taipei is ROC’s capital |date=5 December 2013 |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/12/05/2003578356 |publisher=Taipei Times |accessdate=7 December 2013}}</ref>
|latd=25 |latm=02 |lats=00 |latNS=N |longd=121 |longm=38 |longs=00 |longEW=E
|largest_city = [[New Taipei City|New Taipei]]
|official_languages = [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taiwan.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=136102&CtNode=3556&mp=1 |title=ROC Vital Information |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) |date=31 December 2014 |accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref>
|regional_languages = [[Taiwanese Hokkien]]<br>[[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]]<br>[[Formosan languages]]<br>[[Fuzhou dialect]]
|languages_type = [[Official script]]
|languages = [[Traditional Chinese]]
|ethnic_groups = {{nowrap|>95% [[Han Chinese]]{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=36}} }}<br>{{nowrap|&nbsp;'''∟''' 70% [[Hoklo people|Hokkien]]}}<br>{{nowrap|&nbsp;'''∟''' 14% [[Hakka people|Hakka]]}}<br>{{nowrap|{{raise|0.1em|&nbsp;'''∟''' 14% [[Mainland Chinese#Mainlanders in Taiwan|Waishengren]]{{efn|''Waishengren'' usually refers to people who [[immigrated]] from mainland China to Taiwan after 1945, also the Chinese refugees migrated to Taiwan due to the [[Chinese Civil War]], and to their descendants born in Taiwan. It does not include citizens of the People's Republic of China who more recently moved to Taiwan.}}}}}}<br>{{nowrap|2.3% [[Taiwanese aborigines|Aborigines]]{{efn|Taiwanese aborigines are officially categorised into [[List of ethnic groups in Taiwan|16 separate ethnic groups]] by the Republic of China. {{harvp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=49}} }}}}
|demonym = [[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]]<ref name="cia-factbook" />
|government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[constitutional republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of the Republic of China|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Ma Ying-jeou]]
|leader_title2 = [[Vice President of the Republic of China|Vice-President]]
|leader_name2 = [[Wu Den-yih]]
|leader_title3 = [[Premier of the Republic of China|Premier]]
|leader_name3 = [[Mao Chi-kuo]]
|leader_title4 = [[President of the Legislative Yuan]]
|leader_name4 = [[Wang Jin-pyng]]
|leader_title5 = [[Judicial Yuan|President of the Judicial Yuan]]
|leader_name5 = [[Rai Hau-min]]
|leader_title6 = [[List of Presidents of the Examination Yuan|President of the Examination Yuan]]
|leader_name6 = [[Wu Jin-lin]]
|leader_title7 = [[Control Yuan|President of the Control Yuan]]
|leader_name7 = [[Chang Po-ya]]
|legislature = [[Legislative Yuan]]
|area_km2 = 36,193<ref name="taiwan-popstat"/>
|area_sq_mi = 13,974
|area_rank = 136th
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|population_estimate = 23,373,517<ref name="taiwan-popstat"/>
|population_estimate_year = December 2013
|population_estimate_rank = 52nd
|population_density_km2 = 644
|population_density_sq_mi = 1,664
|population_density_rank = 17th
|GDP_PPP = $1,021.607 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=19&pr.y=12&sy=2014&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=528&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=|title=Republic of China (Taiwan) |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=28 October 2013}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 20th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2014
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $43,599<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 17th
|GDP_nominal = $505.452 billion<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 25th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2014
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $21,571<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 39th
|sovereignty_type = [[History of the Republic of China|Establishment]]
|sovereignty_note = from the [[Xinhai Revolution]]
|established_event1 = [[Wuchang Uprising]]
|established_date1 = 10 October 1911
|established_event2 = [[Provisional Government of the Republic of China (1912)|Republic established]]
|established_date2 = 1 January 1912
|established_event3 = [[Constitution of the Republic of China|Current constitution]]
|established_date3 = 25 December 1947
|established_event4 = The ROC government retreated to Taipei due to [[Chinese Civil War]].
|established_date4 = {{nowrap|1 October 1949}} / {{nowrap|10 December 1949}}
|Gini_year = 2010
|Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|Gini = 34.2
|Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite book |title=Report on The Survey of Family Income and Expenditure |url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=3417&CtNode=1596&mp=5 |chapterurl=http://win.dgbas.gov.tw/fies/doc/result/99/a11/Year04.xls |chapter=Table 4. Percentage Share of Disposable Income by Quintile Group of Households and Income Inequality Indices |publisher=Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics |location=Taipei, Taiwan |year=2010}}</ref>
|Gini_rank =
|HDI_year = 2014
|HDI_change = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|HDI = 0.882
|HDI_ref = {{efn|name="HDI-1"|The UN has not calculated an HDI for the ROC, which is not a member nation. The ROC government calculated its HDI for 2014 to be 0.882, which would rank it 21st among countries.<ref name="HDI-2">{{cite web |date=15 September 2014 |trans-title=Human Development Index (HDI) |script-title=zh:人類發展指數(HDI) |url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Attachment/4915152917VTN8T5VB.xls |website=National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan) |publisher=Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. |language=Chinese}}</ref>}}
|HDI_rank = 21st
|currency = [[New Taiwan dollar]] (NT$)
|currency_code = TWD
|country_code = TPE
|time_zone = [[National Standard Time]]
|utc_offset = +8
|date_format = {{unbulleted list |yyyy-mm-dd |{{longitem|style=line-height:1.1em; |{{nowrap|yyyy年m月d日<br/>{{small|([[Common Era|CE]]; [[Chinese calendar|CE+2697]])}}}}}} |[[Minguo calendar|民國yy年m月d日]]}}
|drives_on = right
|cctld = {{unbulleted list |[[.tw]] |[[.台灣]] |[[.台湾]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brussels38.icann.org/meetings/brussels2010/transcript-board-25jun10-en.txt |title=ICANN Board Meeting Minutes |publisher=ICANN |date=25 June 2010}}</ref>}}
|calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Taiwan|+886]]
}}
{{Chinese |collapse=no
|t=[[wikt:臺灣|臺灣]] or [[wikt:台灣|台灣]] |s=[[wikt:台湾|台湾]]
|bpmf=ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ |w=T'ai²-wan¹ |p=Táiwān |tp=Táiwan |mps=Táiwān |gr=Tair'uan |psp=Taiwan
|hsn=dwɛ<sup>13</sup> ua<sup>44</sup>
|hsn2=tan<sup>44</sup> ɣo<sup>13</sup> miɛn<sup>13</sup> kwa<sup>13</sup>
|poj=Tâi-oân |tl=Tâi-uân |h=Thòi-vàn |buc=Dài-uăng |j=Toi<sup>4</sup> Waan<sup>1</sup> |wuu=the<sup>平</sup> uae<sup>平</sup>
|altname=Republic of China |t2={{linktext|中華民國}} |xej={{script/Arabic|تَاَىْوًا}} |s2={{linktext|中华民国}}
|bpmf2=ㄓㄨㄥ ㄏㄨㄚˊ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄛˊ |w2=Chung¹-hua² Min²-kuo² |p2=Zhōnghuá Mínguó |tp2=Jhonghuá Mínguó |mps2=Jūng-huá Mín-guó |gr2=Jonghwa Min'gwo |psp2=Chunghwa Minkuo
|poj2=Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok |tl2=Tiong-hûa Bîn-kok |h2=Chûng-fà Mìn-koet |buc2=Dṳ̆ng-huà Mìng-guók | xej2=ﺟْﻮ ﺧُﻮَ مٍ ﻗُﻮَع
|j2=zung<sup>1</sup> waa<sup>4</sup> man<sup>4</sup> gwok<sup>3</sup> |gan2=tung<sup>1</sup> fa<sup>4</sup> min<sup>4</sup> koet<sup>7</sup> |wuu2=tson<sup>平</sup> gho<sup>平</sup> min<sup>平</sup> koh<sup>入</sup>
}}
{{contains Chinese text}}
{{stack end}}

'''Taiwan''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Taiwan.ogg|ˌ|t|aɪ|ˈ|w|ɑː|n}} {{zh|t={{linktext|臺灣}} or {{linktext|台灣}}|p=Táiwān}}; see [[#Names|below]]), officially the '''Republic of China''' ('''ROC'''; {{zh|t={{linktext|中華民國}}|p=Zhōnghuá Mínguó}}) is a [[sovereign state]] in [[East Asia]]. The Republic of China, originally based in [[mainland China]], now governs the [[Geography of Taiwan|island of Taiwan]], which makes up over 99% of its territory,{{efn|The island of Taiwan covers an area of {{convert|36008|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}, while the total area under the jurisdiction of the ROC ([[Free Area of the Republic of China|Free Area]]) covers around {{convert|36193|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="taiwan-popstat"/>}} as well as [[Penghu]], [[Kinmen]], [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]], and [[List of islands of the Republic of China|other minor islands]]. Neighboring states include the [[People's Republic of China]] to the west, [[Japan]] to the east and northeast, and the [[Philippines]] to the south. Taiwan is one of [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density|the most densely populated countries]] in the world with a [[population density]] of 648 people per km<sup>2</sup> in March 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title= Statistics from Statistical Bureau|url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/point.asp?index=9|accessdate=6 May 2015 |website=National Statistics, Republic o China (Taiwan)}}</ref> [[Taipei]] is the seat of the central government,<ref name="capital"/> and together with the surrounding cities of [[New Taipei]] and [[Keelung]] forms [[Taipei metropolitan area|the largest metropolitan area]] on the island.

The island of Taiwan (formerly known as "''Formosa''") was mainly inhabited by [[Taiwanese aborigines]] until the [[Dutch Formosa|Dutch]] and [[Spanish Formosa|Spanish settlement]] during the [[Age of Discovery]] in the 17th century, when [[Han Chinese]] began immigrating to the island. In 1662, the pro-[[Southern Ming|Ming]] loyalist [[Koxinga]] expelled the Dutch and established the first Han Chinese polity on the island, the [[Kingdom of Tungning]]. The [[Qing dynasty]] of China later defeated the kingdom and annexed Taiwan. By the time Taiwan was ceded to [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] in 1895, the majority of Taiwan's inhabitants were Han Chinese either by ancestry or by [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]]. The [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] (ROC) was established in mainland China in 1912. After [[Japan's surrender]] in 1945, the ROC assumed its control of Taiwan. Following the [[Chinese civil war]], the [[Communist Party of China]] took full control of [[mainland China]] and founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The ROC relocated its government to Taiwan, and its jurisdiction became limited to [[Free area of the Republic of China|Taiwan and its surrounding islands]], with the main island making up 99% of its ''de facto'' territory. Despite this, the ROC continued to represent [[China and the United Nations|China at the United Nations]] until 1971, when the PRC assumed China's seat via [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758|Resolution 2758]] and the ROC lost its UN membership. [[Diplomatic recognition|International recognition]] of the ROC has gradually eroded as most countries switched recognition to the PRC. {{Numrec|ROC||UN member states}} and the [[Holy See]] currently maintain official [[diplomatic relations]] with the ROC. It has unofficial ties with most other states via its [[Taipei Representative Office|representative offices]].

Ongoing issues of [[Cross-Strait relations]] as well as [[political status of Taiwan]] are major factors of contention in Taiwanese politics and a cause of social and political division among political parties and their respective supporters within the country. Constitutionally, there is dispute over whether the ROC still lays claim to the sovereignty over all of "China", in a definition that includes mainland China and [[Outer Mongolia]] based on [[Republic of China (1912–49)|its pre-1949 territories]],<ref>{{cite web |date=26 November 1993 |script-title=zh:釋字第 328 |language=Chinese |url=http://www.judicial.gov.tw/constitutionalcourt/p03_01_printpage.asp?expno=328 |accessdate=2 March 2015 |website=Justices of the Constitutional Court, Judicial Yuan}}</ref> but the ROC has not made retaking mainland China a political goal since 1992.<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Constitution of the Republic of China |at=Chapter XIII. Fundamental National Policies, Article 141 |quote=The foreign policy of the Republic of China[...]in order to protect the rights and interests of Chinese citizens residing abroad |accessdate = 2 May 2011}}</ref> However, the government's stance on defining its political position of relation with China largely depends on which [[political coalition]] is in charge. Meanwhile, the PRC also asserts itself to be the [[One China policy|sole legal representation of China]] and claims [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan as its 23rd province]] to be under its sovereignty, denying the status and existence of ROC as a sovereign state. The PRC has threatened the use of military force as a response to any formal declaration of [[Taiwan independence|Taiwanese independence]], or if it deems peaceful [[Chinese Unification|reunification]] no longer possible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.people.com.cn/200503/14/eng20050314_176746.html |title=Full text of Anti-Secession Law |work=People's Daily |date=14 March 2005 |accessdate=10 April 2012}}</ref>

During the latter half of the 20th century, Taiwan experienced [[Taiwan Miracle|rapid economic growth]] and [[industrialization]] and is now an [[Developed country|advanced industrial economy]]. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Taiwan evolved into a [[List of political parties in the Republic of China|multi-party democracy]] with universal suffrage. Taiwan is one of the [[Four Asian Tigers]] and a member of the [[World Trade Organization|WTO]] and [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|APEC]]. The [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|21st-largest economy]] in the world, its [[high tech|high-tech]] industry plays a key role in the global economy. Taiwan is [[International rankings of Taiwan|ranked highly]] in terms of freedom of the press, health care,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yao |first1=Grace |last2=Cheng |first2=Yen-Pi |last3=Cheng |first3=Chiao-Pi |title=The Quality of Life in Taiwan |journal=Social Indicators Research |date=5 November 2008 |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=377–404 |doi=10.1007/s11205-008-9353-1 |quote=a second place ranking in the 2000 Economist's world healthcare ranking}}</ref> public education, economic freedom, and human development.{{efn|name="HDI-1"}}<ref name="HDI-2" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dgbas.gov.tw/public/Data/11715541971.pdf|format=PDF|script-title=zh:2010中華民國人類發展指數 (HDI)|accessdate=2 July 2010|year=2010|publisher=Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C.|language=Chinese}}</ref>

==Names{{Anchor|Etymology}}==
{{Main|Names of the Republic of China}}
{{See also|Chinese Taipei}}
There are various names for the island of Taiwan in use today, derived from explorers or rulers by each particular period. The former name '''Formosa''' ({{lang|zh-hant|[[:wikt:福爾摩沙|福爾摩沙]]}}) dates from 1542, when [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] sailors sighted the main island of Taiwan and named it ''Ilha Formosa'', which means "beautiful island".<ref name="yb:history">{{cite book |chapter=Chapter 3: History |chapterurl=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch03.pdf |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2011 |year=2011 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514004941/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch03.pdf |archivedate=14 May 2012 |page=46}}</ref> The name "Formosa" eventually "replaced all others in European literature"{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=10|ps=: "A Dutch navigating officer named Linschotten, employed by the Portuguese, so recorded the island in his charts, and eventually the name of Formosa, so euphonious and yet appropriate, replaced all others in European literature."}} and was in common use in English in the early 20th century.<ref>see for example:
*{{cite book |title=Sketches from Formosa |year=1915 |last=Campbell |first=William |authorlink=William_Campbell_(missionary) |publisher=Marshall Brothers |location=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/sketchesfromtaiw00camprich#page/278/mode/2up |ol=7051071M |ref=harv}}
*{{harvp|Campbell|1903}}
*{{harvp|Davidson|1903}}</ref>

In the early 17th century, the [[Dutch East India Company]] established a commercial post at [[Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)|Fort Zeelandia]] (modern-day [[Anping District|Anping]]) on a coastal sandbar they called "Tayouan",{{sfnp|Campbell|1903|p=52}} meaning "foreigners" in the indigenous [[Siraya language]]. The Sirayan name was also adopted into the Chinese vernacular (in particular, [[Hokkien]], as {{zh|poj={{linktext|Tāi-ôan}}/{{linktext|Tâi-ôan}}}}) as the name of the sandbar and nearby area (modern-day [[Tainan]]). The modern word "Taiwan" is derived from this usage, which has also been written as {{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|大員}}, {{linktext|大圓}}, {{linktext|大灣}}, {{linktext|臺員}}, {{linktext|臺圓}}}} and {{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|臺窩灣}}}} in various Chinese historical records. The area of modern-day Tainan was the first permanent settlement by Western colonists and Chinese immigrants, grew to be the most important trading center, and served as the capital of the island until 1887. Use of the current Chinese name {{lang|zh-hant|[[:wikt:臺灣|臺灣]]}} was formalized as early as 1684 with the establishment of [[Taiwan Prefecture]]. Through its rapid development, the entire Formosan mainland eventually became known as "Taiwan".<ref name="蔡玉仙等編">{{cite book |script-title=zh:府城文史 | author=蔡玉仙等編 |publisher=臺南市政府 |language=Chinese |isbn=9789860094343}}</ref><ref name="石守謙主編">{{cite book | title = Ilha Formosa: the Emergence of Taiwan on the World Scene in the 17th Century |language=Chinese |author = 石守謙主編 |publisher = National Palace Museum |isbn=9789575624415}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | script-title =zh:昨日府城 明星台南: 發現日治下的老臺南 | author =加藤光貴著 黃秉珩譯 |publisher =臺南市文化資產保護協會 | isbn = 978-957-28079-9-6}}</ref><ref name="Oosterhoff">{{cite book |title=Colonial Cities: Essays on Urbanism in a Colonial Context |editor1-first=Robert |editor1-last=Ross |editor2-first=Gerard J. |editor2-last=Telkamp |chapter=Zeelandia, a Dutch colonial city on Formosa (1624–1662) |first=J.L. |last=Oosterhoff |pages=51–62 |publisher=Springer |year=1985 |isbn=978-90-247-2635-6}}</ref>

The official name of the [[sovereign state|state]] is the "''Republic of China''"; it has also been known under various names throughout its existence. Shortly after the ROC's establishment in 1912, while it was still located on the Asian mainland, the government used the abbreviation "'''China'''" (''{{lang|zh-latn-pinyin|Zhōngguó}}'') to refer to itself. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was common to refer to it as "Nationalist China" (or "[[Free area of the Republic of China|Free China]]") to differentiate it from "Communist China" (or "[[China|Red China]]").<ref>{{Cite book|last=Garver|first=John W. |title=The Sino-American Alliance: Nationalist China and American Cold War Strategy in Asia|publisher=M.E. Sharp|date=April 1997|isbn=978-0-7656-0025-7}}</ref> It was a member of the UN representing "''China''" until 1971, when it [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758|lost its seat]] to the People's Republic of China. Over subsequent decades, the Republic of China has become commonly known as "'''Taiwan'''", after the island that composes most of its controlled territory. This is the main reason for the confusing and completely different names. In some contexts, especially official ones from the ROC government, the name is written as "Republic of China (Taiwan)", "Republic of China/Taiwan", or sometimes "Taiwan (ROC)."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.president.gov.tw/|title=Office of President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)|accessdate=15 July 2015}}</ref> The Republic of China participates in most international forums and organizations under the name "[[Chinese Taipei]]" due to diplomatic pressure from the PRC. For instance, it is the name under which it has [[Chinese Taipei at the 1984 Summer Olympics|competed at the Olympic Games since 1984]], and its name as an observer at the [[World Health Organization]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/05/18/idUSLI62888|title=Taiwan hopes WHO assembly will help boost its profile|last=Reid |first=Katie|publisher=Reuters|date=18 May 2009|accessdate=11 June 2013}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Taiwan|History of the Republic of China}}

===Prehistoric Taiwan===
{{Main|Prehistory of Taiwan}}
[[File:Tsou youth of Taiwan (pre-1945).jpg|thumb|right|upright|A young [[Tsou people|Tsou]] man]]
Taiwan was joined to the Asian mainland in the [[Late Pleistocene]], until [[sea level]]s rose about 10,000 years ago. Fragmentary human remains have been found on the island, dated 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, as well as later artifacts of a Paleolithic culture.<ref>{{cite journal
|last=Chang |first=K.C. |authorlink=Kwang-chih Chang
|others=translated by W. Tsao, ed. by B. Gordon
|title=The Neolithic Taiwan Strait
|journal=Kaogu |year=1989 |volume=6 |pages=541–550, 569
|url=http://http-server.carleton.ca/~bgordon/Rice/papers/App.18ChangKC89.pdf
}}</ref><ref name="palaeolithic">{{cite journal
|last1=Olsen |first1=John W. |last2=Miller-Antonio |first2=Sari |title=The Palaeolithic in Southern China
|journal=Asian Perspectives |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=129–160 |year=1992
|url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/17011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|title=The neolithic of southeast China: cultural transformation and regional interaction on the coast
|first=Tianlong |last=Jiao
|publisher=Cambria Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-934043-16-5 |pages=89–90
}}</ref>

More than 8,000 years ago, Austronesians first settled on Taiwan.{{sfnp|Hill|Soares|Mormina|Macaulay|2007}}{{sfnp|Bird|Hope|Taylor|2004}} The languages of their descendants, who are known as the [[Taiwanese aborigines]] nowadays, belong to the [[Austronesian language family]], which also includes the [[Malayo-Polynesian languages]] spanning a huge area, including the entire [[Maritime Southeast Asia]] (i.e., [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] of the [[Philippines]], [[Malay language|Malay]] and [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] of [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]], or the [[Javanese language|Javanese]] of [[Java]]), the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] and [[Indian Ocean]]: westernmost to the [[Malagasy language|Malagasies]] of [[Madagascar]] and easternmost to the [[Rapa Nui people|Rapa Nui]] people of [[Easter Island]]. The aboriginal languages on Taiwan show much greater diversity than the rest of Austronesian put together, leading linguists to propose Taiwan as the [[Urheimat]] of the family, from which seafaring peoples dispersed across Southeast Asia and the Pacific and Indian Oceans.<ref name="ref1">{{cite journal | title=Taiwan's gift to the world | last=Diamond | first=Jared M | authorlink=Jared Diamond | year=2000 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060916193454/http://faculty.washington.edu/plape/pacificarchwin06/readings/Diamond%20nature%202000.pdf | url=http://faculty.washington.edu/plape/pacificarchwin06/readings/Diamond%20nature%202000.pdf | archivedate=16 September 2006 | format=PDF | journal=Nature | volume=403 | pages=709–710 | doi=10.1038/35001685 | pmid=10693781 | issue=6771 }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference | last=Fox | first=James J | url=https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/43158/2/Comparative_Austronesian_Studies.pdf | format=PDF | title=Current Developments in Comparative Austronesian Studies | booktitle=Symposium Austronesia |location=Universitas Udayana, Bali | year=2004}}</ref>{{sfnp|Hill|Soares|Mormina|Macaulay|2007}}{{sfnp|Bird|Hope|Taylor|2004}}

[[Han Chinese]] began settling in the [[Penghu]] islands in the 13th century, but Taiwan's hostile tribes and its lack of trade resources valued in that era rendered it unattractive to all but "occasional adventurers or fishermen engaging in barter" until the 16th century.<ref name = "shep">{{cite book |last=Shepherd |given=John R. |title = Statecraft and Political Economy on the Taiwan Frontier, 1600–1800 |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1993 | page = 7 | isbn =978-0-8047-2066-3 }} Reprinted Taipei: SMC Publishing, 1995.</ref>

===Opening in the 17th century===
{{Main|Dutch Formosa|Spanish Formosa|Kingdom of Tungning}}
[[File:Zeelandia from Dutch.jpg|left|thumb|Overview of [[Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)|Fort Zeelandia]], painted around 1635]]
The [[Dutch East India Company]] attempted to establish a trading outpost on the [[Penghu]] Islands (Pescadores) in 1622, but were [[Sino–Dutch conflicts|militarily defeated and driven off by the Ming authorities]].<ref name="Wills">{{cite book | title=Taiwan: A New History | editor-first=Murray A. | editor-last=Rubinstein | chapter=The Seventeenth-century Transformation: Taiwan under the Dutch and the Cheng Regime | first=John E., Jr. | last=Wills | publisher=M.E. Sharpe | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-7656-1495-7 | pages=84–106 }}</ref>

In 1624, the company established a stronghold called [[Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)|Fort Zeelandia]] on the coastal islet of Tayouan, which is now part of the main island at [[Anping, Tainan]].<ref name="Oosterhoff"/>
David Wright, a Scottish agent of the company who lived on the island in the 1650s, described the lowland areas of the island as being divided among 11 [[chiefdom]]s ranging in size from two settlements to 72. Some of these fell under Dutch control, while others remained independent.<ref name="Oosterhoff"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Formosa Under the Dutch: Described from Contemporary Records, with Explanatory Notes and a Bibliography of the Island |year=1903 |first=William |last=Campbell |authorlink=William Campbell (missionary)|publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner |url=http://www.archive.org/details/formosaunderdut01campgoog |pages=6–7 |ref=harv}}</ref> The Company began to import laborers from [[Fujian]] and [[Penghu]] (Pescadores), many of whom settled.<ref name="Wills"/>

In 1626, the Spanish landed on and occupied northern Taiwan, at the ports of [[Keelung]] and [[Tamsui]], as a base to extend their trading. This colonial period lasted 16 years until 1642, when the last Spanish fortress fell to Dutch forces.

Following the fall of the [[Ming dynasty]], [[Koxinga]] (Zheng Chenggong), a self-styled Ming loyalist, arrived on the island and captured Fort Zeelandia in 1662, expelling the [[Dutch Empire|Dutch government]] and military from the island. Koxinga established the Kingdom of Tungning (1662–1683), with his capital at [[Tainan]]. He and his heirs, [[Zheng Jing]], who ruled from 1662 to 1682, and [[Zheng Keshuang]], who ruled less than a year, continued to launch raids on the southeast coast of mainland China well into the [[Qing dynasty]].<ref name="Wills"/>

===Qing rule===
{{Main|Taiwan under Qing Dynasty rule}}
[[File:Taiwanese aboriginese deerhunt1.png|thumb|upright|Hunting deer, painted in 1746]]
In 1683, following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral [[Shi Lang]] of southern Fujian, the [[Qing dynasty]] 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 becoming [[Sinicization|sinicized]] while others retreated into the mountains. During this time, there were a number of conflicts between groups of [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] from different regions of southern Fujian, and between southern Fujian Chinese and aborigines.

Northern Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were the scene of subsidiary campaigns in the [[Sino-French War]] (August 1884 to April 1885). The French occupied Keelung on 1 October 1884, but were [[Battle of Tamsui|repulsed from Tamsui]] a few days later. The French won some tactical victories but were unable to exploit them, and the [[Keelung Campaign]] ended in stalemate. The [[Pescadores Campaign]], beginning on 31 March 1885, was a French victory, but had no long-term consequences. The French evacuated both Keelung and the Penghu archipelago after the end of the war.

In 1887, the Qing upgraded the island's administration from [[Taiwan Prefecture]] of [[Fujian]] to [[Taiwan Province#History|Fujian-Taiwan-Province]] ([[:zh:福建臺灣省|福建臺灣省]]), the twentieth in the empire, with its capital at [[Taipei]]. This was accompanied by a modernization drive that included building China's first railroad.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|pp=247, 620}}

===Japanese rule===
{{Main|Taiwan under Japanese rule|Republic of Formosa}}
[[File:Xilaian Incident.jpg|thumb|Japanese colonial soldiers march Taiwanese captured after the [[Tapani Incident]] from the [[Tainan]] jail to court, 1915.]]
The Qing dynasty was defeated in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] (1894–1895) and Taiwan and Penghu were [[Treaty of Shimonoseki|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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ryōtarō|first1=Shiba|authorlink=Ryōtarō Shiba|title=Taiwan kikō : kaidō o yuku yonjū|date=1995|publisher=Asahi Shinbunsha|location=Tōkyō|isbn=9784022568083}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book | title=Memories of the future: national identity issues and the search for a new Taiwan | editor-first=Stéphane | editor-last=Corcuff | publisher=M.E. Sharpe | year=2002 | isbn=978-0-7656-0792-8 | chapter=The Taiwan Republic of 1895 and the failure of the Qing modernizing project | first=Andrew | last=Morris | pages=3–24 }}</ref> Guerrilla fighting continued periodically until about 1902 and ultimately took the lives of 14,000 Taiwanese, or 0.5% of the population.<ref name = msu>{{cite web | title = History of Taiwan | work = Windows on Asia | publisher = Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901122350/http://www.asia.msu.edu/eastasia/Taiwan/history.html| url = http://www.asia.msu.edu/eastasia/Taiwan/history.html |archivedate=1 September 2006| accessdate = 3 December 2014 }}</ref> Several subsequent rebellions against the Japanese (the [[Beipu Uprising]] of 1907, the [[Tapani Incident]] of 1915, and the [[Wushe Incident]] of 1930) were all unsuccessful but demonstrated opposition to Japanese [[Colonialism|colonial]] rule.

[[File:Ando Rikichi surrender.jpg|thumb|right|[[Chen Yi (Kuomintang)|Chen Yi]] (right) accepting the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|surrender]] of General [[Rikichi Andō]] (left), the last Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan, in [[Zhongshan Hall|Taipei City Hall]].]]

[[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese colonial]] rule was instrumental in the industrialization of the island, extending the railroads and other transportation networks, building an extensive sanitation system, and establishing a formal education system.<ref>{{cite book | title=Going to school in East Asia | editor1-first=Gerard A. | editor1-last=Postiglione | editor2-first=Jason | editor2-last=Tan | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-313-33633-1 | chapter=Schooling in Taiwan |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419122101/http://www3.nccu.edu.tw/~iaezcpc/Going%20to%20School%20in%20East%20Asia%20--%20SCHOOLING%20IN%20TAIWAN.htm| chapterurl=http://www3.nccu.edu.tw/~iaezcpc/Going%20to%20School%20in%20East%20Asia%20--%20SCHOOLING%20IN%20TAIWAN.htm|archivedate=19 April 2010 | first1=Chuing Prudence | last1=Chou | first2=Ai-Hsin | last2=Ho | pages=344–377 }}</ref> Japanese rule ended the practice of [[headhunting]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hsu|first=Mutsu|year=1991|title=Culture, Self and Adaptation: The Psychological Anthropology of Two Malayo-Polynesian Groups in Taiwan|publisher=Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica|location=Taipei, Taiwan|isbn=957-9046-78-6}}</ref> During this period the human and natural resources of Taiwan were used to aid the development of Japan and the production of [[cash crop]]s such as rice and sugar greatly increased. By 1939, Taiwan was the seventh greatest sugar producer in the world.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2001 |date=2001 |chapter=History |chapterurl=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2001/chpt04-3.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031027032513/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2001/chpt04-3.htm |archivedate=27 October 2003 |publisher=Government Information Office}}</ref> Still, the Taiwanese and aborigines were classified as second- and third-class citizens. After suppressing Chinese guerrillas in the first decade of their rule, Japanese authorities engaged in a series of bloody campaigns against the mountain aboriginals, culminating in the [[Wushe Incident]] of 1930.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tropics of Savagery: The Culture of Japanese Empire in Comparative Frame |first=Robert |last=Tierney |publisher=University of California Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-520-94766-5 |pages=8–9 }}</ref>

Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide [[Japanization|assimilation project]] to bind the island more firmly to the Japanese Empire and people were taught to see themselves as Japanese under the Kominka Movement, during which time Taiwanese culture and religion were outlawed and the citizens were encouraged to adopt Japanese surnames.<ref>[http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=3803 Kominka Movement – 台灣大百科全書 Encyclopedia of Taiwan]. Taiwanpedia.culture.tw (5 August 2013). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.</ref> During World War II, tens of thousands of Taiwanese served in the Japanese military.<ref>{{cite web |year=2007 |title=History |work=Oversea Office Republic of China (Taiwan) |url=http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ct.asp?xItem=456&CtNode=2243&mp=1&xp1= |accessdate=2 July 2007 }}</ref> 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 Taiwanese ports. The "[[The Japanese Navy Taiwan and South Pacific Mandate political project|South Strike Group]]" was based at the [[Taihoku Imperial University]] in Taipei. 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 [[Raid on Taipei|American bombing]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Shu LinKou Air Station: World War II|url=http://shulinkou.tripod.com/dawg2e.html|work=Shu LinKou Air Station: World War II|publisher=Ken Ashley, U.S. military photo archives|accessdate=14 June 2011}}</ref> Also during this time, over 2,000 women were forced into sexual slavery for Imperial Japanese troops, now euphemistically called "[[comfort women]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201308140029.aspx |title=Protesters demand justice from Japan on 'comfort women' (update) &#124; Society &#124; FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS |publisher=Focustaiwan.tw |date=14 August 2013 |accessdate=30 December 2013}}</ref>

In 1938, there were 309,000 [[Japanese people|Japanese settlers]] in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Formosa (Taiwan) Under Japanese Rule|first=A. J.|last=Grajdanzev|journal=Pacific Affairs|volume=15|year=1942|pages=311–324|jstor=2752241|issue=3|doi=10.2307/2752241}}</ref> After World War II, most of the Japanese were [[World War II evacuation and expulsion|repatriated to Japan]].{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}

===After World War II===
[[File:19451025 中國戰區臺灣省受降典禮後 臺灣省警備總司令部全體官兵合影.jpg|thumb|220px|Celebrating [[Retrocession Day|Taiwan's retrocession]] at [[Zhongshan Hall|Taipei City Hall]], 1945.<ref>[http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2005/new/aug/15/today-o3.htm 《李筱峰專欄》從一張照片談終戰], [[自由時報]], 2005年8月15日</ref>]]
{{Further|Taiwan after World War II|First Taiwan Strait Crisis}}
On 25 October 1945, the [[U.S. Navy]] ferried ROC troops to Taiwan in order to accept the formal surrender of Japanese military forces in [[Taipei]] (then part of [[Taihoku Prefecture]]), as part of [[General Order No. 1]] for temporary military occupation. General [[Rikichi Andō]], governor-general of Taiwan and commander-in-chief of all Japanese forces on the island, signed the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|instrument of surrender]] and handed it over to General [[Chen Yi (Kuomintang)|Chen Yi]] of the ROC military to complete the official turnover. Chen Yi proclaimed that day to be "[[Retrocession Day|Taiwan Retrocession Day]]", but the [[Allies of WWII|Allies]] considered Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to be under [[military occupation]] and still under Japanese sovereignty until 1952, when the [[Treaty of San Francisco]] took effect.<ref>{{Cite journal
|url=http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1955/may/04/far-east-formosa-and-the-pescadores#S5CV0540P0_19550504_HOC_582
|title=Far East (Formosa and the Pescadores)
|publisher=U.K. Parliament |journal=Hansard |volume=540
|date=4 May 1955
|quote=The sovereignty was Japanese until 1952. The Japanese Treaty came into force, and at that time Formosa was being administered by the Chinese Nationalists, to whom it was entrusted in 1945, as a military occupation.
|accessdate=1 September 2010 |issue=cc1870–4
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
|title=Resolving Cross-Strait Relations Between China and Taiwan
|first1=Jonathan I. |last1=Charney |first2=J. R. V. |last2=Prescott
|journal=American Journal of International Law
|volume=94 |issue=3 |year=2000 |pages=453–477
|quote=After occupying Taiwan in 1945 as a result of Japan's surrender, the Nationalists were defeated on the mainland in 1949, abandoning it to retreat to Taiwan.
|jstor=2555319
|doi=10.2307/2555319
}}</ref>

The ROC administration of Taiwan under [[Chen Yi (KMT)|Chen Yi]] was strained by increasing tensions between Taiwan-born people and newly arrived mainlanders, which were compounded by economic woes, such as [[hyperinflation]]. Furthermore, cultural and linguistic conflicts between the two groups quickly led to the loss of popular support for the new government.<ref>{{cite news |title=This Is the Shame |date=10 June 1946 |newspaper=Time |location = New York |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,792979,00.html}}</ref> The shooting of a civilian on 28 February 1947 triggered island-wide unrest, which was suppressed with military force in what is now called the [[228 Incident]]. Mainstream estimates of the number killed range from 18,000 to 30,000, mainly Taiwanese elites.<ref>{{cite news |title=China: Snow Red & Moon Angel |date=7 April 1947 |newspaper=Time | location = New York |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804090,00.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackleton |first1=Allan J. |year=1998 |title=Formosa Calling: An Eyewitness Account of Conditions in Taiwan during the February 28th, 1947 Incident |url=http://homepage.usask.ca/~llr130/taiwanlibrary/formosacalling/formosa-calling.pdf |location=Upland, California |publisher=Taiwan Publishing Company |oclc=40888167 |accessdate=18 December 2014 }}</ref>

===Chinese Nationalist one-party rule===
{{Main|Taiwan after World War II|History of the Republic of China#Republic of China on Taiwan (1949–present)|l12=History of the Republic of China on Taiwan (1949–present)}}
{{For|the history of Republic of China before 1949|Republic of China (1912–1949)}}

[[File:Chiang Kai-shek in full uniform.jpeg|thumb|upright|[[Chiang Kai-shek]], leader of the [[Kuomintang]] from 1925 until his death in 1975|alt=A Chinese man in military uniform, smiling and looking towards the left. He holds a sword in his left hand and has a medal in shape of a sun on his chest.]]

After the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War resumed between the Chinese Nationalists ([[Kuomintang]]), led by [[Chiang Kai-shek]], and the [[Communist Party of China|Chinese Communist Party]], led by [[Mao Zedong]]. By 1949, a series of Chinese Communist offensives led to the defeat of the Nationalist army, and the Communists founded the [[People's Republic of China]] on 1 October.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kubek|first=Anthony |title=How the Far East was lost: American policy and the creation of Communist China|year=1963|isbn=0-85622-000-0}}</ref>

In December 1949, Chiang evacuated his government to Taiwan and made Taipei the [[temporary capital]] of the ROC (also called the "wartime capital" by Chiang Kai-shek).<ref name="wartime-capital">{{cite web |last=Huang |first=Fu-san |date=2010 |url=http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=27358&CtNode=2527&mp=21 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429070335/http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=27358&CtNode=2527&mp=21 |archivedate=29 April 2011 |script-title=zh:臺灣簡史－麻雀變鳳凰的故事 |language=Chinese |trans-title=A Brief History of Taiwan: A Sparrow Transformed into a Phoenix |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China|accessdate=13 September 2009|quote=1949年，國民政府退守臺灣後，以臺北為戰時首都}}</ref> Some 2 million people, consisting mainly of soldiers, members of the ruling Kuomintang and intellectual and business elites, were evacuated from mainland China to Taiwan at that time, adding to the earlier population of approximately six million. In addition, the ROC government took to Taipei many national treasures and much of China's [[Official gold reserves|gold reserves]] and foreign currency reserves.<ref name="bbctimeline-retreat">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/enwiki/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1949_1955.stm|title=Taiwan Timeline&nbsp;– Retreat to Taiwan|year=2000|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=21 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Dunbabin |first=J. P. D. |title=The Cold War |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2008 |page=187 |isbn=0-582-42398-8 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=IVriqPvx7iwC&pg=PA187 |quote=In 1949 Chiang Kai-shek had transferred to Taiwan the government, gold reserve, and some of the army of his Republic of China.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Ng|first=Franklin|title=The Taiwanese Americans|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1998|page=10|url=https://books.google.com/?id=lPzsB_wJQW0C&pg=PA10|isbn=978-0-313-29762-5}}</ref>

From this point onwards, the Kuomintang was reduced to control of Taiwan, [[Kinmen]], [[Matsu Islands]], and two major islands of [[Dongsha Islands]] and [[Nansha Islands]]. The Kuomintang continued to claim sovereignty over all "China", which it defined to include [[mainland China]], Taiwan, [[Outer Mongolia]] and [[Administrative divisions of the Republic of China|other areas]]. On mainland China, the victorious Communists claimed they ruled the sole and only China (which they claimed included Taiwan) and that the Republic of China no longer existed.<ref>{{cite web |year= 2005 |title=The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue |work=PRC Taiwan Affairs Office and the Information Office of the State Council |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210182724/http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asp?table=WhitePaper&title=White%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&m_id=4|url=http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asp?table=WhitePaper&title=White%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&m_id=4|archivedate=10 February 2006 | quote = 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.}}</ref>

Martial law, declared on Taiwan in May 1949,<ref name="martial">{{cite web |publisher=National Archives Administration, National Development Council |url=http://www.archives.gov.tw/Publish.aspx?cnid=1014&p=857 |script-title=zh:三、 台灣戒嚴令 |language=Chinese |trans-title=III. Decree to establish martial law in Taiwan |date=2 October 2009 |accessdate=23 May 2012}}</ref> continued to be in effect after the central government relocated to Taiwan. It was not repealed until 1987,<ref name="martial" /> and was used as a way to suppress the political opposition in the intervening years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm|title=28 February 1947&nbsp;– Taiwan's Holocaust Remembered&nbsp;– 60th Commemoration|year=2007|publisher=New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa|accessdate=2 July 2009}}</ref> During the [[White Terror (Taiwan)|White Terror]], as the period is known, 140,000 people were imprisoned or executed for being perceived as anti-KMT or pro-Communist.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20080716-77050.html|title=Taiwan president apologises for 'white terror' era|agency=Reuters|accessdate=2 July 2009}}</ref> Many citizens were arrested, tortured, imprisoned and executed for their real or perceived link to the Communists. Since these people were mainly from the intellectual and social elite, an entire generation of political and social leaders was decimated. In 1998 law was passed to create the "Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts" which oversaw compensation to White Terror victims and families. President Ma Ying-jeou made an official apology in 2008, expressing hope that there will never be a tragedy similar to White Terror.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7509805.stm | title= Taiwan sorry for white terror era | first = Caroline | last = Gluck | date = 16 July 2008 | publisher = BBC News | location = London }}</ref>

Initially, the United States abandoned the KMT and expected that Taiwan would fall to the Communists. However, in 1950 the conflict between [[North Korea]] and [[South Korea]], which had been ongoing since the Japanese withdrawal in 1945, escalated into full-blown war, and in the context of the Cold War, US President [[Harry S. Truman]] intervened again and [[First Taiwan Strait Crisis|dispatched the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet]] into the [[Taiwan Strait]] to prevent hostilities between Taiwan and mainland China.<ref name=1950-US-DoD>{{Cite journal|author=US Department of Defense |title=Classified Teletype Conference, dated 27 June 1950, between the Pentagon and General Douglas MacArthur regarding authorization to use naval and air forces in support of South Korea. Papers of Harry S. Truman: Naval Aide Files |publisher=Truman Presidential Library and Museum |year=1950 |url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/week1/kw_22_1.htm|page=1 and 4|quote=Page 1: In addition 7th Fleet will take station so as to prevent invasion of Formosa and to insure that Formosa not be used as base of operations against Chinese mainland." Page 4: "Seventh Fleet is hereby assigned to operational control CINCFE for employment in following task hereby assigned CINCFE: By naval and air action prevent any attack on Formosa, or any air or sea offensive from Formosa against mainland of China.}}</ref> In the [[Treaty of San Francisco]] and the [[Treaty of Taipei]], which came into force respectively on 28 April 1952 and 5 August 1952, Japan formally renounced all right, claim and title to Taiwan and Penghu, and renounced all treaties signed with China before 1942. Neither treaty specified to whom sovereignty over the islands should be transferred, because the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]] disagreed on whether the ROC or the PRC was the legitimate government of China.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Alagappa|first=Muthiah|title=Taiwan's presidential politics|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|year=2001|page=265|url=https://books.google.com/?id=2Zx7nPeGWgwC&pg=PA265|isbn=978-0-7656-0834-5}}</ref> Continuing conflict of the Chinese Civil War through the 1950s, and intervention by the United States notably resulted in legislation such as the [[Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty]] and the [[Formosa Resolution of 1955]].

[[File:U.S. President Eisenhower visited TAIWAN 美國總統艾森豪於1960年6月訪問臺灣台北時與蔣中正總統-2.jpg|thumb|With President Chiang Kai-shek, the U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] waved to crowds during his visit to [[Taipei]] in June 1960.]]
As the Chinese Civil War continued without truce, the government built up military fortifications throughout Taiwan. Within this effort, KMT veterans 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 China coastal islands with an unknown number of [[Project National Glory|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, the ROC maintained an authoritarian, single-party government while its economy became industrialized and technology oriented. This rapid economic growth, known as the [[Taiwan Miracle]], was the result of a fiscal regime independent from mainland China and backed up, among others, by the support of US funds and demand for Taiwanese products.<ref name="bbctimeline-coldwar">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/enwiki/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1955_1972.stm|title=Taiwan Timeline&nbsp;– Cold war fortress|year=2002|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2 July 2009}}</ref>{{sfnp|Makinen|Woodward|1989|ps=: "Yet, the Chinese Nationalist government attempted to isolate Taiwan from the mainland inflation by creating it as an independent currency area. And during the later stages of the civil war it was able to end the hyperinflation on Taiwan, something it was unable to do on the mainland despite two attempts."}} In the 1970s, Taiwan was economically the second fastest growing state in Asia after Japan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917286-3,00.html|title=China: Chiang Kai-shek: Death of the Casualty|date=14 April 1975|newspaper=Time|page=3|accessdate=16 December 2009}}</ref> Taiwan, along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore, became known as one of the [[Four Asian Tigers]]. 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. Later, especially after the termination of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, most nations switched [[diplomatic recognition]] to the PRC (see [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758]]).

Up until the 1970s, the government was regarded by Western critics as undemocratic for upholding martial law, for severely repressing any political opposition and for controlling media. The KMT did not allow the creation of new parties and those that existed did not seriously compete with the KMT. Thus, competitive democratic elections did not exist.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sun|first=Yat-sen |author2=Julie Lee Wei |author3=Ramon Hawley Myers |author4=Donald G. Gillin |title=Prescriptions for saving China: selected writings of Sun Yat-sen|editor=Julie Lee Wei, Ramon Hawley Myers, Donald G. Gillin|publisher=Hoover Press|year=1994|page=36|isbn=0-8179-9281-2|url=https://books.google.com/?id=YA3TzmnYRpYC|quote=The party first applied Sun's concept of political tutelage by governing through martial law, not tolerating opposition parties, controlling the public media, and using the 1947 constitution drawn up on the China mainland to govern. Thus, much of the world in those years gave the government low scores for democracy and human rights but admitted it had accomplished an economic miracle.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Chao|first=Linda|author2=Ramon Hawley Myers |title=Democracy's new leaders in the Republic of China on Taiwan|publisher=Hoover Press|year=1997|page=3|isbn=0-8179-3802-8|url=https://books.google.com/?id=tIiAd4MABAIC|quote=Although this party [the KMT] had initiated a democratic breakthrough and guided the democratic transition, it had also upheld martial law for thirty-six years and severely repressed political dissent and any efforts to establish an opposition party. [...] How was it possible that this party, so hated by opposition politicians and long regarded by Western critics as a dictatorial, Leninist-type party, still remained in power?}}</ref>{{sfnp|Fung|2000|p=67|ps=: "Nanjing was not only undemocratic and repressive but also inefficient and corrupt. [...] Furthermore, like other authoritarian regimes, the GMD sought to control people's mind."}}{{sfnp|Fung|2000|p=85|ps=: "The response to national emergency, critics argued, was not merely military, it was, even more important, political, requiring the termination of one-party dictatorship and the development of democratic institutions."}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Copper|first=John Franklin |title=Consolidating Taiwan's democracy|publisher=University Press of America|year=2005|page=8|isbn=0-7618-2977-6|url=https://books.google.com/?id=761bWuEtEfEC|quote=Also, the "Temporary Provisions" (of the Constitution) did not permit forming new political parties, and those that existed at this time did not seriously compete with the Nationalist Party. Thus, at the national level the KMT did not permit competitive democratic elections.}}</ref> From the late 1970s to the 1990s, however, Taiwan went through reforms and social changes that transformed it from an authoritarian state to a democracy. In 1979, a pro-democracy protest known as the [[Kaohsiung Incident]] took place in [[Kaohsiung]] to celebrate [[Human Rights Day]]. Although the protest was rapidly crushed by the authorities, it is today considered as the main event that united Taiwan's opposition.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/enwiki/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1972_1986.stm|title=Out with the old|year=2002|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=30 October 2009}}</ref>

===Democratization===
{{Main|History of Taiwan#Democratic reforms|l1=Democratic reforms of Taiwan}}
[[Chiang Ching-kuo]], [[Chiang Kai-shek]]'s son and successor as the president, began to liberalize the political system in the mid-1980s. In 1984, the younger Chiang selected [[Lee Teng-hui]], a Taiwanese-born, 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 the ROC to counter the KMT. A year later, Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law on the main island of Taiwan (martial law was lifted on Penghu in 1979, Matsu island in 1992 and Kinmen island in 1993). With the advent of democratization, the issue of the [[political status of Taiwan]] gradually resurfaced as a controversial issue where, previously, the discussion of anything other than unification under the ROC was [[taboo]].

After the death of Chiang Ching-kuo in January 1988, Lee Teng-hui succeeded him as president. 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 [[Taiwanese localization movement|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 Province|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 of the Republic of China|National Assembly]], elected in 1947 to represent mainland Chinese constituencies and having held 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, reflecting the reality that the ROC had no jurisdiction over mainland China, and vice versa. Restrictions on the use of [[Taiwanese Hokkien]] in the broadcast media and in schools were also lifted.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}

Democratic reforms continued in the 1990s, with Lee Teng-hui re-elected in 1996, in the first direct presidential election in the history of the ROC.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/enwiki/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1986_1999.stm|title=Taiwan Timeline&nbsp;– Path to democracy|year=2002|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref> During the 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 2000, [[Chen Shui-bian]] of the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] was elected as the first non-Kuomintang (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 [[Cross-Strait Unification|Chinese reunification]], and the [[Pan-Green Coalition]] of parties led by the DPP, favoring an eventual and official declaration of [[Taiwanese independence]].

On 30 September 2007, the ruling DPP approved a [[Resolution (law)|resolution]] asserting a 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 country's name, without abolishing its formal name, the Republic of China.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jF4syWWBWq5u3MZEs-3s9IUT8pGgD8RVKVM80|title=AP, Taiwan Party Asserts Separate Identity}}{{Dead link|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jF4syWWBWq5u3MZEs-3s9IUT8pGgD8RVKVM80|date=May 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref name="lam200803">{{cite journal | last = Lam | first = Willy | title = Ma Ying-jeou and the Future of Cross-Strait Relations | journal = China Brief | volume = 8 | issue = 7 | publisher = Jamestown Foundation | date = 28 March 2008 | url = http://jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2374064 | accessdate = 4 April 2008 | format =&nbsp;– <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3ALam+intitle%3AMa+Ying-jeou+and+the+Future+of+Cross-Strait+Relations&as_publication=China+Brief&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup> |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080413105956/http://www.jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2374064 |archivedate = 13 April 2008 | ref = harv}}</ref> 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.<ref name = "economist20080323">{{cite news | title = The Nationalists are back in Taiwan | newspaper = The Economist | location = London | date = 23 March 2008 }}</ref><ref name = "ft20080325">{{Cite news | title = Straitened times: Taiwan looks to China | newspaper = Financial Times | date= 25 March 2008 | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07d43e18-fa9a-11dc-aa46-000077b07658.html}}</ref>

The KMT increased its majority in the Legislative Yuan in the [[Republic of China legislative election, 2008|January 2008 legislative elections]], while its nominee [[Ma Ying-jeou]] went on to [[Republic of China presidential election, 2008|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 "[[Special non-state-to-state relations|mutual nondenial]]".<ref name="lam200803" /> Ma took office on 20 May 2008, the same day that President Chen Shui-bian stepped down and was notified by prosecutors of [[Chen Shui-bian corruption charges|possible corruption charges]]. Part of the rationale for campaigning for closer economic ties with the PRC stems 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/20 August 2009-voa17.cfm |title=Taiwan-China Economic Ties Boom, Military Tensions Remain &#124; English |publisher=Voice of America |date=20 August 2009 |accessdate=1 August 2010}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Taiwan}}
[[File:Taiwan-fromair Dec2013.ogv|thumb|left|(video) Looking down at [[Taoyuan City|Taoyuan]] from the air.]]
[[File:Taiwan NASA Terra MODIS 23791.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east, with gently sloping plains in the west. The [[Penghu Islands]] are west of the main island.]]

The total area of the [[Free area of the Republic of China|current jurisdiction of the Republic of China]] is {{convert|36193|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}},<ref name="taiwan-popstat">{{cite web|url=http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-01.xls|title=Number of Villages, Neighborhoods, Households and Resident Population |publisher=MOI Statistical Information Service |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> making it the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|137th-largest]] country/dependency, smaller than [[Switzerland]] and larger than [[Belgium]].

The island of Taiwan lies some {{convert|180|km}} off the southeastern coast of mainland China, which lies across the [[Taiwan Strait]], and has an area of {{convert|35883|km2|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="taiwan-popstat"/> The [[East China Sea]] lies to the north, the [[Philippine Sea]] to the east, the [[Bashi Channel]] of the [[Luzon Strait]] directly to the south, and the [[South China Sea]] to the southwest. All are [[arm (geography)|arm]]s of the [[Pacific Ocean]].
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 [[Min Nan]] speakers) often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato."<ref>Chao, Kang; Johnson, Marshall (2000). "Nationalist Social Sciences and the Fabrication of Subimperial Subjects in Taiwan." ''Positions'' '''8'''(1) p. 167.</ref>

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 Plain]]s in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is [[Yushan (mountain)|Yu Shan]] (Jade Mountain) at {{convert|3952|m}};{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=43}} Taiwan is the world's [[List of islands by highest point|fourth-highest island]].

The [[Penghu Islands]], {{convert|50|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} west of the main island, have an area of {{convert|126.9|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}. More distant islands controlled by the Republic of China are the [[Kinmen]], [[Wuchiu]] and [[Matsu Islands]] off the coast of [[Fujian]], with a total area of {{convert|180.5|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}, and the [[Pratas Islands]] and [[Taiping Island]] in the South China Sea, with a total area of {{convert|2.9|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}} and no permanent inhabitants.<ref name="taiwan-popstat"/>

==Climate==
Taiwan lies on the [[Tropic of Cancer]], and its general [[climate]] is marine [[tropical climate|tropical]].<ref name=cia-factbook /> The northern and central regions are subtropical, whereas the south is tropical and the mountainous regions are temperate.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=44}} The average rainfall is 2,600&nbsp;mm per year for the island proper; the [[East Asian rainy season|rainy season]] is concurrent with the onset of the summer [[East Asian Monsoon]] in May and June.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=45}} The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. [[Typhoon]]s are most common in July, August and September.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=45}} During the winter (November to March), the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the island are mostly sunny.

==Geology==
{{main|Geology of Taiwan}}
[[File:DabajianMountain.jpg|thumb|[[Dabajian Mountain]]]]
The island of Taiwan lies in a complex [[tectonics|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 [[terrane]]s, mostly old [[island arc]]s 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 [[subduction|subducted]] beneath remnants of the Philippine Sea Plate, a process which left the crust under Taiwan more buoyant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geo.arizona.edu/~anderson/taiwan/tai_index.html |title=Geology of Taiwan&nbsp;— University of Arizona |publisher=Geo.arizona.edu |accessdate=1 August 2010}}</ref>

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 Volcanic Arc|Luzon Arc]] and Luzon forearc form the [[Haian Range|eastern Coastal Range]] and parallel inland [[Huatung Valley|Longitudinal Valley]] of Taiwan respectively.<ref>Clift, Schouten and Draut (2003) in ''Intra-Oceanic Subduction Systems: Tectonic and Magmatic Processes'', ISBN 1-86239-147-5 p84–86</ref>

The major seismic faults in Taiwan correspond to the various suture zones between the various [[terrane]]s. These have produced major quakes throughout the history of the island. On 21 September 1999, a 7.3 quake known as the "[[1999 Jiji earthquake|921 earthquake]]" killed more than 2,400 people. The [[seismic hazard map]] for Taiwan by the USGS shows 9/10 of the island as the highest rating (most hazardous).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/GSHAP/eastasia/asiafin.gif |title=USGS seismic hazard map of Eastern Asia |publisher=Seismo.ethz.ch |accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref>

==Political and legal status==
{{Main|Political status of Taiwan}}

The political and legal statuses of Taiwan are contentious issues. The [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) claims that the Republic of China government is illegitimate, referring to it as the "Taiwan Authority". The ROC, however, with its own constitution, independently elected president and armed forces, continues to view itself as a [[sovereign state]]. The present territory of the state has never been controlled by the PRC.<ref>{{cite web|year=2005 |title=The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue |work=PRC Taiwan Affairs Office and the Information Office of the State Council |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213045631/http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asp?table=WhitePaper&title=White%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&m_id=4|url=http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asp?table=WhitePaper&title=White%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&m_id=4|archivedate=13 February 2006 |accessdate=3 December 2014}} Section 1: "Since the KMT ruling clique retreated to Taiwan, although its regime has continued to use the designations "Republic of China" and "government of the Republic of China," it has long since completely forfeited its right to exercise state sovereignty on behalf of mainland China and, in reality, has always remained only a separate state on the island of Taiwan."</ref><ref>BBC News, "Taiwan Flashpoint", "But Taiwan's leaders say it is clearly much more than a province, arguing that it is a sovereign state. It has its own constitution, democratically elected leaders, and 400,000 troops in its armed forces."</ref> Internationally, there is controversy on whether the ROC still exists as a state or a defunct state per [[international law]] due to the loss of membership/recognition in the [[United Nations]] and lack of wide [[diplomatic recognition]]. In a poll of Taiwanese aged 20 and older taken by the [[TVBS]] in March 2009, a majority of 64% opted for the status quo, while 19% favored independence and 5% unification.<ref name="tid-tvbs-survey"/>

===Relations with the PRC===
{{See also|Cross-Strait relations}}
The political environment is complicated by the potential for military conflict should Taiwan make overt actions toward de jure independence; it is the official PRC policy to use force to ensure reunification if peaceful reunification is no longer possible, as stated in its [[Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China|anti-secession law]], and for this reason there are substantial military installations on the [[Fujian]] coast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/facility/liancheng.htm|title=Liancheng / Lianfeng Airbase&nbsp;– Chinese Military Forces|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|accessdate=7 June 2009|quote=In March 2000 it was reported that the PLA Air Force was deploying new air-defense missiles [possibly batteries of Russian-made S-300 missiles] opposite Taiwan at the coastal cities of Xiamen and Shantou, and at Longtian, near Fuzhou.}}</ref><ref name=2004NatDefRpt>{{cite web|year=2004 |title=2004 National Defense Report |format=PDF |work=ROC Ministry of National Defense |url=http://report.mnd.gov.tw/eng/pdf/all-1-360.pdf |accessdate=5 March 2006|pages=89–90|quote=The PRC refusal to renounce using military power against Taiwan, its current emphasis on 'enhancing preparation for military struggle', its obvious intention of preparing a war against Taiwan reflected in operational deployment, readiness efforts, and annual military exercises in the Southeast China coastal region, and its progress in aerospace operations, information warfare, paralyzing warfare, and non-conventional warfare, all of these factors work together so that the ROC Armed Forces face an increasingly complicated and difficult situation in terms of self-defense and counterattack. These multiple daunting challenges are testing our defense security. |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060311012134/http://report.mnd.gov.tw/eng/pdf/all-1-360.pdf |archivedate = 11 March 2006}}</ref> However, in recent years, the PRC has moved towards promoting peaceful relations, including stronger economic ties,<ref>{{cite news|title=China's 'One Country, Two Systems' Trap|url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304914204579394311122259036|accessdate=14 April 2015|work=Wall Street Journal|date=12 March 2014}}</ref> with the current ROC government aimed at unification through the [[one country, two systems]] formula.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Forsythe|first1=Michael|title=Protests in Hong Kong Have Roots in China’s ‘Two Systems’|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/world/asia/the-hong-kong-protests-what-you-should-know.html|accessdate=14 April 2015|work=New York Times|date=29 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Chung|first1=Lawrence|title='One country, two systems' right formula for Taiwan, Xi Jinping reiterates|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1601307/one-country-two-systems-right-formula-taiwan-xi-jinping-reiterates?page=all|accessdate=14 April 2015|work=South China Morning Post|date=27 September 2014}}</ref>

The PRC supports a version of the [[One-China policy]], which states that Taiwan and mainland China are both part of China, and that the PRC is the only legitimate government of China. It uses this policy to prevent the international recognition of the ROC as an independent sovereign state. For its part, the People's Republic of China appears to find the retention of the name "Republic of China" more acceptable than an official declaration of an independent Taiwan. With the rise of the Taiwanese independence movement, the name "Taiwan" has been employed increasingly often on the island.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article2606939.ece|title=War of words after call for independence|last=Macartney|first=Jane |date=6 March 2007|newspaper=The Times|accessdate=4 June 2009 | location=London}}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Taiwan}}
[[Image:RC (Taiwan).png|thumb|right|Countries maintaining relations with the ROC{{legend|#008000|diplomatic relations and [[embassy]] in [[Taipei]]}}
{{legend|#0080ff|unofficial relations (see text)}}|alt=A map of the world showing countries which have relations with the Republic of China. Only a few small countries officially recognize the government of Taiwan, mainly in Central America, South America and Africa.]]
Before 1928, the [[foreign policy]] of Republican China was complicated by a lack of internal unity—competing centers of power all claimed legitimacy. This situation changed after the defeat of the [[Beiyang Government|Peiyang Government]] by the Kuomintang, which led to widespread diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.state.gov/countries/china |title=Countries&nbsp;– China|publisher=US Department of State, Office of the Historian|accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

After the KMT's retreat to Taiwan, most countries, notably the countries in the [[Western Bloc]], continued to maintain relations with the ROC. Due to diplomatic pressure, recognition gradually eroded and many countries switched recognition to the PRC in the 1970s. [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758|UN Resolution 2758]] (25 October 1971) recognized the [[People's Republic of China]] as China's sole representative in the [[United Nations]].<ref>Eyal Propper. [http://israelcfr.com/documents/issue5_china.pdf "How China Views its National Security,"] [[Israel Council on Foreign Relations|The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs]], May 2008.</ref>

The PRC refuses to have diplomatic relations with any nation that recognizes the ROC, and requires all nations with which it has diplomatic relations to make a statement recognizing its claims to Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Henckaerts|first=Jean-Marie|title=The international status of Taiwan in the new world order|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|year=1996|pages=96–97|isbn=90-411-0929-3|url=https://books.google.com/?id=_9kuVIayxDoC&pg=PA96}}</ref> As a result, only {{Numrec|ROC||UN member states}} and the [[Holy See]] maintain official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. The ROC maintains unofficial relations with most countries via ''[[de facto]]'' [[embassy|embassies]] and [[consul (representative)|consulates]] called [[Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office]]s (TECRO), with branch offices called "Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices" (TECO). Both TECRO and TECO are "unofficial commercial entities" of the ROC in charge of maintaining [[diplomacy|diplomatic relations]], providing consular services (i.e. visa applications), and serving the national interests of the ROC in other countries.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Vang|first=Pobzeb |title=Five Principles of Chinese Foreign Policies|publisher=AuthorHouse|year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4343-6971-0|url=https://books.google.com/?id=TvXlFsxmJiMC|page=46}}</ref>

The [[United States]] remains one of the [[Republic of China-United States relations|main allies]] of the country and, through the [[Taiwan Relations Act]] passed in 1979, has continued selling arms and provide military training to the [[Republic of China Armed Forces|Armed Forces]].<ref name="TRA-review">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/asiaandthepacific/bg1272.cfm|title=The Taiwan Relations Act After 20 Years: Keys to Past and Future Success|last= Yates|first= Stephen J.|date=16 April 1999|publisher=The Heritage Foundation|accessdate=19 July 2009}}</ref> This situation continues to be an issue for the People's Republic of China which considers US involvement disruptive to the stability of the region. In January 2010, the Obama administration announced its intention to sell $6.4 billion worth of military hardware to Taiwan. As a consequence, the PRC threatened the US with economic sanctions and warned that their cooperation on international and regional issues could suffer.<ref name="SanctionsAFP">{{cite news|title=China: US spat over Taiwan could hit co-operation |date=2 February 2010 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDzKLVZ7X2dz8yrsshklcJZh38Cg |work=[[Google News]] |publisher=[[Google]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206214100/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDzKLVZ7X2dz8yrsshklcJZh38Cg |archivedate=6 February 2010 |accessdate=17 July 2014}}</ref>

The official position of the United States is that the PRC is expected to "use no force or threat[en] to use force against Taiwan" and the ROC is to "exercise prudence in managing all aspects of [[Cross-Strait relations]]." Both are to refrain from performing actions or espousing statements "that would unilaterally alter Taiwan's status."<ref name="UsPolicyToTaiwan">{{cite press release |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |date=21 April 2004|title=Overview of US Policy Towards Taiwan |url=http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2004/31649.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410165253/http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2004/31649.htm |archivedate=10 April 2008 |accessdate=17 July 2014 |last=Kelly |first=James A.}}</ref>

===Participation in international events and organizations===
[[Image:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg|thumb|The flag used by the ROC at the Olympic Games, where it competes as "[[Chinese Taipei]]" (中華台北).|alt=A white symbol in shape of a five petal flower ringed by a blue and a red line. In its center stands a circular symbol depicting a white sun on a blue background. The five Olympic circles (blue, yellow, black, green and red) stand below it.]]

The ROC was a founding member of the United Nations, and held the [[China and the United Nations|seat of China]] on the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] and other UN bodies until 1971, when it was expelled by Resolution 2758 and replaced in all UN organs with the PRC. Each year since 1992, the ROC has petitioned the UN for entry, but its applications have not made it past committee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taiwandc.org/un-2001.htm |title=Taiwan and the United Nations |publisher=New Taiwan |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

Due to its limited international recognition, the Republic of China is a member of the [[Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization]], represented by a government-funded organization, the [[Taiwan Foundation for Democracy]] (TFD) under the name "Taiwan".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unpo.org/content/view/7908/146/ |title=Taiwan |publisher=UNPO |accessdate=7 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfd.org.tw/english/about.php|title=About TFD|publisher=TFD}}</ref>

Also due to its One China policy, the PRC only participates in international organizations where the ROC is not recognized as a sovereign country. Most [[Member states of the United Nations|member states]], including the United States, do not wish to discuss the issue of the ROC's political status for fear of souring diplomatic ties with the PRC.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tkacik |first=John |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/05/13/2003443455 |title=JOHN TKACIK ON TAIWAN: Taiwan’s ‘undetermined’ status|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=13 May 2009 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> However, both the U.S. and [[Japan]] publicly support the ROC's bid for membership in the [[World Health Organization]] as an observer.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Su |first=Joy |title=WHO application: a question of health or politics? |date=19 May 2004 |newspaper=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/05/19/2003156094}}</ref> However, though the ROC has sought to participate in the WHO since 1997,<ref>{{cite news|title=Minster Chiu leads our WHA delegation to actively hold bilateral talks with delegations from other nations. This event has been the most successful medical-related diplomatic record over the past years.|url=http://www.mohw.gov.tw/EN/CommonPages/DocPrint.aspx?doc_no=45250|accessdate=27 January 2015|publisher=Ministry of Health and Welfare|date=18 June 2014|location=Republic of China}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=ROC urges world public to support WHO bid|url=http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=19343&CtNode=103&htx_TRCategory=&mp=4|accessdate=27 January 2015|work=Taiwan Info|date=3 May 2002}}</ref> their efforts have consistently been blocked by the PRC, until 2010, when they were invited as observers to attend the [[World Health Assembly]], under the name "[[Chinese Taipei]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xitem=103148&ctnode=427&mp=9|title=Taiwan delegation to participate in WHA|newspaper=Taiwan Today |date=14 May 2010 |accessdate=2 January 2015}}</ref>

Due to PRC pressure, the ROC is forced to use the name "[[Chinese Taipei]]" in international events, such as the [[Olympic Games]], where the PRC is also a party.<ref name="chinese-taipei">{{cite news|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan%20relations/2008/07/25/167036/Taiwan-insists.htm |title=Taiwan insists on 'Chinese Taipei' |newspaper=China Post |date=25 July 2008 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> The ROC is typically barred from using its national anthem and national flag in international events due to PRC pressure; ROC spectators attending events such as the Olympics are often barred from bringing [[Flag of the Republic of China|ROC flags]] into venues.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwan flags in Salt Lake ruffle a few feelings |date=10 February 2002 |newspaper=The Deseret News |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/894748/Taiwan-flags-in-SL-ruffle-a-few-feelings.html}}</ref> The ROC is able to participate as "China" in organizations that the PRC does not participate in, such as the [[World Organization of the Scout Movement]].

===Opinions within Taiwan===
{{See also|Taiwan independence|Chinese Unification}}
Within Taiwan, opinions are polarized between those supporting unification, represented by the [[Pan-Blue Coalition]] of parties, and those supporting independence, represented by the [[Pan-Green Coalition]].

The KMT, the largest Pan-Blue party, supports the status quo for the indefinite future with a stated ultimate goal of unification. However, it does not support unification in the short term with the PRC as such a prospect would be unacceptable to most of its members and the public.<ref name="ma-three-noes"/> Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of the KMT and the incumbent president of the ROC, has set out democracy, economic development to a level near that of Taiwan, and equitable wealth distribution as the conditions that the PRC must fulfill for reunification to occur.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national%20news/2008/05/16/156644/Unification-with.htm|title=Unification with China unlikely ‘in our lifetimes’: president-elect|last=Enav|first=Peter |date=16 May 2008|newspaper=China Post|accessdate=13 June 2009|quote='It is very difficult for us to see any unification talks even in our lifetimes,' Ma said. 'Taiwanese people would like to have economic interactions with the mainland, but obviously they don’t believe their political system is suitable for Taiwan.'}}</ref>

The [[Democratic Progressive Party]], the largest Pan-Green party, officially seeks independence, but in practice also supports the status quo because its members and the public would not accept the risk of provoking the PRC.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Eckholm |first=Erik |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/22/world/why-a-victory-in-taiwan-wasn-t-enough-for-some.html |title=Why a Victory in Taiwan Wasn't Enough for Some|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 March 2000 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=BBC News |title=Taiwan Flashpoint: Independence debate |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/independence_debate.stm |year=2009 |quote=Since neither outcome looks likely in the short or even medium term, it is perhaps not surprising that opinion polls suggest most Taiwanese people want things to stay as they are, with the island's ambiguous status unresolved.}}</ref>

On 2 September 2008, Mexican newspaper ''[[El Sol de Mexico|El Sol de México]]'' asked President Ma about his views on the subject of "[[two Chinas]]" and if there was a solution for the sovereignty issues between the two. The president replied that the relations are neither between two Chinas nor two states. It is a [[Special non-state-to-state relations|special relationship]]. Further, he stated that the sovereignty issues between the two cannot be resolved at present, but he quoted the "[[1992 Consensus]]", currently accepted by both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, as a temporary measure until a solution becomes available.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oem.com.mx/oem/notas/n836891.htm|title=Impulsa Taiwan la reconciliación|date=2 September 2008|newspaper=El Sol de México|language=Spanish|accessdate=9 June 2009|quote=Esencialmente, no definiríamos la relación a través del estrecho de Taiwan como una relación de dos países o dos Chinas, porque nuestra Constitución no lo permite. Nosotros definiríamos está relación como una relación muy especial, ya que la Constitución nuestra, igual que la Constitución de China continental, no permite la existencia de otro país dentro del territorio.}}</ref>

The relationship with the PRC and the related issues of Taiwanese independence and Chinese reunification continue to dominate politics.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=Mainland Affairs Council, ROC Executive Yuan |date=29 March 2005 |title=The Official Position of the Republic of China on China's Passing of the Anti-secession (Anti-Separation) Law |url=http://www.mac.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=68048&ctNode=5910&mp=3|quote=Section II-2: "'The Republic of China is an independent and sovereign state. Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to the 23 million people of Taiwan. Only the 23 million citizens of Taiwan may decide on the future of Taiwan.' This statement represents the greatest consensus within Taiwan's society today concerning the issues of national sovereignty and the future of Taiwan. It is also a common position shared by both the ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan. A recent opinion poll shows that more than 90% of the people of Taiwan agree with this position.}}</ref>

==Government==
{{Main|Government of the Republic of China}}
[[Image:Presidential Building, Taiwan (0747).JPG|thumb|right|The [[Presidential Office Building, Taipei|Presidential Building in Taipei]] has housed the Office of the President of the Republic of China since 1950|alt=A tall and large building with a tower in its center. A large road surrounded by trees leads to it.]]
The government of the Republic of China was founded on the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|Constitution of the ROC]] and its [[Three Principles of the People]], which states that the ROC "shall be a democratic republic of the people, to be governed by the people and for the people."<ref name="yb:government">{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook |url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/ |chapter=Chapter 4: Government |chapterurl=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch04.pdf |pages=55–65 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |year=2011}}</ref> The government is divided into five administrative branches (''Yuan''): the [[Executive Yuan]] (cabinet), the [[Legislative Yuan]], the [[Judicial Yuan]], the [[Control Yuan]] (audit agency), and the [[Examination Yuan]] (civil service examination agency). The Pan-Blue and Pan-Green coalitions are presently the dominant political blocs in the Republic of China.

The [[head of state]] and commander-in-chief of the [[Republic of China Armed Forces|armed forces]] is the [[President of the Republic of China|president]], who is elected by popular vote for a maximum of 2 four-year terms on the same ticket as the vice-president. The president has authority over the Yuan. The president appoints the members of the Executive Yuan as his [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]], including a [[Premier of the Republic of China|premier]], who is officially the President of the Executive Yuan; members are responsible for policy and administration.<ref name="yb:government"/>

The main [[Legislature|legislative body]] is the [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] Legislative Yuan with 113 seats. Seventy-three are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies; thirty-four are elected based on the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties in a separate party list ballot; and six are elected from two three-member aboriginal constituencies. Members serve four-year terms. Originally the unicameral [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]], as a standing [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]] and [[electoral college]], held some [[parliament]]ary functions, but the National Assembly was abolished in 2005 with the power of constitutional amendments handed over to the Legislative Yuan and all eligible voters of the Republic via referendums.<ref name="yb:government"/>

[[Image:馬英九總統.JPG|thumb|upright|[[President of the Republic of China|President]] [[Ma Ying-jeou]]|alt=An East Asian man in suit smiling to the crowd]]

The premier is selected by the president without the need for approval from the legislature, but the legislature can pass laws without regard for the president, as neither he nor the Premier wields veto power.<ref name="yb:government"/> Thus, there is little incentive for the president and the legislature to negotiate on legislation if they are of opposing parties. After the election of the pan-Green's Chen Shui-bian as President in 2000, legislation repeatedly stalled because of deadlock with the Legislative Yuan, which was controlled by a pan-Blue majority.<ref>{{cite news |last=Huang |first=Jei-hsuan |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2006/09/14/2003327608 |title=Letter: KMT holds the key|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=14 September 2006 |page=8 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> Historically, the ROC has been dominated by strongman single party politics. This legacy has resulted in executive powers currently being concentrated in the office of the president rather than the premier, even though the constitution does not explicitly state the extent of the president's executive power.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jayasuriya|first=Kanishka|title=Law, capitalism and power in Asia|publisher=Routledge|year=1999|page=217|url=https://books.google.com/?id=OqGSrD9QhXcC&pg=PA217|isbn=978-0-415-19743-4}}</ref>

The Judicial Yuan is the highest [[judiciary|judicial]] organ. It interprets the constitution and other laws and decrees, judges administrative suits, and disciplines public functionaries. The president and vice-president of the Judicial Yuan and additional thirteen justices form the Council of Grand Justices.<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (2005) |at=Article 5}}</ref> They are nominated and appointed by the president, with the consent of the Legislative Yuan. The highest court, the [[Supreme Court of the Republic of China|Supreme Court]], consists of a number of civil and criminal divisions, each of which is formed by a presiding judge and four associate judges, all appointed for life. In 1993, a separate [[List of constitutional courts|constitutional court]] was established to resolve constitutional disputes, regulate the activities of political parties and accelerate the democratization process. There is no [[jury trial|trial by jury]] but the right to a fair public trial is protected by law and respected in practice; many cases are presided over by multiple judges.<ref name="yb:government"/>

[[Capital punishment]] is still used in Taiwan, although efforts have been made by the government to reduce the number of executions. Nevertheless, according to a survey in 2006, about 80% of Taiwanese still wanted to keep the death penalty.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/01/02/2003287050|title=Nation keeps death penalty, but reduces executions|last=Chang|first=Rich |date=2 January 2006|newspaper=Taipei Times|accessdate=2 November 2009}}</ref>

The Control Yuan is a watchdog agency that monitors (controls) the actions of the executive. It can be considered a standing [[Government agency|commission]] for administrative inquiry and can be compared to the [[Court of Auditors]] of the [[European Union]] or the [[Government Accountability Office]] of the United States.<ref name="yb:government"/>

The Examination Yuan is in charge of validating the qualification of [[civil servant]]s. It is based on the old [[imperial examination]] system used in dynastic China. It can be compared to the [[European Personnel Selection Office]] of the European Union or the [[Office of Personnel Management]] of the United States.<ref name="yb:government"/>

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of the Republic of China}}
{{See also|Elections in the Republic of China|Human rights in Taiwan}}
[[File:Wu San-lien after election.jpg|thumb|[[Tangwai]] (Independent) Taiwanese-born politician [[Wu San-lian]] (2L) celebrated his landslide victory (65.5%) in [[Taipei|Taipei City]]'s first mayoral election in January 1951 with supporters.]]

The constitution of the Republic of China was drafted before the fall of mainland China to the [[Communist Party of China]]. It was created by the KMT for the purpose of all of its claimed territory, including Taiwan, even though the Communist Party boycotted the drafting of the constitution. The constitution went into effect on 25 December 1947.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ginsburg|first=Tom|title=Judicial review in new democracies|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=111|year=2003|isbn=0-521-52039-8|url=https://books.google.com/?id=qJrsouEjOZEC&pg=PA111}}</ref>

The ROC remained under martial law from 1948 until 1987 and much of the constitution was not in effect. Political reforms beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the early 1990s liberalized the country and transformed into a multiparty democracy. Since the lifting of martial law, the Republic of China has democratized and reformed, suspending constitutional components that were originally meant for the whole of China. This process of amendment continues. In 2000, the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] (DPP) won the [[President of the Republic of China|presidency]], ending KMT's continuous control of the government. In May 2005, a new National Assembly was elected to reduce the number of parliamentary seats and implement several constitutional reforms. These reforms have been passed; the National Assembly has essentially voted to abolish itself and transfer the power of constitutional reform to the popular ballot.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwan assembly passes changes |date=7 June 2005 |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4616043.stm}}</ref>

===Major camps===
{{multiple image
|width = 140
|footer =
|image1 = DPP-Taiwan.svg
|alt1 = A circular logo representing the island of Taiwan surrounded by the text "DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY" and "民主進步黨"
|caption1 = Emblem of the [[Democratic Progressive Party]], the main [[Pan-Green Coalition]] party.
|image2 = Emblem of the Kuomintang.svg
|alt2 = A circular logo representing a white sun on a blue background. The sun is a circle surrounded by twelve triangles.
|caption2 = Emblem of the [[Kuomintang]], the main [[Pan-Blue Coalition]] party.
}}

The tension between the PRC and Taiwan colors most of the political life, and any government move towards "Taiwan independence" is met by threat of military attack from the PRC.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1285915.stm|title=Country profile: Taiwan|date=11 September 2009|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=17 January 2010}}</ref> The PRC's official policy is to [[Cross-Strait Unification|reunify Taiwan and mainland China]] under the formula of "[[one country, two systems]]" and refuses to renounce the use of military force, especially should Taiwan seek a declaration of independence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.fapa.org/chinawp/chinathreatwp223.html|title=China's Threats, Editorial|date=23 February 2000|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref>

The political scene is generally divided into two major camps in terms of views on how Taiwan should relate to China or the PRC, referred to as [[cross-Strait relations]]. It is the main political difference between two camps: the [[Pan-Blue Coalition]], composed of the pro-unification [[Kuomintang]], [[People First Party (Republic of China)|People First Party]] (PFP), and [[New Party (Republic of China)|New Party]], who believe that the ROC is the sole legitimate government of "China" (including Taiwan) and supports eventual [[Cross-Strait Unification|Chinese reunification]]. The opposition [[Pan-Green Coalition]] is composed of the pro-independence DPP and [[Taiwan Solidarity Union|Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU)]]. It regards Taiwan as an independent, sovereign state [[Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China|synonymous with the ROC]], opposes the definition that Taiwan is part of "China", and seeks wide [[diplomatic recognition]] and an eventual declaration of formal [[Taiwan independence]].<ref>BBC News, "Taiwan Flashpoint", "Officially, the DPP still favours eventual independence for Taiwan, while the KMT favours eventual re-unification."</ref> The Pan-Green camp tends to favor emphasizing the Republic of China as being a distinct country from the People's Republic of China. Thus, in September 2007, the then 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 called also for general use of "''Taiwan''" as the country's name, without abolishing its formal name, the "Republic of China".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-30-taiwan_N.htm |title=Taiwan party asserts separate identity from China |newspaper=USA Today |date=30 September 2007 |accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref> Some members of the coalition, such as former [[President of the Republic of China|President]] Chen Shui-bian, argue that it is unnecessary to proclaim independence because "Taiwan is already an independent, sovereign country" and the Republic of China is the same as Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|author=Crisis Group |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1653&l=1 |title=Taiwan Strait I: What's Left of 'One China'?|publisher=International Crisis Group |date=6 June 2003 |accessdate=29 May 2009 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080709035143/http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1653&l=1 |archivedate = 9 July 2008}}</ref> Despite being a member of KMT prior to and during his presidency, [[Lee Teng-hui]] also held a similar view and was a supporter of the [[Taiwanization]] movement.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shirk |first=Susan L.|title=China: Fragile Superpower|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-19-530609-5}}</ref>

Pan-Blue members generally support the concept of the One-China policy, which states that there is only one China and that its only government is the ROC. They favor eventual re-unification of China.<ref name="panblue-reunif-chineseid">{{Cite book|last=Pares|first=Susan |title=A political and economic dictionary of East Asia|publisher=Routledge|date=24 February 2005|page=267|isbn=978-1-85743-258-9|url=https://books.google.com/?id=xJKePP5ATKUC|quote=The Pan-Blue coalition on the whole favours a Chinese nationalist identity and policies supporting reunification and increased economic links with the People's Republic of China.}}</ref> The more mainstream Pan-Blue position is to lift investment restrictions and pursue negotiations with the PRC to immediately open direct transportation links. Regarding independence, the mainstream Pan-Blue position is to maintain the [[status quo]], while refusing immediate [[Cross-Strait Unification|reunification]].<ref name="ma-three-noes">{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/01/21/2003398185 |title=Looking behind Ma's 'three noes'|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=21 January 2008 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> President [[Ma Ying-jeou]] stated that there will be no unification nor declaration of independence during his presidency.<ref name="MasClaimtoMainland">{{Cite news |last=Ko |first=Shu-Ling |title=Ma refers to China as ROC territory in magazine interview|newspaper=Taipei Times|date=8 October 2008|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/08/2003425320}}</ref><ref name="chinapost.com.tw">{{Cite news|title=Taiwan and China in 'special relations': Ma|newspaper=China Post|date=4 September 2008|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan%20relations/2008/09/04/173082/Taiwan-and.htm}}</ref> As of 2009, Pan-Blue members usually seek to improve relationships with mainland China, with a current focus on improving economic ties.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4482617.stm |title=World &#124; Asia-Pacific &#124; Taiwan opposition leader in China |publisher=BBC News |date=26 April 2005 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

===Current political issues===
The dominant political issue in Taiwan is [[cross-Strait relations|its relationship with the PRC]]. For almost 60&nbsp;years, there were no direct transportation links, including direct flights, between Taiwan and mainland China. This was a problem for many Taiwanese businesses that had opened factories or branches in mainland China. The former DPP administration feared that such links would lead to tighter economic and political integration with mainland China, and in the 2006 Lunar New Year Speech, President Chen Shui-bian called for managed opening of links. Direct weekend charter flights between Taiwan and mainland China began in July 2008 under the current KMT government, and the first direct daily charter flights took off in December 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5346905.ece|title=Direct flights between China and Taiwan mark new era of improved relations|last=Yu|first=Sophie|author2=Jane Macartney |date=16 December 2008|newspaper=The Times|accessdate=4 June 2009 | location=London}}</ref>

Other major political issues include the passage of an arms procurement bill that the United States authorized in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|author=Michael S.&nbsp;Chase |url=http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/as.2008.48.4.703?journalCode=as |title=Caliber&nbsp;– Asian Survey&nbsp;– 48(4):703&nbsp;– Abstract |doi=10.1525/as.2008.48.4.703 |publisher=Caliber.ucpress.net |date=4 September 2008 |accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref> In 2008, however, the United States was reluctant to send over more arms to Taiwan out of fear that it would hinder the recent improvement of ties between the PRC and the ROC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9556 |title=US Keeps Taiwan at Arm's Length |author=David Isenberg |publisher=Cato.org |accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref> Another major political issue is the establishment of a National Communications Commission to take over from the Government Information Office, whose advertising budget exercised great control over the media.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/08/09/2003373313 |title=NCC relinquishes power over China-related media|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=9 August 2007 |accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref>

The politicians and their parties have themselves become major political issues. Corruption among some DPP administration officials has been exposed. In early 2006, President Chen Shui-bian was linked to possible corruption. The political effect on President Chen Shui-bian was great, causing a divide in the DPP leadership and supporters alike. It eventually led to the creation of a political camp led by ex-DPP leader [[Shih Ming-teh]] which believes the president should resign. The KMT assets continue to be another major issue, as it was once the richest political party in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal
|last =Bristow
|first =Michael
|title =Wealth probe for 'world's richest' party
|date=26 October 2001
|url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1621048.stm
|accessdate =12 November 2007
|publisher =BBC News
|ref =harv
|postscript =<!--None-->}}</ref> Nearing the end of 2006, KMT's chairman Ma Ying-jeou was also hit by corruption controversies, although he has since then been cleared of any wrongdoings by the courts.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2008/04/25/153499/Court-clears.htm |title=Court clears Ma of graft charges |newspaper=China Post |date=25 April 2008 |accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref> After completing his second term as President, Chen Shui-bian was charged with corruption and [[money laundering]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national%20news/2008/10/03/177135/Chen-Shui-bian.htm |title=Chen Shui-bian lied about Lien Chan-endorsed check |newspaper=China Post |date=3 October 2008 |accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref> Following his conviction, he is serving a 17-year sentence in [[Taipei Prison]].<ref name=ChenTaipeiTi>{{cite news |last=Wang |first=Chris |newspaper=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/07/26/2003538677 |title=Chen Shui-bian backers urge immediate release |page=3 |accessdate=13 August 2012|date=26 July 2012}}</ref>

===National identity===
{{Main|Taiwanese identity|Chinese nationalism}}

Roughly 84% of Taiwan's population descends from Han Chinese who migrated from mainland China between 1661 and 1895. Another significant fraction descends from Han Chinese who immigrated from mainland China in the 1940s and 1950s. The shared cultural origin combined with several hundred years of geographical separation, some hundred years of political separation and foreign influences, as well as hostility between the rival ROC and PRC have resulted in national identity being a contentious issue with political overtones. Since democratization and the lifting of martial law, a distinct Taiwanese identity (as opposed to Taiwanese identity as a subset of a Chinese identity) is often at the heart of political debates. Its acceptance makes the island distinct from mainland China, and therefore may be seen as a step towards forming a consensus for ''de jure'' Taiwan independence.<ref name="power-shift">{{Cite book|last=Shambaugh|first=David L.|title=Power shift|publisher=University of California Press|year=2006|pages=179–183|url=https://books.google.com/?id=rMicZHVR_y4C&pg=PA179|isbn=0-520-24570-9}}</ref> The [[pan-green]] camp supports a distinct Taiwanese identity, while the [[pan-blue]] camp supports a Chinese identity only.<ref name="panblue-reunif-chineseid"/> The KMT has downplayed this stance in the recent years and now supports a Taiwanese identity as part of a Chinese identity.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20081230ho.html|title=No sign of a 'peace agreement'|last=Okazaki|first=Hisahiko|date=30 December 2008|newspaper=Japan Times|accessdate=15 July 2009|quote=For one thing, I believe there is recognition that the awareness of Taiwanese identity is now irreversible. The KMT government did things like rename the "Taiwan Post" to "Chunghwa Post" as soon as it came in. But it did not take much time to perceive that it would cause a backlash among the Taiwan populace. The cross-strait exchanges have also brought about opposition demonstrations from time to time. This appears to be one of the reasons for the abrupt decline in the approval rating of the Ma administration.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1211639,00.html|title=10 Questions: Ma Ying-jeou|date=10 July 2006|newspaper=Time|accessdate=15 July 2009|quote=I am Taiwanese as well as Chinese.}}</ref>

According to a survey conducted in March 2009, 49% of the respondents consider themselves as Taiwanese only, and 44% of the respondents consider themselves as Taiwanese and Chinese. 3% consider themselves as only Chinese.<ref name="tid-tvbs-survey">{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521022821/http://www.tvbs.com.tw/FILE_DB/DL_DB/yijung/200905/yijung-20090508145032.pdf|url=http://www.tvbs.com.tw/FILE_DB/DL_DB/yijung/200905/yijung-20090508145032.pdf|archivedate=21 May 2009|publisher=TVBS|title=ECFA issues and the nationality identification}}</ref> Another survey, conducted in Taiwan in July 2009, showed that 82.8% of respondents consider the ROC and the PRC as two separate countries with each developing on its own.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091223/http://www.gvm.com.tw/gvsrc/200907_GVSRC_others_E.pdf|url=http://www.gvm.com.tw/gvsrc/200907_GVSRC_others_E.pdf|archivedate=23 December 2009|title=Survey on President Ma’s Approval Rating and Cross-Strait Relations After First Year of Direct Flights|date=24 July 2009|publisher=Global Views Survey Research Center|accessdate=3 December 2014}}</ref> A survey conducted in December 2009 showed that 62% of the respondents consider themselves as Taiwanese only, and 22% of the respondents consider themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese. 8% consider themselves as only Chinese. The survey also shows that among 18- to 29-year-old respondents, 75% consider themselves as Taiwanese only.<ref name="commonwealthsurvey1">{{cite web|url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2009/new/dec/16/today-t1.htm |script-title=zh:天下雜誌民調顯示：6成1民眾擔心經濟傾中 7成5年輕人自認台灣人|language= Chinese}}</ref>

In the latest survey conducted by [[National Chengchi University]] in 2014 and published in early 2015, 60.6% of respondents identified themselves exclusively as Taiwanese, 32.5% identified themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese and 3.5% identified themselves as Chinese.

{| class="wikitable" center;"
|+Percentage of Taiwanese residents who consider themselves Taiwanese, Chinese, or Taiwanese and Chinese according to various surveys.
|-
! Survey
! Taiwanese
! Chinese
! Taiwanese and Chinese
|-
|[[Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission]], Executive Yuan (April 2008)
| style="background:#9f9;"|'''67.1%'''
|13.6%
|15.2%
|-
|Common Wealth Magazine (December 2009)<ref name="commonwealthsurvey1"/>
| style="background:#9f9;"|'''62%'''
|8%
|22%
|-
|National Chengchi University (January 2015)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tseng |first1=Wei-chen |last2=Chen |first2=Wei-han |date=26 January 2015 |title=‘Taiwanese’ identity hits record level |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2015/01/26/2003610092 |newspaper=Taipei Times |p=1}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;"|'''60.6%'''
|3.5%
|32.5%
|-
|TVBS Poll Center (October 2012)<ref>Quote: "Table 12: In Taiwan, some people identify themselves as Chinese, some identify themselves as Taiwan (sic). Do you identify yourself as Taiwanese or Chinese? (Do not prompt both Taiwanese and Chinese)"</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;"|'''75%'''
|15%
|(not an option for this question)
|-
|TVBS Poll Center (October 2012)<ref>Quote: "Table 13: In Taiwan, some people identify themselves as Chinese, some identify themselves as Taiwan (sic). Do you identify yourself as Taiwanese, Chinese or both Taiwanese and Chinese?"</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;"|'''55%'''
|3%
|37%
|}

==Military==
{{Main|Republic of China Armed Forces}}
{{See also|Republic of China Military Academy}}
[[Image:IDF Pre-production.jpg|thumb|left|[[Republic of China Air Force]] [[AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo|Indigenous Defense Fighter]]|alt=A light fighter aircraft on the ground surrounded by two men who are maintaining it.]]
[[Image:Kee Lung (DDG-1801) and Ma Kong (DDG-1805) shipped in Zhongzheng Naval Base 20130504b.jpg|thumb|[[Republic of China Navy]] [[Kidd-class destroyer]]|alt=Two of the navy's present destroyer.]]
[[File:Thunderbolt 2000 MLRS Side View 20111105a.jpg|thumb|[[Republic of China Army]] [[Thunderbolt-2000]]]]

The [[Republic of China Army]] takes its roots in the [[National Revolutionary Army]], which was established by [[Sun Yat-sen]] in 1925 in [[Guangdong]] with a goal of reunifying China under the Kuomintang. When the [[People's Liberation Army]] won the [[Chinese Civil War]], much of the National Revolutionary Army retreated to Taiwan along with the government. It was later reformed into the Republic of China Army. Units which surrendered and remained in mainland China were either disbanded or incorporated into the People's Liberation Army.

Today, the Republic of China maintains a large and technologically advanced military, mainly as defense against the constant threat of invasion by the PRC under the [[Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China]].<ref name=2004NatDefRpt/> From 1949 to the 1970s, the primary mission of the military was to "retake the mainland" through [[Project National Glory]]. As this mission has shifted to defense, the ROC military has begun to shift emphasis from the traditionally dominant Army to the [[Republic of China Air Force|air force]] and [[Republic of China Navy|navy]].

Control of the armed forces has also passed into the hands of the civilian government.<ref name=towards>{{cite journal|last=Fravel|first=M. Taylor|title=Towards Civilian Supremacy: Civil-Military Relations in Taiwans's Democratization|journal=Armed Forces & Society|year=2002|volume=29|issue=1|pages=57–84|doi=10.1177/0095327X0202900104|url=http://afs.sagepub.com/content/29/1/57}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB988242686540854310.html?mod=googlewsj |title=Committed to Taiwan |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date= 26 April 2001|accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> As the ROC military shares historical roots with the KMT, the older generation of high-ranking officers tends to have Pan-Blue sympathies. However, many have retired and there are many more non-mainlanders enlisting in the armed forces in the younger generations, so the political leanings of the military have moved closer to the public norm in Taiwan.{{sfn|Swaine|Mulvenon|2001|p=65|ps=: "[...]the ROC military functioned until very recently as an instrument of KMT rule [...] the bulk of the officer corps is still composed of Mainlanders, many of whom allegedly continue to support the values and outlook of more conservative KMT and New Party members. This is viewed as especially the case among the senior officers of the ROC Army. Hence, many DPP leaders insist that the first step to building a more secure Taiwan is to bring the military more fully under civilian control, to remove the dominant influence of conservative KMT elements, and to reduce what is regarded as an excessive emphasis on the maintenance of inappropriate ground force capabilities, as opposed to more appropriate air and naval capabilities."}}

The ROC began a force reduction program, Jingshi An (translated to streamlining program), to scale down its military from a level of 450,000 in 1997 to 380,000 in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2004/P101.htm |title=Taiwan Yearbook 2004 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China |accessdate=28 May 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106230514/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2004/P101.htm |archivedate=6 January 2012}}</ref> As of 2009, the armed forces of the ROC number approximately 300,000,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=28601&ctNode=3389|title=Women Take Command|last=Bishop|first=Mac William|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China|accessdate=5 June 2009}}</ref> with nominal reserves totaling 3.6&nbsp;million as of 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2005/p104.html |title=Taiwan Yearbook 2005 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> Conscription remains universal for qualified males reaching age eighteen, but as a part of the reduction effort many are given the opportunity to fulfill their draft requirement through alternative service and are redirected to government agencies or defense related industries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/729500.stm |title=ASIA-PACIFIC &#124; Military alternative in Taiwan |publisher=BBC News |date=1 May 2000 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> Current plans call for a transition to a predominantly professional army over the next decade.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/03/21/2003439010/wiki |title=The myth: a professional military in five years|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=21 March 2009 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_347888.html |title=Taiwan to end conscription |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=9 March 2009 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> Conscription periods are planned to decrease from 14&nbsp;months to 12.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=124D9E23B9033ED0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Taiwan to shorten conscription term to one year |publisher=Central News Agency website, Taipei|date=3 December 2008 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> In the last months of the Bush administration, Taipei took the decision to reverse the trend of declining defense spending, at a time when most Asian countries kept on reducing their military expenditures. It also decided to modernize both defensive and offensive capabilities. Taipei still keeps a large military apparatus relative to the island’s population: defense expenditures for 2008 were NTD 334 billion (approximately U.S. $10.5 billion), which accounted for 2.94% of GDP.

[[File:ROCMC Forgmen Balance a Inflatable Boat Over Their Heads While Heading toward the Pier 20141123.jpg|thumb|left|The Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit of the [[Republic of China Marine Corps]]]]
[[File:ROCMP Guard at Hsinchu AFB 20120602.jpg|thumb|[[Republic of China Military Police]] is a separate branch in the armed forces. In the picture, this is a military policeman guarding in [[Hsinchu Air Base]].]]

The armed forces' primary concern at this time, according to the ''National Defense Report'', is the possibility of an invasion by the PRC, consisting of a naval blockade, airborne assault, and/or missile bombardment.<ref name=towards/> Four upgraded [[Kidd class destroyer|''Kidd''-class destroyer]]s were purchased from the United States, and commissioned into the [[Republic of China Navy]] in 2005-2006, significantly upgrading Taiwan's air defense and submarine hunting abilities.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Kidd-class warships set sail for Taiwan |date=31 October 2005 |newspaper=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/10/31/2003278135}}</ref> The Ministry of National Defense planned to purchase diesel-powered submarines and Patriot anti-missile batteries from the United States, but its budget has been stalled repeatedly by the opposition-[[Pan-Blue Coalition]] controlled legislature. The defense package was stalled from 2001 to 2007 where it was finally passed through the legislature and the US responded on 3 October 2008, with a $6.5&nbsp;billion arms package including PAC III Anti-Air defense systems, AH-64D Apache Attack helicopters and other arms and parts.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwanese leader hails weapons deal with US |date=5 October 2008 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/04/AR2008100400477.html | first=Jane | last=Rickards}}</ref> A significant amount of military hardware has been bought from the United States, and, as of 2009, continues to be legally guaranteed by the [[Taiwan Relations Act]].<ref name="TRA-review"/> In the past, [[France]] and the [[Netherlands]] have also sold military weapons and hardware to the ROC, but they almost entirely stopped in the 1990s under pressure of the PRC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ceri-sciencespo.com/archive/july01/jpcabest.pdf|title=France's Taiwan Policy: A Case of Shopkeeper Diplomacy|last=Cabestan|first=Jean-Pierre|year=2001|publisher=CERI|accessdate=5 June 2009|quote=By excluding the French companies from the bidding lists of many contract, Peking wanted above all to stop a growing trend (...) to disregard its objections and interests in the Taiwan issue. (...) In spite of the ban of arms sales to Taiwan approved by the French government in January 1994, discreet and small-sized deals have continued to be concluded since then. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-09-24-taiwan_x.htm |title=Taiwan trying to shore up weapons support |newspaper=USA Today |date=24 September 2004 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

The first line of defense against invasion by the PRC is the ROC's own armed forces. Current ROC military doctrine is to hold out against an invasion or blockade until the US military responds.<ref name="swaine">{{Cite book|last1=Swaine |first1=Michael D.|authorlink1=Michael D. Swaine|first2=James C.|last2=Mulvenon|title=Taiwan's Foreign and Defense Policies: Features and Determinants |origyear=2001 |url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2009/MR1383.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=23 May 2015 |publisher=RAND Corporation |isbn=0-8330-3094-9 |year=2001 |ref=harv}}</ref> There is, however, no guarantee in the Taiwan Relations Act or any other treaty that the United States will defend Taiwan, even in the event of invasion.<ref>{{Cite news|title=China Threat to Attack Taiwan Alarms Asia |date=14 March 2005 |agency=Associated Press |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050411032736/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/14/international/i003051S91.DTL|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/14/international/i003051S91.DTL|archivedate=11 April 2005}}</ref> The joint declaration on security between the US and Japan signed in 1996 may imply that Japan would be involved in any response. However, Japan has refused to stipulate whether the "area surrounding Japan" mentioned in the pact includes Taiwan, and the precise purpose of the pact is unclear.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kapstein|first=Ethan B. |author2=Michael Mastanduno |title=Unipolar politics|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=194|isbn=0-231-11309-9|url=https://books.google.com/?id=68s2k0ztkCMC&pg=PA194|year=1999|quote=The Japanese leadership openly split on whether a crisis in Taiwan was included in the geographic expression "area surrounding Japan." In the event, Japan refused to stipulate the contingencies under which it would provide rear area support for U.S. forces or even the geographic scope of the "area surrounding Japan". (...) The two sides have not articulated clearly what the alliance stands ''for'', nor who it is defined to protect ''against''.}}</ref> The [[Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty]] (ANZUS Treaty) may mean that other US allies, such as [[Australia]], could theoretically be involved.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tow |first=William |year=2005 |title=ANZUS: Regional versus Global Security in Asia? |journal=International Relations in the Asia-Pacific |volume=5 |issue=2 |page=197 |doi= 10.1093/irap/lci113 |ref=harv}}</ref> In practice, the risk of losing economic ties with China may prevent Australia from taking action.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/13/1089694360063.html|title=China and Taiwan: flashpoint for a war|date=14 July 2004|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=13 June 2009}}</ref> The United States, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Chile, and Peru conduct maritime exercises in the [[Pacific Ocean]] every 2 years called [[RIMPAC]]. They are conducted to promote stability and to be able to respond in case of an armed conflict in the region – that includes an invasion of Taiwan by China.<ref>{{cite news|author=Lotta Danielsson-Murphy |url=http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1305355&lang=eng_news&cate_img=46.jpg&cate_rss=news_Editorial |title=ECFA poses new risks for Taiwan-Japan ties |newspaper=Taiwan News |accessdate=2 August 2010}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|Administrative divisions of the Republic of China}}
[[Image:ROC Administrative and Claims.svg|thumb|right|250px|alt=A map showing the island of Taiwan, China and Mongolia. Taiwan and other nearby small islands are highlighted in dark blue and are identified as the "[[Free Area of the Republic of China|Free Area]]" of the ROC. China is highlighted in light blue and is identified as an area claimed by the ROC and controlled by the PRC. Mongolia is highlighted in red. Other minor areas are highlighted in different colors for being claimed by the ROC but controlled by other countries including Russia, Japan or Pakistan among others.|A map showing the official divisions and territorial disputes as claimed by the Republic of China]]
{{Taiwan Labelled Map}}

According to the 1947 constitution, written and promulgated whilst the ROC government still controlled mainland China, the territory of the ROC consisted of [[Province (China)|provinces]], [[Special municipality (Republic of China)|special municipalities]], special administrative regions and autonomous regions ([[Mongolia]] and [[Tibet]]), which were given extremely high levels of [[autonomy]].<ref name=art119>[[s:Constitution of the Republic of China#Section 1. The Province|Article 119]] of the [[Constitution of the Republic of China]] regards Mongolia as a self-governing provincial-level locality</ref>

Accordingly, when the ROC retreated to Taiwan in 1949, its claimed territory consisted of 35 provinces, 12 special municipalities, 1 special administrative region and 2 autonomous regions. However, since its retreat, the ROC has controlled only [[Taiwan Province]] and some islands of [[Fujian Province, Republic of China|Fujian Province]]. The ROC also controls the [[Pratas Islands]] and [[Taiping Island]] in the [[Spratly Islands]], which are part of the disputed [[South China Sea Islands]]. They were placed under [[Kaohsiung]] administration after the retreat to Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite news|title=World: Asia-Pacific Analysis: Flashpoint Spratly |date=14 February 1999 |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/279170.stm}}</ref>

Since 1949, the government has made some changes in the area under its control. [[Taipei]] became a special municipality in 1967 and Kaohsiung in 1979. The two provincial governments were "streamlined", with their functions transferred to the central government (Fujian in 1956 and Taiwan in 1998).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1465&CtNode=1347 | work=Taiwan Review | title=Gone with the Times | date=1 October 1999 | accessdate=13 April 2012 | last=Hwang | first=Jim}}</ref> In 2010, [[New Taipei]], [[Taichung]] and [[Tainan]] were upgraded to [[Special municipality of Taiwan|special municipalities]]. And in 2014, Taoyuan County was also upgraded to a [[Taoyuan City|special municipality]]. This brought the top-level divisions of the ROC to their current state:<ref name="GIO-government">{{cite web|url=http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=19878&ctNode=2840&mp=21 |title=中華民國國情簡介 政府組織 |publisher=Government Information Office |location=Taipei |accessdate=13 April 2012}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Level!!colspan=5|Division type!!Total
|-
! 1st
| rowspan="2" style="background:#f5c3c4;"| [[Special municipality (Republic of China)|Special municipality]]<br>(直轄市 ''zhíxiáshì'') (6)
| colspan=4 | <span style="color:gray;">Province (省 ''shěng'') (2) (Streamlined)</span>
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:right;"| 22
|-
! 2nd
| style="background:#ceb2cd;"| [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|City]]<br>(市 ''shì'') (3)
| colspan="3" style="background:#e3edc3;"| [[County (Taiwan)|County]] (縣 ''xiàn'') (13)
|-
! 3rd
| colspan=2 | [[District (Taiwan)|District]] (區 ''qū'') (170)
| [[County-controlled city]]<br>(縣轄市 ''xiànxiáshì'') (12)
| [[Township (Taiwan)|Urban Township]]<br>(鎮&nbsp;''zhèn'') (40)
| [[Township (Taiwan)|Rural Township]]<br>(鄉&nbsp;''xiāng'') (146)
| align=right | 368
|-
! 4th
| colspan=4 | [[Village (Taiwan)|Urban Village]] (里 ''lǐ'')
| [[Village (Taiwan)|Rural Village]] (村 ''cūn'')
| align=right | 7,835
|-
! 5th
| colspan=5 | Neighborhood (鄰 ''lín'')
| align=right | 147,877
|}
According to Article 4 of the Local Government Act, laws pertaining to special municipalities also apply to counties with a population exceeding 2 million. This provision does not currently apply to any county, although it previously applied to Taipei County (now [[New Taipei|New Taipei City]]) and Taoyuan County (now [[Taoyuan City]]).

==Economy and industry==
{{Main|Economy of Taiwan|Economic history of Taiwan}}
[[File:101.portrait.altonthompson.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Taipei 101]] was the world's tallest building from its opening in 2004 until 2010.|alt=Photo of a high tower against a blue sky.]]
The quick industrialization and rapid growth of Taiwan during the latter half of the 20th century has been called the "[[Taiwan Miracle]]". Taiwan is one of the "[[Four Asian Tigers]]" alongside [[Hong Kong]], [[South Korea]] and [[Singapore]].

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 residents of Taiwan.

By 1945, [[hyperinflation]] was in progress in mainland China and Taiwan as a result of the war with Japan. To isolate Taiwan from it, the Nationalist government created a new currency area for the island, and began a price stabilization program. These efforts significantly slowed inflation.

When the KMT government fled to Taiwan it brought millions of [[tael]]s (where 1&nbsp;tael ~1.2&nbsp;[[troy ounce|ozt]]) of [[gold]] and the foreign currency reserve of mainland China, which, according to the KMT, stabilized prices and reduced hyperinflation.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 April 2011 |title=Gold Shipped to Taiwan in 1949 Helped Stabilize ROC on Taiwan|url=http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/page.aspx?type=article&mnum=112&anum=9442|newspaper=Kuomintang News Network|accessdate=14 June 2011}} Translated from {{cite news |author=王銘義 |date=5 April 2011 |script-title=zh:1949年運台黃金 中華民國保命本 |newspaper=China Times |url=http://forums.chinatimes.com/report/goldfile/series-cnt0405ct02.htm |accessdate=21 February 2015}}</ref> Perhaps more importantly, as part of its retreat to Taiwan, the KMT brought the intellectual and business elites from Mainland China.<ref>{{cite book | last =Roy | first =Denny | title =Taiwan: A Political History | publisher =Cornell University Press |year=2003 | location =Ithaca, NY | pages =76, 77 | isbn =0-8014-8805-2 }}</ref> The KMT government instituted many laws and [[land reform]]s that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. The government also implemented a policy of [[import substitution industrialization|import-substitution]], attempting to produce imported goods domestically.

In 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean War, the United States began an aid program which resulted in fully stabilized prices by 1952.<ref>{{harvnb|Makinen|Woodward|1989}}: "It was the fiscal regime change on Taiwan, as in the European episodes, that finally brought price stability. It was the aid program that brought the budget to near balance, and when the aid program reached its full proportions in 1952, prices stabilized."</ref> Economic development was encouraged by American economic aid and programs such as the [[Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction]], which turned the agricultural sector into the basis for later growth. Under the combined stimulus of the land reform and the agricultural development programs, agricultural production increased at an average annual rate of 4 per cent from 1952 to 1959, which was greater than the population growth, 3.6%.<ref>Ralph Clough, “Taiwan under Nationalist Rule, 1949–1982,” in Roderick MacFarquar et al., ed., ''Cambridge History of China'', Vol 15, The People’s Republic Pt 2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 837</ref>

In 1962, Taiwan had a (nominal) per-capita gross national product (GNP) of $170, placing its economy on a par with those of Zaire and Congo. On a [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) basis, its GDP per capita in early 1960s was $1,353 (in 1990 prices). By 2011 per-capita GNP, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), had risen to $37,000, contributing to a [[Human Development Index]] (HDI) equivalent to that of other developed countries. Taiwan's HDI in 2012 is 0.890, (23rd, very high), according to the UN's new "Inequality-adjusted HDI" calculation method.

In 1974, Chiang Ching-kuo implemented the [[Ten Major Construction Projects]], the beginning foundations that helped Taiwan transform into its current export driven economy. Since the 1990s, a number of Taiwan-based technology firms have expanded their reach around the world. Well-known international technology companies headquartered in Taiwan include personal computer manufacturers [[Acer Inc.]] and [[Asus]], mobile phone maker [[HTC]], as well as electronics manufacturing giant [[Foxconn]], which makes products for Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. [[Computex Taipei]] is a major computer expo, held since 1981.

[[File:THSR 700T Modern High Speed Train.jpg|thumb|alt=Two THSR 700T trains|[[Taiwan High Speed Rail]], with trains running at speeds above 300 km/h, links Taipei and the southern port city of Kaohsiung in just 90 minutes.]]
Today Taiwan has a dynamic, capitalist, export-driven economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade. In keeping with this trend, some large government-owned banks and industrial firms are being [[Privatization|privatized]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1153&CtNode=128|title=Privatization Set in Motion|last=Her|first=Kelly|date=12 January 2005|newspaper=Taiwan Review|accessdate=5 June 2009}}</ref> Real growth in [[gross domestic product|GDP]] has averaged about 8% 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.<ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2188rank.html
| title = Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
| work = [[World Fact Book]]
| publisher = [[CIA]]
| date = 4 September 2008
| accessdate = 3 January 2011
| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5b7FcMQjc
| archivedate = 26 September 2008
| quote = Rank 5 Taiwan $ 274,700,000,000 31 December 2007
}}</ref> The Republic of China has its own currency, the [[New Taiwan dollar]].

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the economic ties between Taiwan and Mainland China have been very prolific. As of 2008, more than US$150 billion<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8475215.stm|title=Taiwan's Grand Hotel welcome for Chinese visitors|publisher=BBC News|date=23 January 2010 | first=Phil | last=Harding}}</ref> have been invested in the PRC by Taiwanese companies, and about 10% of the Taiwanese labour force works in the PRC, often to run their own businesses.<ref>{{Harvnb|DoIT|2008|p=5}} "Notably, cross-strait political tensions have not prevented Taiwanese firms from investing heavily in China. The cross-strait investments now exceed US$ 100 billions. Four Taiwanese-owned firms rank among China's top 10 biggest exporters. 10% of the Taiwanese labor force now works in China."</ref> Although the economy of Taiwan benefits from this situation, some have expressed the view that the island has become increasingly dependent on the Mainland Chinese economy. A 2008 white paper by the Department of Industrial Technology states that "Taiwan should seek to maintain stable relation with China while continuing to protect national security, and avoiding excessive 'Sinicization' of Taiwanese economy."<ref>{{Harvnb|DoIT|2008|p=5}} "Although used-to-be-hostile tension between Taiwan and China has been eased to a certain degree, Taiwan should seek to maintain stable relation with China while continuing to protect national security, and avoiding excessive "Sinicization" of Taiwanese economy. Strategies to avoid excessive "Sinicization" of the Taiwanese economy could include efforts to increase geographic diversity of overseas Taiwanese employment, diversifying Taiwan's export markets and investment. "</ref> Others argue that close economic ties between Taiwan and Mainland China would make any military intervention by the PLA against Taiwan very costly, and therefore less probable.<ref>BBC News, "Taiwan Flashpoint", "Some Taiwanese worry their economy is now dependent on China. Others point out that closer business ties makes Chinese military action less likely, because of the cost to China's own economy."</ref>

Taiwan's 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wang |first=Audrey |url=http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=142731&ctNode=453&mp=9|title=Taiwan's 2010 trade hits record high|newspaper=Taiwan Today|date=10 January 2011}}</ref>

[[Image:Paddy field, Yilan 02.jpg|thumb|Paddy field in [[Yilan County, Taiwan|Yilan County]]]]
In 2001, [[agriculture]] constituted only 2% of GDP, down from 35% in 1952.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=242 |title=US-Taiwan FTA would have limited impact |publisher=bilaterals.org |accessdate=28 May 2009}}{{dead link|date=February 2014}}</ref> Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being moved offshore and with more capital and technology-intensive industries replacing them. High-technology industrial parks have sprung up in every region in Taiwan. The ROC has become a major foreign investor in the PRC, [[Thailand]], [[Indonesia]], the [[Philippines]], [[Malaysia]], and [[Vietnam]]. It is estimated that some 50,000&nbsp;Taiwanese businesses and 1,000,000&nbsp;businesspeople and their dependents are established in the PRC.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Morris |first=Peter |title=Taiwan business in China supports opposition |date=4 February 2004 |newspaper=Asia Times Online |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/FB04Ad04.html}}</ref>

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]]. Unlike its neighbors, South Korea and Japan, the Taiwanese economy is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, rather than the large business groups. The global economic downturn, however, combined with poor policy coordination by the new administration and 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 the PRC, unemployment also reached a level not seen since the 1970s oil crisis. This became a major issue in the [[Republic of China presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election]]. Growth averaged more than 4% in the 2002–2006 period and the unemployment rate fell below 4%.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5411/is_199801/ai_n21432097/ |title=Coping with Asian financial crisis: The Taiwan experience &#124; Seoul Journal of Economics |publisher=Find Articles at BNET |date=28 April 2009 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}{{dead link|date=December 2011}}</ref>

The ROC often joins international organizations under a politically neutral name. The ROC is a member of governmental trade organizations such as the [[World Trade Organization]] under the name Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu ([[Chinese Taipei]]) since 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/theWTO_e/countries_e/chinese_taipei_e.htm|title=Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) and the WTO|publisher=World Trade Organization|accessdate=7 June 2009}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{Main|Transportation in Taiwan}}
The [[Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Republic of China)|Ministry of Transportation and Communications]] of the Republic of China is the cabinet-level governing body of the transportation network in Taiwan. Taiwan has an extensive highway network, classified into five levels: National highways, provincial highways, county routes, township routes, and special routes, with the first four being common. Taiwan also has an extensive bus network, which are mostly run by private bus companies. There are two rail systems in Taiwan: [[Taiwan Railway Administration]] and [[Taiwan High Speed Rail]]. The [[Taipei Metro]] and the [[Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit]] serve the [[Taipei metropolitan area]] and [[Kaohsiung]], respectively. The [[Taoyuan Metro]] and [[Taichung Metro]] are currently under construction. Major airports include [[Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport]], [[Taipei Songshan Airport]], [[Kaohsiung International Airport]], and [[Taichung Airport]]. The four international seaports are the [[Port of Keelung]], the [[Port of Kaohsiung]], the [[Port of Taichung]], and the [[Port of Hualien]].

==Education, research, and academia==
{{Main|Education in Taiwan|History of education in Taiwan}}

The higher education system was established in Taiwan by Japan during the colonial period. However, after the Republic of China [[Retrocession Day|took over]] Taiwan from Japan in 1945, the system was promptly replaced by the same system as in mainland China which mixed with features of the Chinese and American educational systems.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Postiglione|first=Gerard A.|author2=Grace C. L. Mak |title=Asian higher education|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1997|pages=346–348|isbn=0-313-28901-8|url=https://books.google.com/?id=RTE8KCespeEC&pg=PA347}}</ref>

The educational system includes six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, three years of high school, and four years of university.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/taiwan-story/education/edown/3-1.htm |title=The Story of Taiwan-Education Taiwan's Educational Development and Present Situation |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> The system has been successful in that pupils in Taiwan boast some of the highest test scores in the world, especially in [[mathematics]] and [[science]];<ref>{{Cite journal| author =Gary Phillips| title =Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: Mathematics and Science Indicators for Comparing States and Nations| publisher =American Institutes for Research|date=17 November 2007| url =http://www.air.org/publications/documents/phillips.chance.favors.the.prepared.mind.pdf|format=PDF| accessdate =21 November 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071126225257/http://www.air.org/publications/documents/phillips.chance.favors.the.prepared.mind.pdf |archivedate = 26 November 2007}}</ref> However, it has also been criticized for placing excessive pressure on students and eschewing creativity in favor of rote memorization.<ref>{{Cite book|last= Bucknall|first=Keven|title=Chinese Business Etiquette and Culture|publisher=C&M Online Media, Inc.|year=2002|page=15|isbn=0-917990-44-7|url=https://books.google.com/?id=npxUXbUg6uUC&pg=PA15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/archives/1999/11/01/0000009019 |title=Betting on Taiwan's future with the Nankang software park |newspaper=Taipei Times |date=1 November 1999 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

Many Taiwanese students attend cram schools, or [[bushiban]], to improve skills and knowledge on problem solving against exams of subjects like mathematics, nature science, history and many others. Courses are available for most popular subjects. Lessons are organized in lectures, reviews, private tutorial sessions, and recitations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/news/200509/2005090201.html |title=Over 70% of Taiwanese parents send kids to English bushibans |publisher=Invest in Taiwan, Department of Investment Services |date=2 September 2005 |accessdate=28 May 2009 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080608050510/http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/news/200509/2005090201.html |archivedate = 8 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=C. Smith|first=Douglas|title=Middle education in the Middle Kingdom|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1997|page=119|url=https://books.google.com/?id=NqJP5uE9LewC&pg=PA119|isbn=0-275-95641-5}}</ref>

As of 2013, the [[literacy rate]] in Taiwan is 97.15%.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=36}}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Taiwan}}
Taiwan's population is about 23.4 million,{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=36}} most of whom are on the island proper. The remainder live on [[Penghu]] (100,400), [[Kinmen]] (120,713) and the [[Matsu Islands]] (12,165).<ref name="taiwan-popstat"/>

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|Taiwanese people|Taiwanese aborigines}}
[[File:Taiwan bunun dancer.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bunun people|Bunun]] dancer in traditional aboriginal dress]]
The ROC government reports that over 95% of the population is [[Han Chinese]], of which the majority includes descendants of early Han Chinese immigrants who arrived in Taiwan in large numbers starting in the 17th century. Alternatively, the ethnic groups of Taiwan may be roughly divided among the "Taiwanese" (84%, including Hakka), mainland Chinese (14%), and indigenous peoples (2%).<ref name="cia-factbook"/>

The [[Hoklo people]] are the largest Han subgroup (70% of the total population), whose ancestors migrated from the coastal southern [[Fujian]] region across the [[Taiwan Strait]] starting in the 17th century. The [[Hakka people|Hakka]] comprise about 15% of the total population, and descend from Han migrants to [[Guangdong]], its surrounding areas and Taiwan. Additional people of Han origin include and descend from the 2 million Nationalists who fled to Taiwan following the communist victory on the mainland in 1949.<ref name="cia-factbook"/>

The indigenous [[Taiwanese aborigines]] number about 533,600 and are divided into 16 recognized groups.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=49}} The [[Ami people|Ami]], [[Atayal people|Atayal]], [[Bunun people|Bunun]], [[Kanakanavu]], [[Kavalan people|Kavalan]], [[Paiwan people|Paiwan]], [[Puyuma people|Puyuma]], [[Rukai people|Rukai]], [[Saisiyat people|Saisiyat]], [[Saaroa]], [[Sakizaya people|Sakizaya]], [[Sediq people|Sediq]], [[Thao people|Thao]], [[Truku people|Truku]] and [[Tsou people|Tsou]] live mostly in the eastern half of the island, while the [[Yami people|Yami]] inhabit [[Orchid Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-04.xls |title=Indigenous People |publisher=MOI Statistical Information Service |date=February 2012 |accessdate=14 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Overview of Taiwan's Indigenous Groups |url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/indigenous/ |publisher=Government Information Office |location=Taipei |year=2006 |accessdate=14 April 2012}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Main|Languages of Taiwan}}

[[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]] is the official national language and is spoken by the vast majority of the population of Taiwan. It has been the primary language of instruction in schools since the end of Japanese rule. As in [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], [[Traditional Chinese]] is used as the writing system in Taiwan.<ref name="yb-languages">{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2011 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |chapter=Chapter 2: People and Language |chapterurl=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch02D.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514004814/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch02D.pdf |archivedate=14 May 2012}}</ref>

The 70% of the population belonging to the [[Hoklo people|Hoklo]] ethnic group speak [[Taiwanese Hokkien]] (a variant of the [[Min Nan]] speech of [[Fujian]] province) as their mother tongue, in addition to Mandarin, and many others have some degree of understanding. The Hakka ethnic group (15% of the population) use [[Hakka Chinese]]. Most ''waishengren'' speak primarily Mandarin. Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio, non-Mandarin [[varieties of Chinese|Chinese varieties]] have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan, particularly since restrictions on their use were lifted in the 1990s.<ref name="yb-languages"/>

Taiwan's indigenous languages, the [[Formosan languages]], do not belong to the Chinese or Sino-Tibetan language family, but rather to the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian language family]]. Their use among Taiwan's aboriginal minority groups has been in decline as usage of Mandarin has risen.<ref name="yb-languages"/> Of the 14 extant languages, five are considered [[moribund language|moribund]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Formosan Language Archive: Linguistic Analysis and Language Processing |author1=Zeitoun, Elizabeth |author2=Yu, Ching-Hua |journal=Computational Linguistics and Chinese Language Processing |volume=10 |issue=2 |page=168 |url=http://aclclp.org.tw/clclp/v10n2/v10n2a2.pdf |accessdate=4 August 2012}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Taiwan}}
[[Image:Fo Guang Shan Monastery 13.jpg|thumb|Main sanctuary of [[Fo Guang Shan]] Monastery near [[Kaohsiung]]]]
The [[Constitution of the Republic of China]] protects people's [[freedom of religion]] and the practices of belief.<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Constitution of the Republic of China |at=Chapter II, Article 13 |quote=The people shall have freedom of religious belief}}</ref> There are approximately 18,718,600 religious followers in Taiwan as of 2005 (81.3% of total population) and 14–18% are non-religious. According to the 2005 census, of the 26 religions recognized by the ROC government, the five largest are: Buddhism (8,086,000 or 35.1%), Taoism (7,600,000 or 33%), [[Yiguandao]] (810,000 or 3.5%), Protestantism (605,000 or 2.6%), and Roman Catholicism (298,000 or 1.3%).<ref>{{cite web | title = Taiwan Yearbook 2006 | publisher = Government of Information Office | year= 2006 | url = http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm | accessdate = 1 September 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070708213510/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm |archivedate = 8 July 2007}}</ref>

The CIA World Factbook reports that over 93% of Taiwanese are adherents of a combination of the [[polytheistic]] [[Chinese folk religion|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.<ref name="cia-factbook"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Taiwan: International Religious Freedom Report 2010 |url=http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148895.htm |publisher=[[US Department of State]]: [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor]] |date=17 November 2010 |accessdate=17 March 2012}}</ref> [[Taiwanese aborigines]] comprise a notable subgroup among professing Christians: "...over 64% identify as Christian... Church buildings are the most obvious markers of Aboriginal villages, distinguishing them from Taiwanese or Hakka villages."<ref>Stainton, Michael (2002). [http://web.archive.org/web/20140222055153/http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/taiwan/presbyterians-and-aboriginal-revitalization-movement "Presbyterians and the Aboriginal Revitalization Movement in Taiwan"]. ''[[Cultural Survival Quarterly]]'' 26.2, 5 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2014.</ref>

[[File:Confucius temple Kaohsiung amk.jpg|thumb|[[Confucian temple]] at [[Lotus Lake]] in [[Kaohsiung]]]]
[[Confucianism]] is a philosophy that deals with secular moral ethics, and serves as the foundation of both [[Culture of China|Chinese]] and [[Culture of Taiwan|Taiwanese culture]]. The majority of [[Taiwanese people]] usually combine the secular moral teachings of Confucianism with whatever religions they are affiliated with.

As of 2009, there were 14,993 temples in Taiwan, approximately one place of worship per 1,500 residents. 9,202 of those temples were dedicated to [[Taoism]]. In 2008, Taiwan had 3,262 Churches, an increase of 145.<ref>[http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1015081&lang=eng_news&cate_img=logo_taiwan&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng "15,000 temples"], ''Taiwan News'', 28 July 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.</ref>

===Largest cities===
{{Main|List of cities in Taiwan}}

The figures below are the 2011 estimates for the twenty largest urban populations within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total [[List of metropolitan areas in Taiwan#Metropolitan areas in Taiwan|metropolitan area populations]] (in such rankings the [[Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area|Taipei-Keelung metro area]] is by far the largest agglomeration).

{{Largest cities of the Republic of China (Taiwan)}}
{{clear}}

==Public health==
{{update|section|date=November 2013}}
{{Main|Healthcare in Taiwan}}
[[File:National Taiwan University Hospital Taipei.jpg|thumb|[[National Taiwan University Hospital]]]]

[[Health care]] in Taiwan is managed by the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI).<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bureau of National Health Insurance |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Taiwan BNHI |url=http://www.nhi.gov.tw}}</ref>

The current program was implemented in 1995, and is considered to be a form of social insurance. The government health insurance program maintains compulsory insurance for citizens who are employed, impoverished, unemployed, or victims of natural disasters with fees that correlate to the individual and/or family income; it also maintains protection for non-citizens working in Taiwan. A standardized method of calculation applies to all persons and can optionally be paid by an employer or by individual contributions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhi.gov.tw/english/webdata.asp?menu=11&menu_id=295&webdata_id=1865 |title=Bureau of National Health Insurance-National Health Insurance Act |publisher=Bureau of National Health Insurance, ROC |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

BNHI insurance coverage requires co-payment at the time of service for most services unless it is a preventative health service, for low-income families, veterans, children under three years old, or in the case of catastrophic diseases. Low income households maintain 100% premium coverage by the BNHI and co-pays are reduced for disabled or certain elderly peoples.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}

According to a recently published survey, out of 3,360&nbsp;patients surveyed at a randomly chosen hospital, 75.1% of the patients said they are "very satisfied" with the hospital service; 20.5% said they are "okay" with the service. Only 4.4% of the patients said they are either "not satisfied" or "very not satisfied" with the service or care provided.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwanese Hospital Public Satisfaction Poll |date=October 2004|publisher=Taiwan Department of Health |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921050255/http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|url=http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|archivedate=21 September 2009|language=Chinese}}</ref>

Taiwan has its own Center for Disease Control, and during the [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]] outbreak in March 2003 there were 347&nbsp;confirmed cases. During the outbreak the [[Centers for Disease Control (Republic of China)|Centers for Disease Control]] and local governments set up monitored stations throughout public transportation, recreational sites and other public areas. With full containment in July 2003, there has not been a case of SARS since.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Center for Disease Control |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Taiwan CDC |url= http://www.cdc.gov.tw }}</ref>

As of 2006, the BNHI Facility Contract Distribution facilities total 17,259, including:<ref>{{cite news |title=Bureau of National Health Insurance Full Summary |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Taiwan BNHI |url=http://www.nhi.gov.tw/english/file/s92.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Number !!Subject
|-
|style="width:50px;text-align:right;"| 16,174
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| outpatient-only facilities
|-
|align="right"| 5,701
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| dental clinics
|-
|align="right"| 2,422
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| Chinese medicine clinics
|-
|align="right"| 1,085
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| inpatient/outpatient facilities
|-
|align="right"| 437
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| local community hospitals
|-
|align="right"| 35
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| Chinese medicine hospitals
|-
|align="right"| 123
|style="padding-left:0.5em;"| academic medical centers
|}

Basic coverage areas of the insurance include:
{{columns
|width=280px
|col1 =
* In-patient care
* Ambulatory care
* Laboratory tests
* Prescription and over-the-counter drugs
* Dental services
|col2 =
* Mental Illness
* Traditional Chinese medicine
* Home care
* Preventative services (check-ups, prenatal care, pap smears)
}}

In 2004, the infant mortality rate was 5.3 with 15&nbsp;physicians and 63&nbsp;hospital beds per 10,000&nbsp;people. The life expectancy for males was 73.5&nbsp;years and 79.7&nbsp;years for females according to the World Health Report.

In July 2013, the Department of Health was restructured as the [[Ministry of Health and Welfare (Republic of China)|Ministry of Health and Welfare]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ministry of Health and Welfare completes restructuring |date=24 July 2013 |author=Hsiao, Alison |publisher=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/07/24/2003568050 |accessdate=5 November 2013}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Taiwan|Cultural history of Taiwan}}

[[Image:taiwan.nch.ntnu.apo-hsu.2005-10a.altonthompson.jpg|thumb|[[Apo Hsu]] and the [[National Taiwan Normal University|NTNU]] Symphony Orchestra on stage in the [[National Concert Hall (Taiwan)|National Concert Hall]]]] 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 Taiwan. The government launched a [[History of the Kuomintang cultural policy|program]] promoting [[Chinese calligraphy]], [[Chinese painting|traditional Chinese painting]], [[Chinese folk art|folk art]], and [[Chinese opera]].{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}

The status of Taiwanese culture is debated.<ref>{{harvnb|Yip|2004|pp=230–248}}; {{harvnb|Makeham|2005|pp=2–8}}; {{harvnb|Chang|2005|p=224}}</ref> It is disputed whether Taiwanese culture is a regional form of Chinese culture or a distinct culture. Reflecting the continuing controversy surrounding the [[political status of Taiwan]], politics continues to play a role in the conception and development of a Taiwanese cultural identity, especially in the prior dominant frame of a Taiwanese and [[China|Chinese]] dualism. In recent years, the concept of Taiwanese [[multiculturalism]] has been proposed as a relatively apolitical alternative view, which has allowed for the inclusion of mainlanders and other minority groups into the continuing re-definition of Taiwanese culture as collectively held systems of meaning and customary patterns of thought and behavior shared by the people of Taiwan.<ref>{{harvnb|Hsiau|2005|pp=125–129}}; {{harvnb|Winckler|1994|pp=23–41}}</ref> [[Identity politics]], along with the over one hundred years of political separation from mainland China, has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including [[Taiwanese cuisine|cuisine]] and [[Music of Taiwan|music]].

[[Image:2008TIBE Day1 Hall1 Opening TouhWang.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Wang Tuoh]], a Taiwanese writer, literary critic and politician]]
One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the [[National Palace Museum]], which houses more than 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting, and porcelain and is considered one of the greatest collections of Chinese art and objects in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557357_9/Museum.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028163715/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557357_9/Museum.html|title=Museum|archivedate=28 October 2009|work=archive.org}}</ref> The KMT moved this collection from the [[Forbidden City]] in Beijing in 1933 and part of the collection was eventually transported to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. 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 has called for its return, but the ROC has long defended its control of the collection as a necessary act to protect the pieces from destruction, especially during the [[Cultural Revolution]]. Relations regarding this treasure have warmed recently; 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."<ref>{{cite news
| title = Taiwan to loan art to China amid warming ties
| url = http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hLODWs9HP8ywcjE_aaS5GPESiBvg
| agency = Agence France-Presse
| date = 22 September 2010
| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5tLc0bqi3
| archivedate = 9 October 2010
}}</ref>

The classical music culture in Taiwan is highly developed and features artists such as violinist [[Cho-Liang Lin]], pianist [[Ching-Yun Hu]], and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Artist Director [[Wu Han (pianist)|Wu Han]]. [[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.<ref>{{cite journal |author=American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei |authorlink=American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei |title=Convenience Stores Aim at Differentiation |journal=Taiwan Business Topics |volume=34 |issue=11 |url=http://www.amcham.com.tw/publication_topics_view.php?volume=34&vol_num=11&topics_id=558 |format=&nbsp;– <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=intitle%3AConvenience+Stores+Aim+at+Differentiation&as_publication=Taiwan+Business+TOPICS&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup> |ref=harv}} {{Dead link|date=April 2009}}</ref> 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. [[List of Taiwanese television series|Taiwan television shows]] are popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian countries. [[Cinema of Taiwan|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 (film)|Sense and Sensibility]]''; ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]''; ''[[Life of Pi (film)|Life of Pi]]''; and ''[[Lust, Caution (film)|Lust, Caution]]''. Other famous Taiwanese directors include [[Tsai Ming-Liang]], [[Edward Yang]], and [[Hou Hsiao-hsien]].

===Literature, philosophy, and the arts===
{{Main|Taiwanese literature|Photography in Taiwan}}

===Cinema, television, music, and performing arts===
{{Main|Cinema of Taiwan|List of Taiwanese films|Music of Taiwan|Taiwanese opera|Glove puppetry}}

===Sports===
{{Main|Sports in Taiwan}}
[[Image:2011 Women's British Open - Tseng Yani (7) cropped.jpg|upright||thumb|right|[[Yani Tseng]] with the 2011 Women's British Open trophy]]
[[Baseball]] is Taiwan's [[national sport]] and it is a popular spectator sport. Two of the most famous Taiwanese baseball pitchers are [[Chien-Ming Wang]] and [[Wei-Yin Chen]]; both are starting pitchers in [[Major League Baseball]]. Other notable players playing in the United States include [[Chin-hui Tsao]] who played for the [[Colorado Rockies]] (2003–2005) 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 1989,<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316075320/http://www.cpbl.com.tw/html/english/cpbl.asp|url=http://www.cpbl.com.tw/html/english/cpbl.asp|archivedate=16 March 2009 |title=Intro of CPBL |publisher=Cpbl.com.tw |accessdate=3 December 2014}}</ref> and eventually absorbed the competing [[Taiwan Major League]] in 2003. {{As of|2008}}, the CPBL has four teams with average attendance of approximately 3,000 per game.

Besides baseball, [[basketball]] is Taiwan's major sport.<ref>{{cite news | first = Audrey | last = Wang | title = A Passion for Hoops | date = 1 June 2008 | publisher = Taiwan Review | url = http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=43967&CtNode=128 | work = The Taiwan Review | accessdate = 8 April 2012}}</ref> Taekwondo has also become a mature and successful sport in recent years. In the 2004 Olympics, [[Chen Shih-hsin]] and [[Chu Mu-yen]] won the first two gold medals in women's flyweight event and men's flyweight event, respectively. Subsequent taekwondo competitors such as [[Yang Shu-chun]] have strengthened Taiwan's taekwondo culture.

Taiwan participates in international sporting organizations and events under the name of "[[Chinese Taipei]]" due to [[political status of Taiwan|its political status]]. In 2009, Taiwan hosted two international sporting events on the island. The [[World Games 2009]] were held in [[Kaohsiung]] between 16 and 26 July 2009. Taipei hosted the [[21st Summer Deaflympics]] in September of the same year. Furthermore, Taipei will host the Summer [[Universiade]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite news | first = Joseph | last = Yeh | title = Taipei to host 2017 Summer Universiade | date = 1 December 2011 |work=China Post | url = http://www.chinapost.com.tw/sports/other/2011/12/01/324608/Taipei-to.htm | accessdate = 8 April 2012}}</ref>

Taiwan is also a major Asian country for [[Korfball]]. In 2008, Taiwan hosted the World Youth Korfball Championship and took the silver medal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Netherlands Retains World Youth Korfball Champion; Taiwan is on the Way to the World..|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/08/idUS82890+08-Nov-2008+BW20081108|accessdate=14 June 2011|agency=Reuters Newswire|date=8 November 2008}}</ref> In 2009, Taiwan's korfball team won a bronze medal at the World Game.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hazeldine|first=Richard|title=Jujitsu, korfball put Taiwan back on winning track|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/07/22/2003449286|accessdate=14 June 2011|newspaper=Taipei Times|date=22 July 2009}}</ref>

[[Yani Tseng]] is the most famous Taiwanese [[professional golfer]] currently playing on the U.S.-based [[LPGA Tour]]. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five [[Women's major golf championships|major championships]] and had been ranked number 1 in the [[Women's World Golf Rankings]] for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011 to 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=At Only 22, Tseng Wins Fifth Major|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/sports/golf/2011-womens-british-open-yani-tseng-wins-fifth-major.html|date=1 August 2011|agency=Associated Press|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Victorious Tseng takes No. 1 ranking|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/02/14/2003495832|date=14 February 2011|agency=Agence France-Presse|work=Taipei Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/9063564/stacy-lewis-wins-lpga-founders-cup-takes-world-no-1 |title=Stacy Lewis wins, now No. 1 in world |agency=Associated Press |date=17 March 2013 |work=ESPN |accessdate=21 March 2013}}</ref>

===Foods, cuisine, and shopping===
{{Main|Taiwanese cuisine|Taiwanese tea culture|Night markets in Taiwan}}
[[Image:ROC calendar.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A calendar that commemorates the first year of the Republic as well as the election of [[Sun Yat-sen]] as the provisional President|alt=A calendar with a picture of a Chinese man in the center. On top of it stands a flag with five horizontal stripes (red, yellow, blue, white, and black).]]

===Calendar===
{{Main|Minguo calendar}}
{{See also|Chinese calendar|Public holidays in Taiwan}}

Taiwan uses two official calendars: the [[Gregorian calendar]] and the [[Minguo calendar]]. The latter numbers years starting from 1911, the year of the founding of the Republic of China. For example, 2007 is the "96th year of the Republic" (民國96年),<ref>{{cite web|author=Lotta Danielsson-Murphy |url=http://www.us-taiwan.org/taiwan_holidays.html |title=Taiwan Calendar and Holidays |publisher=US-Taiwan Business Council |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref> while its months and days are numbered according to the Gregorian calendar.

Usually, year numbering may use the Gregorian system as well as the ROC era system. For example, 3 May 2004, may be written 2004-05-03 or 93–05–03. The use of two different calendar systems in Taiwan may be confusing, in particular for foreigners. For instance, products for export marked using the Minguo calendar can be misunderstood as having an expiration date 11&nbsp;years earlier than intended.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/02/25/2003294523 |title=Taiwan may drop idiosyncratic Republican calendar|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=25 February 2006 |accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

Taiwan also uses the [[lunar calendar]] for traditional festivals such as the [[Chinese New Year]], the [[Lantern Festival]], and the [[Dragon Boat Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/index_e.htm |title=Holidays and Festivals in Taiwan |publisher=Government Information Office, ROC|accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Index of Taiwan-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Taiwan]]
{{portal bar|Geography|Asia|Taiwan|Islands}}

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Works cited===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite web|url=http://doit.moea.gov.tw/itech/data/2008_1_1_EN.pdf|title=2008 White Paper on Taiwan Industrial Technology|year=2008|publisher=Department of Industrial Technology|accessdate=27 November 2009|ref={{Sfnref|DoIT|2008}}}}
* {{cite journal
| last=Bird | first=Michael I
| last2=Hope | first2=Geoffrey | last3=Taylor | first3=David
| year=2004
| url=http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/pubs/Birdetal04.pdf
| title=Populating PEP II: the dispersal of humans and agriculture through Austral-Asia and Oceania
| journal=Quaternary International | volume=118–119
| pages=145–163
| accessdate=31 March 2007
| doi=10.1016/s1040-6182(03)00135-6
|ref=harv
}}
* {{cite book |last=Chang |first=Maukuei |chapter=Chapter 7 : The Movement to Indigenize to Social Sciences in Taiwan: Origin and Predicaments |editor1-last=Makeham |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Hsiau |editor2-first=A-chin |title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua |date=2005 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=9781403970206 |edition=1 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=James W. |authorlink=James W. Davidson |title=The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions |year=1903 |publisher=Macmillan |url=https://archive.org/details/islandofformosap00davi |location=London and New York |ol=6931635M |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book |year=2014 |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2014 |author=Executive Yuan, R.O.C. |url=http://yearbook.multimedia.ey.gov.tw/enebook/2014yearbook/index.html |accessdate=25 February 2015 |isbn=9789860423020 |ref={{harvid|Exec. Yuan|2014}} }}
* {{Cite book|last=Fenby|first=Jonathan|title=The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850–2009|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2009|isbn=0-7139-9832-6|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fung|first=Edmund S. K. |title=In search of Chinese democracy: civil opposition in Nationalist China, 1929–1949|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2000|series=Cambridge modern China series|ref=harv|isbn=978-0-521-77124-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Hsiau |first=A-Chin |chapter=Chapter 4 : The Indigenization of Taiwanese Literature: Historical Narrative, Strategic Essentialism, and State Violence |editor1-last=Makeham |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Hsiau |editor2-first=A-chin |title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua |date=2005 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=9781403970206 |edition=1 |ref=harv}}
* {{Cite journal| last1=Makinen |first1=Gail E. |last2=Woodward |first2=G. Thomas |year=1989 |title=The Taiwanese hyperinflation and stabilization of 1945–1952 |journal=Journal of Money, Credit and Banking |volume=21 |pages=90–105 |jstor=1992580 |ref=harv |issue=1| doi=10.2307/1992580}}
* {{cite book |last=Makeham |first=John |chapter=Chapter 6 : Indigenization Discourse in Taiwanese Confucian Revivalism |editor1-last=Makeham |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Hsiau |editor2-first=A-chin |title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua |date=2005 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=9781403970206 |edition=1 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Hill |first1=Catherine |last2=Soares |first2=Pedro |last3=Mormina |first3=Maru |last4=Macaulay |first4=Vincent |last5=Clarke |first5=Dougie |last6=Blumbach |first6=Petya B. |last7=Vizuete-Forster |first7=Matthieu |last8=Forster |first8=Peter |last9=Bulbeck |first9=David |last10=Oppenheimer |first10=Stephen |last11=Richards |first11=Martin |title=A Mitochondrial Stratigraphy for Island Southeast Asia |journal=The American Journal of Human Genetics |date=January 2007 |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=29–43 |doi=10.1086/510412 |pmc=1876738 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite conference |last=Winckler |given=Edwin |year=1994 |title=Cultural Policy in Postwar Taiwan |editor1-last=Harrell |editor1-first=Stevan |editor2-last=Huang |editor2-first=Chun-chieh |conference=Cultural Change in Postwar Taiwan ( 10–14 April 1991; Seattle) |publisher=Westview Press |place=Boulder, Colo. |ISBN=9780813386324 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Yip |first=June |year=2004 |title=Envisioning Taiwan: Fiction, Cinema and the Nation in the Cultural Imaginary |publisher=Duke University Press |place=Durham, N.C. and London |isbn=9780822333579 |ref=harv}}

{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/introduction.stm|publisher=BBC News|title=Taiwan Flashpoint|year=2005}}
* {{Cite book|last=Bush|first=R.|author2=O'Hanlon, M.|title=A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America|publisher=Wiley|year=2007|isbn=0-471-98677-1}}
* {{Cite book|last=Bush|first=R.|title=Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|year=2006|isbn=0-8157-1290-1}}
* {{Cite book|last=Carpenter|first=T.|title=America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2006|isbn=1-4039-6841-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Clark|first1=Cal|last2=Tan|first2=Alexander C.|title=Taiwan's Political Economy: Meeting Challenges, Pursuing Progress|year=2012|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=1-588-26806-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Cole|first=B.|title=Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=0-415-36581-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Copper|first=J.|title=Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan|publisher=Praeger Security International General Interest|year=2006|isbn=0-275-98888-0}}
* {{cite web|author=Federation of American Scientists et al.|title=Chinese Nuclear Forces and US Nuclear War Planning|year=2006|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/Book2006.pdf}}
* {{Cite book|last=Feuerwerker|first=Albert|title=The Chinese Economy, 1912–1949|publisher=Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press|year=1968}}
*Fravel, M. Taylor (2002) "Towards Civilian Supremacy: Civil-military Relations in Taiwan's Democratization", [[Armed Forces & Society]] 29, no. 1: 57–84
* {{Cite book|last=Gill|first=B.|title=Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|year=2007|isbn=0-8157-3146-9}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shirk|first=S.|title=China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=0-19-530609-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Tsang|first=S.|title=If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=0-415-40785-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Tucker|first=N.B.|title=Dangerous Strait: the US-Taiwan-China Crisis|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2005|isbn=0-231-13564-5}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Republic of China}}

===Overviews and data===
* {{CIA World Factbook link|tw|Taiwan}}
* [http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/taiwan.htm Taiwan] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{dmoz|Regional/Asia/Taiwan}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1285915.stm Taiwan country profile] [[BBC News]]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/history.stm Taiwan flashpoint] BBC News
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35855.htm Background Note: Taiwan] US Department of State
* [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan Taiwan Travel Information and Travel Guide] Lonely Planet
* [http://www.taiwandc.org/history.htm Taiwan's 400 years of history] New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=TW Key Development Forecasts for Taiwan] from [[International Futures]]
* [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580902/Taiwan Taiwan] ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' entry
* [http://www.oecd.org/countries/chinesetaipei/ Chinese Taipei] [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]]
* {{wikiatlas|Taiwan}}

===Government agencies===
* [http://www.taiwan.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=999 Office of the government]
* [http://english.president.gov.tw/ Office of the President]
* [http://www.ey.gov.tw/mp?mp=11 Executive Yuan]{{dead link|date=February 2014}}
* [http://www.judicial.gov.tw/en/ Judicial Yuan]
* [http://www.cy.gov.tw/mp21.htm Control Yuan]
* [http://www.exam.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=5 Examination Yuan]
* [http://www.mofa.gov.tw/webapp/mp?mp=6 Ministry of Foreign Affairs]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}
* [http://www.taiwanembassy.org/US/mp.asp?mp=12 Taipei Economic & Cultural Representative Office in the US]
* [http://www.na.gov.tw/en/index-en.jsp National Assembly]
* [http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/ Taiwan, The Heart of Asia], Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan)

{{Geographic location
| Centre = {{TWN-ROC}}
| North = {{ROK}}<br />[[East China Sea]]
| Northeast = {{JPN}}<br />[[East China Sea]]
| East = [[Pacific Ocean]]
| Southeast = [[Philippines Sea]]
| South = [[Bashi Straits]]<br />{{PHI}}
| Southwest = [[South China Sea]]<br />{{VNM}}
| West = {{PRC}}<br />[[Taiwan Strait]]
| Northwest = {{PRC}}<br />[[Taiwan Strait]]
}}

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