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Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined territories under ROC control consist of 168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The largest metropolitan area is formed by Taipei (the capital), New Taipei City, and Keelung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.

Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale Han Chinese immigration began under a Dutch colony and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning, the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history. The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1912 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, took control following the surrender of Japan in 1945. The immediate resumption of the Chinese Civil War resulted in the loss of the Chinese mainland to Communist forces, who established the People's Republic of China and the flight of the ROC central government to Taiwan in 1949. The effective jurisdiction of the ROC has since been limited to Taiwan, Penghu, and smaller islands.

The early 1960s saw rapid economic growth and industrialization called the "Taiwan Miracle". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a one-party state under martial law to a multi-party democracy, with democratically elected presidents beginning in 1996. Taiwan's export-oriented economy is the 21st-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the 20th-largest by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a developed country. It is ranked highly in terms of civil liberties, healthcare, and human development.

The political status of Taiwan is contentious. Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as a member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead. The ROC maintained its claim of being the sole legitimate representative of China and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to regard the Chinese Communist Party as a rebellious group and acknowledged its control over mainland China. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognise the ROC. Taiwan maintains official diplomatic relations with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the Holy See. Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates. International organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate on a non-state basis. Domestically, the major political contention is between parties favoring eventual Chinese unification and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with those aspiring to formal international recognition and promoting a Taiwanese identity; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. (Full article...)

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Fahrenheit at the Let's Bike Taiwan event in September 2009. From left to right: Aaron Yan, Calvin Chen, Wu Chun, Jiro Wang

Fahrenheit (Chinese: 飛輪海; pinyin: Fēilúnhǎi; Jyutping: Fei1 Leon4 Hoi2; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hui Lûn-hái; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Fui Lûn-hói) was a Taiwanese boy band composed of members Calvin Chen, Jiro Wang, Wu Chun, and Aaron Yan. They were formed in 2005 by Comic International Productions and HIM International Music and GMM Grammy in Thailand. Their music is distributed by WOW Music in Hong Kong and by Pony Canyon in Japan. Fahrenheit ware often associated with their labelmate seniors S.H.E, who are also under HIM International Music.

In June 2011, Wu announced his decision to leave the group to focus on his acting career, but is open to the idea of reuniting with Fahrenheit in the future. Following Wu Chun's departure, the remaining members also went off to pursue solo projects, putting the group in an indefinite hiatus. (Full article...)

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Selected biography

Teng in 1979

Teng Li-chun (Chinese: 鄧麗君; pinyin: Dèng Lìjūn; 29 January 1953 – 8 May 1995), commonly known as Teresa Teng, was a Taiwanese singer, actress, musician and philanthropist. Referred to by some as the "Eternal Queen of Asian Pop", she is considered as one of the most successful and influential Asian popular singers of all time. Teng is recognized as a cultural icon for her contributions to Chinese pop, giving birth to the phrase, "Wherever there are Chinese-speaking people, there is the music of Teresa Teng." A polyglot, Teng's crystalline voice and emotionally resonant songs, have transcended geographical, linguistic, and political boundaries, captivating audiences across Asia for several decades.

With a career spanning almost 30 years, Teng established herself as a dominant and influential force in Asia throughout most of her career, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, and, to some extent, South Asia. Teng is credited as the Far East's first pop superstar and by some as the pioneer of modern Chinese pop music—a major force in the development of the Chinese music industry by incorporating western and eastern styles into her music, replacing the most revolutionary songs then prevalent in mainland China and laying the foundation for modern Chinese popular music. (Full article...)

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Tsai Ing-wen Cheng Yen Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Tsai Wan-lin Wang Jinping (scholar and activist) Jay Chou Ang Lee S.H.E Lee Teng-hui Justin Huang Chiau Wen-yan Kao Chin Su-mei Latisha Chan Wu Nien-jen Wu Zhaonan

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Fort Zeelandia in Anping, Tainan was built by the Dutch East India Company in 1624 but was laid siege 38 years later by Koxinga resulting in the Dutch surrender and end of Dutch colonization of Taiwan.

Photo credit: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

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

Official portrait, 2019

Chen Chi-mai (Chinese: 陳其邁; pinyin: Chén Qímài; Wade–Giles: Ch'ên² Ch'i²-mai⁴; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Kî-māi; born December 23, 1964) is a Taiwanese politician and the current mayor of Kaohsiung since August 24, 2020. He has served as spokesperson of the Democratic Progressive Party and the chief executive officer of its Policy Research and Coordinating Committee. A physician from Keelung, Chen started his political career by becoming member of the Legislative Yuan in 1996 and served as legislator for almost eight years before becoming the spokesperson of the Executive Yuan.

In 2005, Chen succeeded to the mayoralty of Kaohsiung after Frank Hsieh's appointment as premier. Chen became the deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office in 2007 and served until the inauguration of President Ma Ying-jeou. Following his December 2018 loss in the Kaohsiung mayoral election, Chen was appointed Vice Premier of the Republic of China by President Tsai Ing-wen. Chen yielded the vice premiership to Shen Jong-chin in June 2020, and won the Kaohsiung mayoralty in a by-election on August 15, 2020 after previous mayor Han Kuo-yu was recalled. (Full article...)

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Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa EVA Air Chai Trong-rong Taiwan High Speed Rail Pe̍h-ōe-jī Mei-Ann Chen Hsu Tain-tsair You Are the Apple of My Eye

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Did you know - show different entries

... that the Democratic Progressive Party nominated Hsu Tain-tsair (pictured) as the party's candidate for the 2001 Tainan mayoral race instead of George Chang, then-incumbent mayor of Tainan?

... that the National Taiwan Museum is the oldest museum in Taiwan and was established during the Japanese rule era?

...that professional baseball in Taiwan began in 1989, and the Chinese Professional Baseball League and Taiwan Major League merged in 2003?

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General images

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

Image 1Severed heads of Seediq rebels (from History of Taiwan)
Image 2Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 3The Imperial Guard Defeats the Enemy in Hard Fighting at Keelung on the Island of Taiwan, 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 4Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 5The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 6A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 7Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 8Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 9Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the Cairo Conference in Cairo, 25 November 1943. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 10Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 11Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 12Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 13Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
Image 14Statue of Chen Di in Lianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
Image 15Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
Image 16The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
Image 17Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
Image 18Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
Image 19Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 20Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 21Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert Hall in Taipei and Play Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony No. 3 (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 22Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 23Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 24Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 25Taiwan in the 17th century, showing Dutch (magenta) and Spanish (green) possessions, and the Kingdom of Middag (orange) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 26Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 27Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 28Bird's eye view of Fort Zeelandia in Dutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
Image 29Sky Lantern festival in Pingxi, Taiwan (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 30Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 31Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 32Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 33Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 34The Qing Empire in 1820, with provinces in yellow, military governorates and protectorates in light yellow, tributary states in orange. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 35Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
Image 361901 map with red line marking approximate boundary separating territory under actual Japanese administration from "Savage District" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 37Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
Image 38Two 7-Eleven stores opposite each other on a crossroad. Taiwan has the highest density of 7-Eleven stores per person in the world (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 39Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 40Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 41Zheng Keshuang (from History of Taiwan)
Image 42Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 43Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 44Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 45Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 46The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 47Mid-17th century portrait of Koxinga (Guoxingye or "Kok seng ia" in southern Fujianese), "Lord of the Imperial Surname" (from History of Taiwan)

On this day...

More November anniversaries

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In the news

17 October 2024 – South Africa–Taiwan relations: The Government of South Africa orders Taiwan to relocate its representative office from the South African capital of Pretoria, allegedly due to pressure from China. (Focus Taiwan)
3 October 2024 –: Nine people are killed in a fire at a hospital in Pingtung County, Taiwan. (AP)

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Administrative divisions

The Republic of China government governs 22 administrative divisions
The administrative divisions presently consist of 13 counties, 6 special municipalities and three cities.


Chiayi City	Chiayi County	Changhua County	Hsinchu City	Hsinchu County

Hualian County	Kaohsiung City	Keelung City	Kinmen Country	Lienchang County

Miaoli County	Nantou County	New Taipei City	Penghu County	Pingtung County

Taichung City	Tainan City	Taipei City	Taitung County	Taoyuan City

Yilan County	Yunlin County

Related portals

East Asia

Southeast Asia

Portals listed here are related to Taiwan by way of history, Asian region, diplomatic relations with ROC, and significant diaspora of overseas Taiwanese

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