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{{this article is about|the island of Taiwan. For the state commonly referred to as "Taiwan", see the ''']'''. For other uses, see ].}} |
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'''Taiwan''' ({{zh-tspw|t=臺灣 or 台灣|s=台湾|p=Táiwān|w=T'ai-wan}}; ]: Tâi-oân) is an island in ], but the term ''Taiwan'' is also commonly used to collectively refer to the territories governed by the ''']''' (ROC), which include the island of Taiwan, ] (Orchid Island) and ] in the ] coast off the Taiwan island, the ] in the ], and ] and ] off the coast of mainland ]. The main island of Taiwan, also known as '''Formosa''' (from the ] ''Ilha Formosa'', meaning "beautiful island"), is located at 22°57′N 120°12′E, off the coast of ], south of ] and north of the ]. It is bounded to the east by the ], to the south by the ] and the ], to the west by the ] and to the north by the ]. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. |
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The ] (ROC) and its right to declare itself ] are contested by the ] (PRC), which considers Taiwan part of its own territory and believes it should be eventually ] with ]. |
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== Political status == |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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{{Articles of Taiwan}} |
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In 1895, Taiwan, including the ], became a ] colony, a concession by the ] after it lost the ]. After ]'s defeat at the end of ] in 1945, Allied Command ordered Japanese troops in Taiwan to surrender to the ] (ROC) and the ROC has been the de facto ruler of Taiwan ever since. Technically, documents and treaties left legal sovereignty of the island with the USA, which granted stewardship of the island to the ruling ] (KMT) of the ]. However, the validity of this stewardship is disputed by the ROC, as well as by the ]. |
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In 1949, upon losing the ] to the ] (CPC), the ] (KMT) retreated from ] and moved the ROC government to ], Taiwan's largest city, while continuing to claim sovereignty over all of ] and ]. On the mainland, the Communists established the ] (PRC), claiming to be the sole representative of China including Taiwan and portraying the ROC government on Taiwan as an illegitimate entity. <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 | url=http://www.gwytb.gov.cn:8088/detail.asp?table=WhitePaper&title=White%20Papers%20On%20Taiwan%20Issue&m_id=4 | accessdate=2006-03-06}} See Sec. 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 China and, in reality, has always remained only a local authority in Chinese territory."</ref> |
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Taiwan has been transformed into a major industrialized economy and is often touted as the ] and one of the ]. Meanwhile, political reforms beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the early 1990s liberalized Taiwan (also ]) from an authoritarian one-party state into a multiparty democracy. In 2000, the KMT's monopoly on power ended after the ] (DPP) won the ]. Besides groups seeking the ], there is a ] movement that seeks to establish a ]. The competing claims over the future of Taiwan have made and continue to make Taiwan's ] a contentious issue. For any particular resolution public favor shifts greatly with small changes in wording, illustrating the complexity of public opinion on the topic. <ref>{{cite book | last = Swaine | first = Michael | coauthors = James C. Mulvenon | title = Tawian's Foreign and Defense Policies: Features and Determinants | origyear = 2001 | url = http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1383/MR1383.ch3.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2006-03-05 | publisher = RAND Corporation | language = English | id = ISBN 0-8330-3094-9 | pages = 30 | chapter = 3 | quote = "Efforts to accurately measure and assess public and group views and interests on these and other issues are fraught with problems, however, such as political bias and the use of unscientific methodologies. A significant number of opinion polls are conducted each year by Taiwan’s political parties, newspapers, and various politically-oriented private groups or foundations on a wide range of subjects. Many such polls arguably produce inaccurate results, either as a result of sampling errors, biased questions, or a subject’s awareness of the highly partisan nature of the polling agency." |
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}}</ref> |
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The political environment is complicated by the potential for military conflict should overt actions toward independence or reunification be taken. It is the policy of the PRC to use force to ensure reunification if peaceful reunification fails as stated in its anti-secession law, and there are substantial military installations on the Fujian coast for this reason. <ref>{{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=2006-03-05}} Pages 89-90: "The PRC refusal to renounce using military power against Taiwan, its current emphasis on "enhancing |
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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, paralyzation 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."</ref> The US has provided military training and arms sales to the ROC. <ref>{{cite web| year = 2000 | url = http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/twstrait_12182000.html | title = Executive Summary of Report to Congress on implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act | work = Report to Congress Pursuant to Public Law 106-113 | publisher = U.S. Department of Defense | accessdate = 2005-03-05}}</ref> However, the current status quo, as defined by the United States, is supported on a quid pro quo basis between Beijing and Taipei. The former is expected to "use no force or threat to use force against Taiwan," and the latter is to "exercise prudence in managing all aspects of cross-Strait relations." As such, both Beijing and Taipei are to refrain from performing actions or espousing statements "that would unilaterally alter Taiwan's status." <ref>{{cite press release | publisher = U.S. Department of State | date = ] |title = Overview of U.S. Policy Towards Taiwan | url = http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2004/31649.htm |
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}}</ref> |
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The KMT supports the status quo for the indefinite future with a stated ultimate goal of reunification because unification with the PRC for the foreseeable future is unacceptable to its members and the public. Ma Ying-Jeou, current chairman of the KMT and current frontrunner for the 2008 presidential election, has set out democracy, economic development to a level near that of Taiwan, and equitable wealth distribution as the conditions that the mainland must fulfill in order for reunification to occur; these conditions mean that even the major party most open to unification believes it is a goal achievable only in the long term. The DPP, which supports an independent Taiwan, supports the status quo because the risk of declaring independence and provoking mainland China is unacceptable to its members. However, President Chen Shui-Bian has stated that no matter what, any said decision should be decided through a public referendum of the people of Taiwan. Both parties' current foreign policy positions support taking active steps to advocate the ROC's participation in international organizations and in fact, are actually quite similar, with the two exceptions being that the KMT is willing to accept "one-China" and the DPP encouraging economic ties with countries other than China for security reasons. |
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In accordance with the ] and the PRC's view that the ROC government is illegitimate, the PRC requires that all countries that it conducts diplomatic relations with give no recognition to Taiwan, Republic of China. As a result, there are currently 25 states -- mostly small, developing nations in Africa and Central America -- that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, many countries have representative offices in the ROC. For instance, the ], maintains non-official relations with the ROC through the unofficial instrumentality of the ] as its representative office.<ref>{{cite web | title=The World Factbook | publisher=CIA | date=] | url=http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tw.html}}</ref> Reciprocally, ROC maintains similar representative offices in many countries, and are referred to as "]s" (TECRO), with branch offices called "]s" (TECO). Both TECRO and TECO are unofficial commercial entities of Taiwan in charge of maintaining bilateral relations, providing consular services, and serving the interests of the ROC in other countries in some ways that are similar to diplomatic offices.<ref>{{cite web |title=TECRO Profile & Mission|date=] |publisher=TECRO in the United States |url=http://www.tecro.org/dev/contents/?ID=2&T=About%20TECRO}}</ref> |
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Also in accordance with the One-China policy, the PRC only participates in international organizations where the ROC is not recognized as a state. The ], for example, was forced to expel the ROC when the PRC was admitted. Each year since 1992, the government of the Republic of China petitions the UN for entry but has so far been unsuccessful because most countries, including the United States, do not wish to discuss the issue of the ROC's political status for fears of souring diplomatic ties with the PRC, although both the US and Japan publicly support the ROC's bid for membership of the World Health Organization as an observer. <ref>{{cite news |title=WHO application: a question of health or politics? |date=] |publisher=The Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/05/19/2003156094}}</ref> Similarly, the ROC uses the name ] in international events such as the ], when PRC is also a party. The ROC is also barred from using its national anthem and national flag in international events due to PRC pressure, and Taiwanese spectators attending events such as the Olympics are barred from bringing ROC national flags into Olympic venues. <ref>{{cite news |title=Taiwan flags in S.L. ruffle a few feelings |date=] |publisher=The Deseret News |url=http://deseretnews.com/oly/view/0,3949,70000298,00.html}}</ref> On the other hand, the ROC is able to participate as "China" in organizations that the PRC does not participate in, such as the ]. |
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== History == |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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]'s moon-shaped monolith, ca. 1896]] |
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===Prehistory and early settlement=== |
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Evidence of human settlement in Taiwan dates back 30,000 years, although the first inhabitants of Taiwan may have been genetically distinct from any groups currently on the island. About 4,000 years ago, ancestors of current ]s settled Taiwan. These aborigines are genetically related to ] and ], and linguists classify their language as ]. <ref>{{cite journal | first = Jean | last = Trejaut | coauthors = Toomas Kivisild, Jun Hun Loo, Chien Liang Lee, Chun Lin He, Chia Jung Hsu, Zheng Yuan Li, Marie Lin | year = 2005 | month = August | title = Traces of Archaic Mitochondrial Lineages Persist in Austronesian-Speaking Formosan Populations | journal = PLoS Biology | volume = 3 | issue = 8 | url = http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030247}}</ref> Records indicate that Han Chinese settled in ] since the 1100s, but it was not until later that people other than aborigines permanently settled in the main island of Taiwan. {{citeneeded}} |
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Records from ancient China indicate that ] might have known of the existence of the main island of Taiwan since the ] period (]), having assigned offshore islands in the vicinity names like Greater and Minor ] (] in Japanese), though none of these names have been definitively matched to the main island of Taiwan. It has been claimed but not verified that the ] ] ] visited Taiwan between 1403 and 1424. |
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In 1544, a ] ship sighted the main island of Taiwan and dubbed it "Ilha Formosa", which means "Beautiful Island." The Portuguese made no attempt to colonize Taiwan. In 1624, the ] established a commercial base on Taiwan and began to import workers from ] and ] as laborers, many of whom settled. The Dutch made Taiwan a colony with its colonial capital at Tayoan City (present day ]). The Dutch military presence was concentrated at a stronghold called ]. <ref>{{cite web | title=Finding the Heritage - Reasons for the project| work=National Anping Harbor Historical Park | url=http://anping.tncg.gov.tw/archaeology/e_aha_01.jsp | accessdate=2006-03-08}}</ref> The Dutch colonists also started to hunt the native ] (''Cervus nippon taioanus'') that inhabited Taiwan, contributing to the eventual extinction of the subspecies on the island. <ref>{{cite journal|first=Minna J.|last=Hsu|coauthors=Govindasamy Agoramoorthy|month=August|year=1997|title=Wildlife conservation in Taiwan|journal=Conservation Biology|volume=11|issue=4|pages=834–836|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0888-8892%28199708%2911%3A4%3C834%3AWCIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z}}</ref> The name ''Taiwan'' derives from ''Tayoan'', meaning "I" in one of the ]. |
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=== Koxinga and imperial Chinese rule === |
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] naval and troop forces defeated the ] in ], subsequently expelling the Dutch government and military from the island. They were led by Lord Zheng Chenggong (also known as Lord ] or 鄭成功), a pirate turned ] navy commander. Following the fall of the ], Zheng retreated to Taiwan as a self-styled Ming loyalist, and established the ] (1662–1683). Cheng established his capital at Tainan and he and his heirs, ] (鄭經) who ruled from 1662-82 and his son ] (鄭克塽), who served less than a year, continued to launch raids on the east coast of mainland China well into the Qing dynasty in an attempt to recover the mainland. |
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In 1683, the ] defeated the Zheng holdout, and formally annexed Taiwan, placing it under the jurisdiction of ] province. Following the defeat of Zheng's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang, Zheng's followers were expatriated to the farthest reaches of the Qing Empire, leaving approximately 7,000 ] on Taiwan. The ] government wrestled with its Taiwan policy to reduce piracy and vagrancy in the area, which led to a series of edicts to manage immigration and respect aboriginal land rights. Illegal immigrants from ] continued to enter Taiwan as renters of the large plots of aboriginal lands under contracts that usually involved marriage, while the border between taxpaying lands and "savage" lands migrated east, with some aborigines 'Sinicizing' while others retreated into the mountains. The bulk of Taiwan's population today claim descent from these immigrants. During this time, there were a number of conflicts involving Han Chinese from different regions of China, and between Han Chinese and aborigines. |
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In 1887, the Qing government upgraded Taiwan's status from that of being a prefecture of Fujian to one of province itself, the 20th in the country, with its capital at Taipei. The move was accompanied by a modernization drive that included the building of the first railroad and the beginning of a postal service in Taiwan. <ref>{{cite web| year=2006| title=Build History of Main Routes of Taiwan Railway | work=Taiwan Railway Administration | url=http://www.railway.gov.tw/n/n1_01.htm | accessdate=2006-03-06}}</ref> |
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=== Japanese rule === |
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] |
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Following its defeat in the ] (1894-1895), by signing the ], Qing China ceded Taiwan and ] (the Pescadores) to ] in perpetuity, on terms dictated by the latter. Inhabitants wishing to remain Chinese subjects were given a 2-year grace period to sell their property and move to the mainland.{{citeneeded}} |
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On ], ], the ] was formed with a dynastic name of "Forever Qing" ("Qing" or "Ch'ing" referring to the dynastic name of China at the time: Great Qing Empire) and with capital at ], to resist impending Japanese rule. Japanese forces entered the capital and quelled this resistance on ], ]. Unlike elsewhere in Asia, most notably Korea, Japan never tried to fully assimilate Taiwan culturally. According to Japanese public relations, the Japanese attempted to use Taiwan as a model colony and were instrumental in the industrialization of the island. The Japanese extended the railroads and other transportation networks that had just sprung up during late Qing rule, built an extensive sanitation system and revised the public school system, among other things. The Japanese motivation for these new infrastructures on Taiwan were primarily to tap the natural resources of the island. Much deforestation occured on Taiwan to supply Japan with timber and mining for the Japanese war efforts. Still, the ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese aborigines were classified as second- and third-class citizens. Large-scale violence continued in the first decade of rule. Chinese resistance was put down brutally and by 1920s, armed uprising had largely been put down. Aboriginal populations suffered hardship and massacres in the Japanese quest for natural resources. Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project to bind the island more firmly to the ]. By 1945, just before Japan lost ], desperate plans were put in place to incorporate popular representation of Taiwan into the Japanese Diet to make Taiwan an integral part of Japan proper. {{citeneeded}} |
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Japan's rule of Taiwan came to an end with its defeat in ]. The signing of the ] on ], ], signaled that Taiwan was to be returned to China, one of the ] objectives from the wartime declarations. On ], ], ROC troops, representing the Allied Command, accepted the formal surrender of Japanese military forces in ] (today: ]). However, due to the Chinese Civil War between the ] (KMT) and the Chinese Communists, the 1951 ] between Japan and the Allies stipulated the United States as the main occupying power of Taiwan while not naming the recipient of Taiwan's sovereignty, which Chiang Kai-Shek, President of the ], refused to accept. The ] was not invited to the treaty because of the ]. {{citeneeded}} |
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=== Authoritarian rule under the Kuomintang === |
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] |
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] delegates with ] in 1946, 3 years before moving the central government to Taiwan. There is little evidence that the people of Taiwan actually participated in electing these delegates.]] |
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] |
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The ROC administration, led by ], announced October 25, 1945, as "Taiwan Retrocession Day" (臺灣光復節). At first, they were greeted as liberators by the people of Taiwan. However, the ROC military administration on Taiwan under ] was generally unstable and corrupt; it seized property and set up government monopolies of many industries. These problems, compounded with ], unrest due to the ], and distrust due to political, cultural and linguistic differences between the Taiwanese and the Mainland Chinese, quickly led to the loss of popular support for the new administration. <ref>{{cite news |title="This Is the Shame" |date=] |publisher=Time Magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,792979,00.html}} (Subscription required)</ref> This culminated in a series of severe clashes between the ROC administration and Taiwanese, in turn leading to the bloody ] and the reign of ]. <ref>{{cite news |title= Snow Red & Moon Angel |date=] |publisher=Time Magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,804090,00.html}} (Subscription required) Full version at </ref> |
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At the same time, the ] was in progress. In 1949, Chiang's ] (Nationalist Party or KMT), which at the time controlled the government of the ROC, retreated to Taiwan after its defeat on mainland China at the hands of the ]. Some 1.3 million refugees from ], consisting primarily of soldiers, KMT party members, and other wealthy mainlanders, arrived in Taiwan around that time. From this period on, Taiwan was governed by a ] dictatorship, with the KMT as the ]. Military rule continued and little to no distinction was made between the government and the party, with "public property", government property, and party property being interchangeable. Government workers and party workers were also indistinguishable, with government workers, such as teachers, required to become KMT members, and party workers paid salaries and promised retirement benefits along the lines of government employees. In addition all other parties were outlawed, and political opponents were persecuted to the point of executions and incarceration. |
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Initially, the United States abandoned the KMT and expected that Taiwan would fall to the Communists. However, in 1950, ] invaded ], and in the context of the ], US President ] intervened again and dispatched the 7th Fleet into the ]s to "neutralize" the Straits. <ref>{{cite paper | author=U.S. Department of Defense | title=Classified Teletype Conference, dated June 27, 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 & Museum | date=1950 | url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/week1/kw_22_1.htm}} 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 ], which came into force on ], ], and the ], concluded hours before that date, Japan formally renounced all right, claim and title to Formosa (Taiwan) and the Pescadores (Peng-hu), and renounced all treaties signed with China before 1942. Both treaties remained silent about who would take control of the island, in part to avoid taking sides in the ]. Advocates of Taiwan independence have used this omission to call into question any legal claims on Taiwan, arguing that the future of Taiwan should be decided by ]. |
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During the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwan began to develop into a prosperous and dynamic economy, becoming one of the ] while maintaining the authoritarian, single-party government. Because of the ], most Western nations and the ] regarded the ] government on Taiwan as the sole legitimate government of China until the 1970s, when most nations began switching recognition to the Communist ] on the mainland.<ref>See ].</ref> |
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=== Democratic transition === |
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After Chiang Kai-shek's death in 1975, Vice President ] briefly took over from 1975 to 1978 according to the Constitution, but actual power was in hands of the Premier of the ], ], who was KMT chairman and a son of Chiang Kai-shek. During the presidency of Chiang Ching-kuo from 1978 to 1988, Taiwan's political system began to undergo gradual liberalization. ], which had been in effect since 1948, was lifted in 1987, and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party was formed and allowed to participate overtly in politics. After Chiang Ching-kuo died in 1988, Vice President ] succeeded him as the first Taiwan-born president of the ROC and chairman of the KMT. One-party rule lost its effective dominance with the continuation of peaceful social and political reforms. Lee became the first ROC president elected by popular vote in ]. |
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In ], ] of the ] won the Presidential election, marking the first ever peaceful democratic transition of power to an opposition party in Chinese history and a decisive end to the KMT's monopoly in administration of the central government. <ref>{{cite news |title=Opposition wins Taiwan presidency |date=] |publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/681599.stm}}</ref> After surviving a politically controversial assassination attempt the night before the 2004 election, Chen was re-elected to his second four-year term by an extremely slim margin. <ref>{{cite news |title=Taiwan split after vote |date=] |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3553195.stm}}</ref> In the ], the KMT swept through the island and captured several traditionally DPP counties. Today, both parties have moderated their positions and appear to support maintenance of the status quo in the short term. However, Chen's recent executive order that the ] "cease to function" is criticized by some of his opponents as dangerous in terms of cross-strait policy and neglectful of the economic needs of Taiwan. |
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See also |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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== Geography == |
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] National Park]] |
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].]] |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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The island of Taiwan lies some 200 kilometers off the southeastern coast of ], across the ], and has an area of 35,801 square kilometers (13,823 square miles), with the ] to the north, the ] to the east, the ] directly to the south and the ] to the southwest. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is the ] at 3,952 meters, and there are five other peaks over 3,500 meters. This makes it the world's ]. |
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Taiwan's ] is marine ].<ref>{{cite web | title= Field Listing - Climate| work=The World Factbook | publisher=Central Intelligence Agency | url=http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2059.html | accessdate=2006-03-08}}</ref> The Northern part of the island has a rainy season that lasts from January to late March during the southwest ], and also experiences "Plum Rains" in May.<ref>{{cite web | title= Monthly Mean Days of Precipitation| work=Climate Data | publisher=ROC Central Weather Bureau | url=http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V4e/climate/Data/table2_e.html | accessdate=2006-03-08}}</ref> The entire island succumbs to hot humid weather from June until September, while October to December are arguably the most pleasant times of year. The middle and southern parts of the island do not have an extended monsoon season during the winter months, but can experience several weeks of rain, especially during and after Lunar New Year. Natural hazards such as ]s and ]s<ref>{{cite news |title=Rescuers hunt quake survivors |date=] |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/453087.stm}}</ref> are common in the region. |
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Taiwan is a center of bird ]. See ] for further information. |
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=== Environment and Pollution === |
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With its high population density and many factories, some areas in Taiwan suffer from heavy pollution. Most notable are the southern suburbs of Taipei and the eastern stretch from Tainan to Lin Yuan, south of Kaohsiung. In the past, Taipei suffered from extensive vehicle and factory air pollution, but with mandatory use of unleaded gasoline and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the air quality of Taiwan has improved dramatically.<ref>{{cite web | title= Taiwan: Environmental Issues| work=Country Analysis Brief - Taiwan | publisher=Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy | url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/taiwanenv.html | accessdate=2006-03-08}} "The government credits the APC system with helping to reduce the number of days when the country's pollution standard index score exceeded 100 from 7% of days in 1994 to 3% of days in 2001. "</ref> The motor scooters which are ubiquitous in Taiwan, especially older or cheaper 2-stroke versions, also contribute disproportionately to air pollution in Taiwan. |
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Land and soil pollution has decreased as Taiwanese industry moves out of heavy industry; however, several toxic sites left mainly by foreign companies continue to pose challenges. Solid waste disposal has become less of a problem as a nation-wide recycling movement has taken hold, especially with support from Buddhist charity organizations. |
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Water pollution remains a problematic issue. Nearly 90% of sewage waste in Taiwan is dumped into waterways untreated. Several rivers are so heavily polluted that it would take billions of dollars to clean them, which is politically infeasible. |
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=== Natural resources === |
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Taiwan has few natural resources. Fishing is a big industry, but its international quotas have been cut. Life depends on agriculture and trade. Taiwan's history includes some mining for gold and marble. The forests are not capable of significant timber production. Much of it was harvested during the Japanese occupation and has only recovered slightly since then. |
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=== Energy resources === |
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Taiwan has significant coal deposits and some insignificant oil and gas deposits. Electrical power generation is nearly 50% oil-based, less than 10% natural gas, less than 10% nuclear power, and about 35% hydroelectric power, with the remainder from renewable energy sources. Nearly all oil and gas for transporation and power needs must be imported, making Taiwan particularly sensitive to fluctations in energy prices. Because of this, Taiwan's Executive Yuan is pushing for 10% of energy generation to come from renewable energy by 2010, double from the current figure of approximately 5%. In fact, several wind-farms built by American and German companies have come online or will in the near future. Taiwan is rich in wind-energy resources, both on-shore and off-shore, though limited land area favors offshore wind resources. Solar energy is also a potential resource to some extent. By promoting renewable energy, Taiwan's government hopes to also aid the nascent renewable energy manufacturing industry, and develop it into an export market. |
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== Economy == |
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] |
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=== The Taiwan Miracle === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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Because of the Taiwanese economy's quick industrialization and rapid growth during the latter half of the 20th century, the Taiwan Economy is often called the ] (台灣奇蹟) or Taiwan Economic Miracle. Because of its rise with that of ], ] and ], Taiwan is known as one of the ]. |
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The Taiwan Miracle may have begun prior to the end of World War II. Japanese occupation prior to and during World War II brought forth changes in the public and private sectors of the economy, 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 the system compulsory for all Taiwanese citizens during this time. After the Kuomintang government fled to Taiwan, it also brought the entire gold reserve to the island to stabilize prices and reduce hyperinflation. The Kuomintang government also instituted many laws and land reforms that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. In 1962 Taiwan had a per capita gross national product (GNP) of $170, placing the island's economy squarely between Zaire and Congo. But, by 2001 Taiwan's per capita GNP, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), had soared to $26,400, contributing to a Human Development Index similar to that of European countries such as Spain ($27,600 - 2005 est.) |
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According to economist ], the rapid growth was made possible by increases in capital and labor, but not an increase in efficiency. In other words, the savings rate increased, and work hours were both lengthened and many more people, such as women, entered the work force. <ref>{{cite web | year=2006| title=Paul Krugman | work=The Myth of Asia's Miracle: A Cautionary Fable | url=http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/myth.html | accessdate=2006-04-02}}</ref> |
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But Dwight Perkins and others cite certain methodological flaws in Krugman's (and Alwyn Young's) research, and suggest that much of Taiwan's growth can be attributed to increases in productivity. These productivity boosts were achieved through land reform, structural change (urbanization and industrialization), and an economic policy of export promotion rather than import substitution. |
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=== Taiwan's economy today === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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Today, Taiwan has a dynamic ] economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade. In keeping with this trend, the government is ] some large banks and industrial firms. Real growth in ] has averaged about 8 % during the past three decades. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The ] is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Taiwan's current GDP per capita is $27,122, ranking 23rd in the world. |
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The ] has its own currency: the ]. |
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] constitutes only 2% of ], down from 35% in ]. Traditional labor-intensive industries are moving steadily offshore, with more capital and technology-intensive industries replacing them. Taiwan has become a major investor in ], ], ], the ], ] and ]. Around 50,000 Taiwanese businesses are established in mainland China. Taiwan is one of the largest foreign investors in mainland China. |
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Because of its conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial strengths, Taiwan suffered little compared with many of its neighbors from the Asian financial crisis in ]–]. 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 ] in ], the first whole year of negative growth since ]. Due to the relocation of many manufacturing and labor-intensive industries to mainland China, ] also peaked at a level last seen during the ] ]. This problem became one of the major issues in the ] of ]. The unemployment rate eventually declined after the government adopted some economy-stimulating measures. |
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The ROC has entered the ] under the name ] (台灣、澎湖、金門及馬祖個別關稅領域) and ] under the name ]. Although the ] objects to having other countries maintain diplomatic or official relations with the ROC, it made no objection to having the ROC maintain economic relations. However, under PRC pressure, the ROC joined governmental organizations under different names. |
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The opening of the Taipei Financial Center, also known as ] due to its number of floors, on ], ], brought more world recognition to Taiwan and ]. Taipei 101, equipped with the world's fastest elevators, is the world's tallest building. The surrounding financial district is steadily becoming more recognized in the world market, and a trendy shopping district is rapidly growing around it as well. |
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== Society == |
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=== Demographics === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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The ROC's population was estimated in 2005 at 22.9 million, most of which are on Taiwan. About 98% of the population is of ] ]. Of these people, 84% are descendants of early Han immigrants known as ''native Taiwanese'' (c: 本省人; p: Bensheng ren; lit. "home-province person"). This group contains two subgroups. The first subgroup is the Southern ] (70% of the total population), who migrated from the coastal ] region in the southeast of ]. The second subgroup is the ] (15% of the total population), who originally migrated south to ], its surrounding areas and Taiwan, intermarrying extensively with ]s. The remaining 14% of Han Chinese are known as ]s (外省人; Waisheng ren; lit. "external-province person") and are composed of and descend from immigrants who arrived after the ]. This group also includes those who fled mainland China in ] following the ] defeat in the ]. |
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''Dalu ren'' (大陸人) refers to residents of ]. |
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This group excludes almost all ], including the Mainlanders, except recent ] from mainland China, such as those made Republic of China citizens through marriage. It also excludes foreign brides from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines or foreign grooms of which a greater number come from Western countries. One in seven ] now involves a partner from another country. As Taiwan's ] is among the lowest in the world <ref>{{cite news |title=Low birthrate a concern for nation's economic future |date=] |publisher=The Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/11/21/2003281073}}</ref>, this contingent is playing an increasingly important role in changing Taiwan's demographic makeup. |
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The other 2% of Taiwan's population, numbering about 440,000, are listed as the ] (原住民; yuánzhùmín; lit. "original inhabitants"), divided into 12 major groups: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. <ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tw.html#People|title=Taiwan|work=The World Factbook| publisher=Central Intelligence Agency| accessdate=2006-03-05}}</ref> |
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=== Religion === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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About half of the ROC population is religious, and most of these people identify themselves as ]s or ]s. Most are Taoist but in Taiwan, belief in ] is also prevalent, and many people practice some combination of these faiths. ] churches have been active on Taiwan for many years; a majority of these churches are ], with ]s and ] playing a particularly significant role. The ] church has facilitated the democratization of Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web | title=Religion | work=ROC Tourism Bureau | url=http://202.39.225.132/jsp/Eng/html/about_taiwan/religion.jsp | accessdate=2006-03-06}}</ref> |
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Besides formal religions, many in Taiwan also believe in the idea of ] and will commonly go to fortune tellers to have their fortunes read. In addition, it is common for younger people today to establish common ground through their Western horoscope sign and their blood types. |
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] is an honored school of thought and ethical codes, but it is not typically considered a religion. |
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=== Education === |
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:''Main article: ] (Taiwan)'' |
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{{sectstub}} |
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=== Public health === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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{{sectstub}} |
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=== Language === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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Many people in Taiwan born after the early ] can speak ]. It is the official language in Taiwan, and has been the medium of instruction in the schools for more than four decades. Under the Republic of China language policy in effect up to the ], use of the local languages was forbidden from the airwaves and in official situations, and students sometimes received corporal punishment by their instructors, as they did for many other infractions, for speaking Taiwanese, Hakka, or Aboriginal languages in school or at home. |
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Although Mandarin is still the language of instruction in schools and predominate television and airwaves, today, non-Mandarin languages have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan. Demographically, a large fraction of people speak ], a variant of ], and a majority understand it. A large proportion also speak ]. Between ] and ], ] was the medium of instruction, so older people educated during that period can also speak Japanese. There are some cases where older generations ''only'' speak the Japanese they learned at school and the Taiwanese they spoke at home. This prevents communication with the modern generations who may only speak Mandarin. |
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Most aboriginal groups in Taiwan have their own languages which, unlike Taiwanese or Hakka, do not belong to the Chinese language family, but rather to the ]. |
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Even now, the national ] system of the ] is still used on Taiwan. That is ]({{zh-tpw|t=注音符號|p=Zhùyīn Fúhào|w=Chu-yin fu-hao}}), or "Symbols for Annotating Sounds", often abbreviated as '''Zhuyin''', or known as '''Bopomofo''' (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) after the first four letters of this ] ] ] (bo po mo fo). It is used for teaching the Chinese languages, especially ], to people learning to read and write and/or to people learning to speak Mandarin. |
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The romanization of Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan is highly inconsistent. Although the national government officially adopted ] in 2002, it allowed local governments to make their own choices. Taipei, Taiwan's largest city, has adopted ], replacing earlier signage, most of which had been in a bastardized version of ]. Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second-largest city, has adopted Tongyong. Elsewhere in Taiwan, signs tend to be in a mixture of systems, with the most common overall being ], which was official before the adoption of Tongyong Pinyin. Because romanization is not taught in Taiwan schools and there has been little political will to ensure that it is implemented correctly, romanization errors are common throughout Taiwan; at present the area with the fewest errors on official signage is Taipei. As the pan-blue bloc has largely aligned itself behind Hanyu Pinyin and the pan-green bloc has largely backed Tongyong Pinyin, pan-blue victories in the 2005 county elections are likely to result in an expansion of the use of Hanyu Pinyin, especially in northern and central Taiwan. |
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Most people in Taiwan have their names romanized using a bastardized version of Wade-Giles. This, however, is generally not out of personal preference but rather a tendency to use the system that most reference materials in Taiwan have employed to date. |
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=== Culture === |
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:''Main article: ]'' |
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] |
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Taiwan's culture is primarily derived from ] culture, with some ] and ] influences. ]s each also have distinct cultures which are thought to share ethnic origins with the ]. |
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Most Taiwanese adhere to a mix of ]/] religions and ] teachings. Traditional Chinese holidays such as the ], the ], and the ] are celebrated regularly. One especially important deity for Taiwanese people is ], symbolizing the seafaring spirit of Taiwan's ancestors from ] and ]. |
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Many Japanese style houses can be found in Taiwan as relics of Japanese colonial rule. Common usage of Japanese words such as "obasan" and almost all ] terminology can also be seen as a lasting Japanese effect on Taiwan. |
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Taiwanese culture also has influenced the West: ] and milk tea are popular drinks readily available around city centers in Europe, Canada and the United States. ] is the famous Taiwanese movie director of ], ] and ], among other films. Mr. Lee also won the Best Director Academy Award for his directing in the film ]. |
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About 80 % of the people in Taiwan belong to the ] (河洛) ethnic group and speak both ] and ]. Mandarin is the primary language of instruction in schools; however, most spoken media is split between Mandarin and Taiwanese. Speaking Taiwanese under the ] movement has become an emblem of expressing Taiwanese identity, and the language has undergone a resurgence since the early 1990s. The ], about 10% of the population, have a distinct ]. Aboriginal minority groups still speak their native languages, although most also speak Mandarin. |
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] |
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The Taiwanese localization movement continues to be a major driver of Taiwanese culture, as a reaction against both the previous repression by the once ]-controlled government and the hostility of the ]. Thus, ], along with the over 100 years of political separation from ], 50 of which were under Japanese colonial rule, has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including ], ] and ]. |
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One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the ], which houses more than 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting and porcelain. The ] government moved this collection from the ] in ] in 1949 when it fled to Taiwan. The collection, estimated to be one-tenth of China's cultural treasures, is so extensive that only 1 % is on display at any time. |
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Popular sports in Taiwan include basketball and baseball. Cheerleading performances and pool are also quite fashionable. Less popular, but still common are badminton and golf. |
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== References == |
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<div class="references-small"> |
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<references/> |
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</div> |
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== See also == |
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{{ChineseText}} |
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* ] |
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== External links == |
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{{col-begin}} |
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{{col-2}} |
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=== Maps === |
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* |
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=== Government === |
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* - government information portal |
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* - local weather and earthquake reports |
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* - e-government, entry point of Taiwan |
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=== Tourism === |
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* - travel guide |
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* {{wikitravel}} |
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* - local travel news |
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* |
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=== Expat Sites === |
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* - The primary English language message board in South Taiwan |
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* - Site with lots of information on teaching English in Taiwan |
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* - The primary English language message board in Taiwan |
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* - A well established expat guide to Taiwan |
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{{col-2}} |
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=== Taiwan news in English === |
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=== Misc. === |
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