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	{{short description\|state in East Asia}}		{{short description\|state in East Asia}}
			= Oh herro there =
	{{other uses}}
			China numbah one
	{{redirect\|Republic of China\|the People's Republic of China\|China\|other uses\|Republic of China (disambiguation)}}
	{{EngvarO\|date=December 2016}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=August 2017}}
	{{Infobox country
	\| conventional_long_name = Republic of China
	\| common_name = Taiwan
	\| native_name = {{nobold\|{{lang\|zh-hant\|中華民國}}}}<br />{{small\|''Zhōnghuá Mínguó'' {{small\|(])}}}}<!---Do not change to "Jhonghuá Mínguó" (i.e. Tongyong Pinyin); Hanyu Pinyin has been the official romanization since 1 January 2009.---><br/>{{small\|''Chûng-fà Mìn-koet'' {{small\|(])}}}}
	\| 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 = National Emblem of the Republic of China.svg
	\| alt_coat = A blue circular emblem on which sits a white sun composed of a circle surrounded by 12 rays.
	\| symbol_type = National Emblem
	\| national_anthem = <br />{{lang\|zh-hant\|《中華民國國歌》}}<br />{{small\|"]"}}<div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">]</div>
	----
	<div style="padding-top:0.5em;">'''Flag anthem:'''<br />{{lang\|zh-hant\|《中華民國國旗歌》}}<br />{{small\|"]"}}</div> <div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">]</div>
	\| image_map = Locator map of the ROC Taiwan.svg
	\| alt_map = a map of East Asia, with a world map insert, with the island of Taiwan shaded and the other islands circled
	\| map_caption = ]: ], ], ], ], ] and ]
	\| capital = ]<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>
	\| coordinates = {{coord\|25\|02\|N\|121\|38\|E\|display=inline,title}}
	\| largest_city = ]
	\| official_languages = ] (''de facto'')<ref>{{cite news\|last1=Shih\|first1=Hsiu-chuan\|title=Taiwan mulling English as an official language, but is it ready?\|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/afav/201801270011.aspx\|accessdate=27 January 2018\|agency=Central News Agency\|date=27 January 2018}}</ref>
	\| national_languages = * ]<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201707190019.aspx \|title=President lauds efforts in transitional justice for indigenous people \|publisher=Focus Taiwan \|accessdate=19 July 2017}}</ref>
	* ]<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/12/30/2003684894 \|title= Hakka made an official language \|publisher=Taipei Times \|accessdate=29 December 2017}}</ref>
	\| regional_languages = * ]
	* ]
	\| languages_type = ]
	\| languages = * ]
	* ]<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/07/20/2003674932 \|title=Official documents issued in Aboriginal languages \|publisher=Taipei Times \|accessdate=20 July 2017}}</ref>
	\| ethnic_groups = {{nowrap\|95% ]{{sfnp\|Exec. Yuan\|2014\|p=36}}}}<br />{{nowrap\| '''∟''' 70% ]}}<br />{{nowrap\| '''∟''' 14% ]}}<br />{{nowrap\|{{raise\|0.1em\| '''∟''' 14% ]{{efn\|name=waishengren\| This does not include citizens of the People's Republic of China who more recently moved to Taiwan. Some Waishengren are also Hakka or Hokkien, and small minority are not Han but Manchu, Mongol etc.}}}}}}<br />{{nowrap\|3.1% ]}}<br />{{nowrap\|2.4% ]{{efn\|Taiwanese aborigines are officially categorised into ] by the Republic of China. {{harvp\|Exec. Yuan\|2014\|p=49}} }}}}
	\| demonym = ]<ref name="cia-factbook" />
	\| government_type = ] ] ]
	\| leader_title1 = ]
	\| leader_name1 = ]
	\| leader_title2 = ]
	\| leader_name2 = ]
	\| leader_title3 = ]
	\| leader_name3 = ]
	\| leader_title4 = ]
	\| leader_name4 = ]
	\| leader_title5 = ]
	\| leader_name5 = ]
	\| leader_title6 = ]
	\| leader_name6 = ]
	\| legislature = ]
	\| sovereignty_type = ]
	\| sovereignty_note =
	\| established_event1 = ]
	\| established_date1 = 10 October 1911
	\| established_event2 = ]
	\| established_date2 = 1 January 1912
	\| established_event3 = ]
	\| established_date3 = 25 October 1945
	\| established_event4 = ]
	\| established_date4 = 25 December 1947
	\| established_event5 = ]
	\| established_date5 = 7 December 1949
	\| area_km2 = 36,197<ref name="taiwan-popstat" />
	\| area_rank = <!-- Area rank should match ];should not be any here -->
	\| population_estimate = 23,550,077<ref name="Natl Statistics">{{cite web \|title=Statistics from Statistical Bureau\|url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/point.asp?index=9\|accessdate=29 June 2017 \|website=National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan)}}</ref>
	\| population_census = 23,123,866<ref>{{cite web\|title=General Statistical analysis report, Population and Housing Census\|url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Data/5428162113SIDMH93P.pdf\|website=National Statistics, ROC (Taiwan)\|accessdate=26 November 2016\|deadurl=yes\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226090918/http://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Data/5428162113SIDMH93P.pdf\|archivedate=26 December 2016\|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
	\| population_estimate_year = 2017
	\| population_estimate_rank = 53rd
	\| population_census_year = 2010
	\| population_census_rank = 53rd
	\| population_density_km2 = 650
	\| population_density_rank = 17th
	\| GDP_PPP = $1.177 trillion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web \|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=43&pr.y=12&sy=2017&ey=2017&scsm=1&ssd=1&sic=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=528&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=\|title=Taiwan Province of China \|publisher=International Monetary Fund \|accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref>
	\| GDP_PPP_year = 2017
	\| GDP_PPP_rank =
	\| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $49,901<ref name=imf2 />
	\| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
	\| GDP_nominal = $566.757 billion<ref name=imf2 />
	\| GDP_nominal_year = 2017
	\| GDP_nominal_rank =
	\| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $24,027<ref name=imf2 />
	\| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =
	\| Gini = 33.6
	\| Gini_year = 2014
	\| Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
	\| Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite book \|title=Report on The Survey of Family Income and Expenditure \|url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=3417&CtNode=1596&mp=5 \|chapterurl=http://win.dgbas.gov.tw/fies/doc/result/99/a11/Year04.xls \|chapter=Table 4. Percentage Share of Disposable Income by Quintile Group of Households and Income Inequality Indices \|publisher=Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics \|location=Taipei, Taiwan \|year=2010}}</ref>
	\| Gini_rank =
	\| HDI = 0.885
	\| HDI_year = 2015
	\| HDI_change = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
	\| HDI_ref = {{efn\|name="HDI-1"\|The UN has not calculated an HDI for the ROC, which is not a member nation. The ROC government calculated its HDI for 2015 to be 0.885, which would rank it 27th among countries.<ref name="HDI-2">{{cite web \|access-date=18 March 2018 \|title=Key Figures for Calculating Composite Gender Equality Index \|url=https://eng.stat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=25280&ctNode=6032&mp=5 \|website=National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan) \|publisher=Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. \|language=Chinese}}</ref>}}
	\| HDI_rank = 27th
	\| currency = ] (NT$)
	\| currency_code = TWD
	\| time_zone = ]
	\| 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\|(]; ])}}}}}} \|] {{small\|(]−1911)}}}}
	\| drives_on = right
	\| calling_code = ]
	\| cctld = {{unbulleted list \|] \|] \|]<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>}}
	\| area_magnitude = 1 E10
	\| country_code = TPE
	\| official_website =
	}}
	{{stack end}}
	'''Taiwan''' ({{IPAc-en\|audio=En-us-Taiwan.ogg\|ˌ\|t\|aɪ\|ˈ\|w\|ɑː\|n}})<!--Please do not add official regional/minority languages here; use the langbox template directly above, included specifically for that purpose-->, officially the '''Republic of China''' ('''ROC'''), is a ] in ].<ref name="fell">{{cite book\|last1=Fell\|first1=Dafydd\|title=Government and Politics in Taiwan\|date=2018\|publisher=Routledge\|location=London\|isbn=1317285069\|page=305\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i8hHDwAAQBAJ\|quote=Moreover, its status as a vibrant democratic state has earned it huge international sympathy and a generally positive image.}}</ref><ref name="French">{{cite book\|last1=French\|first1=Duncan\|title=Statehood and Self-Determination: Reconciling Tradition and Modernity in International Law \|date=2013\|publisher=]\|location=]\|isbn=1107311276\|page=26\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYogAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA26\|quote= The population on the islands of Formosa and the Pescadores is governed by an effective government to the exclusion of others, but Taiwan is not generally considered a state.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|last1=Albert\|first1=Eleanor\|title=China-Taiwan Relations\|url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-taiwan-relations\|website=]\|accessdate=30 March 2018\|date=7 December 2016\|quote=The People’s Republic of China (PRC) views the island as a province, while in Taiwan—a territory with its own democratically elected government—leading political voices have differing views on the island’s status and relations with the mainland. Some observe the principle that there is “one China” comprising the island and the mainland, but in their eyes this is the Republic of China (ROC) based in Taipei; others advocate for a de jure independent Taiwan.}}</ref> Its neighbors include the ] (PRC) to the west, ] to the northeast, and the ] to the south. It is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the ].

	The ], formerly known as Formosa, was inhabited by ] before the 17th century, when ] and ] colonies opened the island to mass ] immigration. After a brief rule by the ], the island was annexed by the ], the last dynasty of China. The Qing ceded Taiwan to ] in 1895 after the ]. While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the ] (ROC) was established on the mainland in 1912 after the ]. Following the ] in 1945, Republic of China took control of Taiwan. However, the resumption of the ] led to the ]'s loss of the mainland to the ], and the flight of the ] government to Taiwan in 1949. Although the ROC continued to ], its effective jurisdiction had, since the ], been limited to ], with the main island making up 99% of its '']'' territory. As a founding member of the United Nations, the Republic of China represented ] until 1971, when it ] to the PRC.

	In the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of ] and ], creating a ]. In the 1980s and early 1990s, it changed from a ] military dictatorship dominated by the ] to a ] with a ]. Taiwan is the ] in the world, and its ] industry plays a key role in the global economy. It is ] in terms of ], ],<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> The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree.<ref name="auto">{{cite web \|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2016/03/13/460606/5-mil.htm \|title=5 mil. Taiwanese hold degrees from higher education institutions \|date=13 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite web \|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201603120011.aspx \|title=Undergraduate degree holders in Taiwan exceed 5 million \|last=Tang \|first=Pei-chun \|date=12 March 2016}}</ref>

	The PRC has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and asserted the ROC is no longer in legitimate existence. Under its ] the PRC refuses ] with any country that ] the ROC. Today, 19 countries maintain ] but many other states maintain unofficial ties through ] and institutions that function as ] and consulates. Although Taiwan is fully self-governing, most international organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate only as a ]. Internally, the major division in politics is between the aspirations of eventual ] or ], though both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. The ] has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is 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> The PRC and ROC standoff dates from the ] and has extended through the ], ] and ] Taiwan Strait crises to the present day.

	== Etymology ==
	{{See also\|Chinese Taipei\|Formosa\|Names of China}}
	{{Infobox Chinese
	\|pic=Taiwan (Chinese characters).svg
	\|piccap= (top) "Taiwan" in Traditional Chinese characters and Kyūjitai Japanese Kanji. (bottom) "Taiwan" in Simplified Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji.
	\|picupright=0.4125
	\|t={{linktext\|臺灣}} <small>or</small> {{linktext\|台灣}} \|s={{linktext\|台湾}}
	\|bpmf=ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ \|w=T'ai²-wan¹ \|p=Táiwān \|tp=Táiwan \|mi={{IPAc-cmn\|t\|ai\|2\|.\|wan\|1}}
	\|hsn=dwɛ<sup>13</sup> ua<sup>44</sup>
	\|poj=Tâi-oân \|tl=Tâi-uân \|h=Thòi-vàn \|buc=Dài-uăng \|j=Toi4waan1 \|y=Tòiwāan \|ci={{IPAc-yue\|t\|oi\|4\|.\|w\|aan\|1}} \|wuu=The<sup>平</sup>-uae<sup>平</sup>
	\|kanji=台湾 \|kyujitai= 臺灣\|kana=たいわん \|romaji=Taiwan
	\|mnc=ᡨᠠᡳᠸᠠᠨ
	\|mnc_rom=Taiwan
	\|mong=ᠲᠠᠶᠢᠪᠠᠨᠢ
	\|mon={{longitem\|Тайвань}}
	\|monr=Taivan
	}}

	<!--Please do not remove the name "China" from this infobox. The ROC is "China" by definition See .-->{{Infobox Chinese
	\|title=Republic of China
	\|collapse=no
	\|pic=ROC (Chinese characters).svg
	\|piccap= "Republic of China" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
	\|t={{linktext\|中華民國}} \|s={{linktext\|中华民国}}
	\|mi={{IPAc-cmn\|zh\|ong\|1\|h\|ua\|2\|-\|m\|in\|2\|g\|uo\|2}}
	\|bpmf=ㄓㄨㄥㄏㄨㄚˊ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄛˊ \|w=Chung¹-hua² Min²-kuo² \|p=Zhōnghuá Mínguó \|tp=Jhonghuá Mínguó \|mps=Jūng-huá Mín-guó \|gr=Jonghwa Min'gwo \|psp=Chunghwa Minkuo
	\|poj=Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok \|tl=Tiong-hûa Bîn-kok \|h=Chûng-fà Mìn-koet \|buc=Dṳ̆ng-huà Mìng-guók \| xej=ﺟْﻮ ﺧُﻮَ مٍ ﻗُﻮَع
	\|j=Zung1waa4 man4gwok3\|y=Jūngwà màn'gwok\|gan=tung<sup>1</sup> fa<sup>4</sup> min<sup>4</sup> koet<sup>7</sup> \|wuu=tson<sup>平</sup> gho<sup>平</sup> min<sup>平</sup> koh<sup>入</sup>
	\|altname = China
	\| t2={{linktext\|中國}}
	\| s2={{linktext\|中国}}
	\| p2=Zhōngguó
	\| w2=Chung<sup>1</sup>-kuo<sup>2</sup>
	\| mi2={{IPAc-cmn\|zh\|ong\|1\|.\|g\|uo\|2}}
	\| sic2=Zong<sup>1</sup> gwe<sup>2</sup>
	\| bpmf2=ㄓㄨㄥㄍㄨㄛˊ
	\| xej2=ﺟْﻮﻗُﻮَع
	\| zh-dungan=Тэван
	\| tp2=Jhongguó
	\| mps2=Jūng-guó
	\| gr2=Jong'gwo
	\| poj2=Tiong-kok
	\| gan2=Tung-koe̍t
	\| hsn2=Tan<sup>33</sup>-kwɛ<sup>24</sup>/
	\| wuu2=Tson<sup>平</sup>-koh<sup>入</sup>
	\| j2=Zung1gwok3
	\| y2=Jūnggwok
	\| h2=Dung<sup>24</sup>-gued<sup>2</sup>
	\| buc2=Dṳ̆ng-guók
	\| hhbuc2=De̤ng-go̤h
	\| mblmc2=Dô̤ng-gŏ
	\| l2={{nowrap\|Middle or Central State<ref name=zg>{{citation \|contribution=Reconstructing China beyond Homogeneity \|p= \|series=''Political Theories in East Asian Context'' \|title=Patriotism in East Asia \|editor=Jun-Hyeok Kwak \|editor2=Koichiro Matsuda \|display-editors=0 \|publisher=Routledge \|location=Abingdon \|date=2015 \|last=Bilik \|first=Naran }}</ref>}}
	\| tib={{bo-textonly\|ཀྲུང་ཧྭ་དམངས་གཙོའི།<br/>་རྒྱལ་ཁབ}}
	\| wylie=krung hwa dmangs gtso'i rgyal khab
	\| uig=جۇڭخۇا مىنگو
	\| uly=Jungxua Mingo
	\| uyy=Junghua Mingo
	\| usy=Җуңхуа Минго
	\| zha=Cunghvaz Minzgoz
	\| mong=ᠳᠤᠮᠳᠠᠳᠤ<br>ᠢᠷᠭᠡᠨ<br>ᠤᠯᠤᠰ
	\| mon={{longitem\|Дундад иргэн улс}}
	\| monr=Dumdadu irgen ulus
	\| mnc=]
	\| mnc_rom=Dulimbai Gurun
	}}
	Various names for the island of Taiwan remain in use today, each derived from explorers or rulers during a particular historical period. The name Formosa ({{lang\|zh-hant\|]}}) dates from 1542,{{check\|date=December 2015}} when ] sailors sighted an uncharted island and noted it on their maps as ''Ilha Formosa'' ("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><ref>https://www.npm.gov.tw/exhbition/formosa/english/02.htm National Palace Museum, Taiwan: 'The Emergence of Taiwan on the World Scene in the Seventeenth Century'</ref> The name "Formosa" eventually "replaced all others in European literature"{{sfnp\|Davidson\|1903\|p=10\|ps=: "A Dutch navigating officer named ] , 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 remained in common use among English speakers into the 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 ] established a commercial post at ] (modern-day ], ]) on a coastal sandbar called "Tayouan",{{sfnp\|Valentijn\|1903\|p=52}} after their ] for a nearby ] tribe, possibly ], written by the Dutch and Portuguese variously as ''Taiouwang'', ''Tayowan'', ''Teijoan'', etc.<ref name="Mair">{{cite web \|last=Mair \|first=V. H. \|authorlink=Victor H. Mair \|date=2003 \|title=How to Forget Your Mother Tongue and Remember Your National Language \|url=http://pinyin.info/readings/mair/taiwanese.html \|quote=The true derivation of the name "Taiwan" is actually from the ethnonym of a tribe in the southwest part of the island in the area around Ping'an. As early as 1636, a Dutch missionary referred to this group as Taiouwang. From the name of the tribe, the Portuguese called the area around Ping'an as Tayowan, Taiyowan, Tyovon, Teijoan, Toyouan, and so forth. Indeed, already in his ship's log of 1622, the Dutchman ] referred to the area as Teijoan and Taiyowan. }}</ref> This name was also adopted into the Chinese vernacular (in particular, ], as {{zh\|poj={{linktext\|Tāi-oân}}/{{linktext\|Tâi-oân}}}}) as the name of the sandbar and nearby area (]). The modern word "Taiwan" is derived from this usage, which is seen in various forms ({{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 Chinese historical records. The area occupied by modern-day Tainan represented the first permanent settlement by both European colonists and Chinese immigrants. The settlement grew to be the island's most important trading centre and served as its capital until 1887. Use of the current Chinese name ({{lang\|zh-hant\|{{linktext\|臺灣}}}}) was formalized as early as 1684 with the establishment of ]. 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 \| editor=蔡玉仙 \|display-editors=etal \|year=2007 \|publisher=] \|language=Chinese \|isbn=9789860094343}}</ref><ref name="石守謙主編">{{cite book \|editor=Shih Shou-chien \|editorlink=Shih Shou-chien \|year=2003 \|trans-title = Ilha Formosa: the Emergence of Taiwan on the World Scene in the 17th Century \|script-title=zh:福爾摩沙 : 十七世紀的臺灣、荷蘭與東亞 \|language=Chinese \|publisher = National Palace Museum \|place=Taipei \|isbn=9789575624415}}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|last=Kato \|first=Mitsutaka \|origyear=1940 \|year=2007 \|script-title =zh:昨日府城明星台南: 發現日治下的老臺南 \|language=Chinese \|translator=黃秉珩 \|publisher=臺南市文化資產保護協會 \|isbn=9789572807996}}</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>

	In his '']'' (1349), ] used "]" as a name for the island of Taiwan, or the part of it closest to ].{{sfnp\|Thompson\|1964\|p=166}}
	Elsewhere, the name was used for the ] in general or ], the largest of them; indeed the name ''Ryūkyū'' is the Japanese form of ''Liúqiú''.
	The name also appears in the '']'' (636) and other early works, but scholars cannot agree on whether these references are to the Ryukyus, Taiwan or even ].{{sfnp\|Thompson\|1964\|p=163}}

	The official name of the 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 Chinese mainland, the government used the short form "China" (''{{lang\|zh-latn-pinyin\|Zhōngguó}}'' ({{nowrap\|{{lang\|zh\|{{linktext\|中國}}}}}})) to refer to itself, which derives from ''{{lang\|zh-latn-pinyin\|zhōng}}'' ("central" or "middle") and ''{{lang\|zh-latn-pinyin\|guó}}'' ("state, nation-state"),{{efn\|Although this is the present meaning of ''{{lang\|zh-latn-pinyin\|guó}}'', in ] (when its pronunciation was something like {{nowrap\|/*qʷˤək/}})<ref name=bs>].</ref> it meant the walled city of the Chinese and the areas they could control from them.<ref name=wilx/>}} a term which also developed under the ] in reference to its ],{{efn\|Its use is attested from the 6th-century ], which states "] bestowed the lands and the peoples of the central state to the ancestors" ({{lang\|zh\|皇天既付中國民越厥疆土于先王}}).<ref>{{lang\|zh\|], ].}} {{zh icon}}</ref>}} and the name was then applied to the area around ] (present-day Luoyang) during the ] and then to China's ] before being used as an occasional synonym for the state during the ].<ref name=wilx>{{citation \|last=Wilkinson \|first=Endymion \|title=Chinese History: A Manual \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERnrQq0bsPYC&printsec=frontcover \|date=2000 \|location=] \|publisher=Harvard University Asia Center \|series=Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph No. 52 \|p= }}</ref> During the 1950s and 1960s, after the government had fled to Taiwan upon losing the ], it was commonly referred to as "'''Nationalist China'''" (or "]") to differentiate it from "Communist China" (or "]").<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 United Nations representing "''China''" until 1971, when it ] to the People's Republic of China. Over subsequent decades, the Republic of China has become commonly known as "Taiwan", after the island that comprises 99% of the territory under its control. In some contexts, especially ROC government publications, 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 "]" due to diplomatic pressure from the ]. For instance, it is the name under which it has ], and its name as an observer at the ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://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}}
	{{hatnote\|See the ] article for historical information in the ] before 1949.}}

	=== Prehistoric Taiwan ===
	{{Main\|Prehistory of Taiwan}}
	] man]]
	Taiwan was joined to the mainland in the ], until ]s rose about 10,000 years ago. Fragmentary human remains dated 20,000 to 30,000 years ago have been found on the island, as well as later artifacts of a ] 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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418153210/http://http-server.carleton.ca/~bgordon/Rice/papers/App.18ChangKC89.pdf \|archivedate=18 April 2012 \|df=dmy-all }}</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
	\|hdl=10125/17011}}</ref>{{sfnp\|Jiao\|2007\|pp=89–90}}

	Around 6,000 years ago, Taiwan was settled by farmers, most likely from mainland China.{{sfnp\|Jiao\|2007\|pp=91–94}} They are believed to be the ancestors of today's ], whose languages belong to the ], but show much greater diversity than the ], which spans a huge area from ] west to ] and east as far as ], ] and ]. This has led linguists to propose Taiwan as the ] 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>

	] fishermen began settling in the ] islands in the 13th 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 \| pages = 7–8 \| isbn =978-0-8047-2066-3 }} Reprinted Taipei: SMC Publishing, 1995.</ref> Hostile tribes, and a lack of valuable trade products, meant that few outsiders visited the main island until the 16th century.<ref name="shep"/> During the 16th century, visits to the coast by fishermen from Fujian, as well as Chinese and Japanese pirates, became more frequent.<ref name="shep"/>

	=== Opening in the 17th century ===
	{{Main\|Dutch Formosa\|Spanish Formosa\|Kingdom of Tungning}}
	], the ]'s residence in Dutch Formosa]]
	The ] attempted to establish a trading outpost on the ] Islands (Pescadores) in 1622, but were ].<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 ] on the coastal islet of Tayouan, which is now part of the main island at ].<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 ]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=https://archive.org/details/formosaunderdut01campgoog \|pages=6–7 \|ref=harv}}</ref> The Company began to import labourers from ] and ] (Pescadores), many of whom settled.<ref name="Wills" />

	In 1626, the ] landed on and occupied northern Taiwan, at the ports of ] and ], 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 ], ] (Zheng Chenggong), a self-styled Ming loyalist, arrived on the island and ] in 1662, expelling the ] and military from the island. Koxinga established the ] (1662–1683), with his capital at ]. He and his heirs, ], who ruled from 1662 to 1682, and ], who ruled less than a year, continued to launch raids on the southeast coast of mainland China well into the ] era.<ref name="Wills" />

	=== Qing rule ===
	{{Main\|Taiwan under Qing rule}}
	]
	In 1683, following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral ] of southern ], the ] 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 ] while others retreated into the mountains. During this time, there were a number of conflicts between groups of ] from different regions of southern Fujian, particularly between those from ] and ], and between southern Fujian Chinese and aborigines.

	Northern Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were the scene of subsidiary campaigns in the ] (August 1884 to April 1885). The French occupied Keelung on 1 October 1884, but were ] a few days later. The French won some tactical victories but were unable to exploit them, and the ] ended in stalemate. The ], 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 ] of Fujian Province to ], the twentieth in the empire, with its capital at ]. 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}}
	] from the ] jail to court, 1915.]]
	As the Qing dynasty was defeated in the ] (1894–1895), Taiwan, along with ] and ], were ceded in full sovereignty to the ] by the ]. Inhabitants on Taiwan and Penghu 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\|first1=Ryōtarō\|last1=Shiba\|authorlink=Ryōtarō Shiba\|script-title=ja:台湾紀行: 街道をゆく〈40〉\|language=Japanese \|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 ] 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 ] of 1907, the ] of 1915, and the ] of 1930) were all unsuccessful but demonstrated opposition to 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 ].<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 ].<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 ]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 ] 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> Intellectuals and laborers who participated in left-wing movements within Taiwan were also arrested and massacred (e.g. Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水) and Masanosuke Watanabe (渡辺政之輔)).<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.guancha.cn/Lv-Zhenghui/2014_10_18_277323.shtml\|title=吕正惠：战后台湾左翼思想状况漫谈一——日本剥削下的台湾社会 \|date= 18 November 2014}}</ref>

	Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide ] 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 ]s.<ref>. Taiwanpedia.culture.tw (5 August 2013). Retrieved on 25 August 2013.</ref> By 1938 309,000 ] resided 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>

	Taiwan held strategic wartime importance as Imperial Japanese military campaigns first expanded and then contracted over the course of World War II. The "]" was based at the ] in Taipei. 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= \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328070813/http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ct.asp?xItem=456&CtNode=2243&mp=1&xp1= \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=28 March 2007 \|accessdate=2 July 2007 \|df= }}</ref> Over 2,000 women, euphemistically called "]", were forced into sexual slavery for Imperial Japanese troops.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201308140029.aspx \|title=Protesters demand justice from Japan on 'comfort women' (update) \| Society \| FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS \|publisher=Focustaiwan.tw \|date=14 August 2013 \|accessdate=30 December 2013}}</ref>

	The ] operated heavily out of Taiwanese ports. In October 1944 the ] was fought between American carriers and Japanese forces based in Taiwan. Important Japanese military bases and industrial centres throughout Taiwan, such as Kaohsiung and Keelung, were targets of heavy raids by ].<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>

	After Japan's surrender ended World War II, most of Taiwan's approximately 300,000 Japanese residents were ].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2003-07/21/content_539034.htm \|title=Taiwan history: Chronology of important events \|publisher=Chinadaily.com.cn \|date= \|accessdate=20 April 2016 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416173855/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2003-07/21/content_539034.htm \|archivedate=16 April 2016 \|df=dmy-all }}</ref>

	=== Republic of China ===
	{{Main\|Republic of China (1912–1949)}}
	{{see also\|History of Taiwan since 1945\|Chinese Civil War\|Chinese Communist Revolution\|History of the Republic of China#Republic of China on Taiwan (1949–present)\|l12=History of the Republic of China on Taiwan (1949–present)}}
	] (right) accepting the receipt of ] from ] (left), the last Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan, in ]]]

	While Taiwan was still under Japanese rule, the Republic of China was founded on the mainland on 1 January 1912, following the ], which began with the ] on 10 October 1911, replacing the ] and ending over two thousand years of ] in China.<ref name=cuhk /> From its founding until 1949 it was based in mainland China. Central authority waxed and waned in response to ] (1915–28), ] (1937–45), and the ] (1927–50), with central authority strongest during the ] (1927–37), when most of China came under the control of the ] (KMT) under an ] ].<ref>{{cite book \|last=Roy \|first=Denny \|title=Taiwan: A Political History \|publisher=Cornell University Press \|year=2003 \|location=Ithaca, New York \|pages=55, 56 \|url= \|id= \|isbn=0-8014-8805-2}}</ref>

	After the ] on 25 October 1945, the ] ferried ROC troops to Taiwan in order to accept the formal surrender of Japanese military forces in ] on behalf of the ], as part of ] for temporary ]. General ], governor-general of Taiwan and commander-in-chief of all Japanese forces on the island, signed the receipt and handed it over to General Chen Yi of the ROC military to complete the official turnover. Chen Yi proclaimed that day to be "]", but the Allies considered Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to be under military occupation and still under Japanese sovereignty until 1952, when the ] 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>
	Although the ] had envisaged returning these territories to China, in the Treaty of San Francisco and ] Japan renounced all claim to them without specifying to what country they were to be surrendered. This introduced the problem of the ].

	The ROC administration of Taiwan under ] was strained by increasing tensions between Taiwanese-born people and newly arrived mainlanders, which were compounded by economic woes, such as ]. Furthermore, cultural and linguistic conflicts between the two groups quickly led to the loss of popular support for the new government, while the mass movement led by the working committee of the ] also aimed to bring down the Kuomintang government.<ref>{{Cite journal
	\|url=http://www.cqvip.com/QK/82017X/201704/671820046.html
	\|title=对台湾"228事件"性质与影响的再认识
	\|publisher=China Today Press \|journal=China Today \|volume=64
	\|date=1 April 2017
	}}</ref><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 ]. Mainstream estimates of the number killed range from 18,000 to 30,000. Those killed were mainly members of the Taiwanese elite.<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>

	] (Nanking) they next moved to ] (Canton), then to ] (Chungking), ] (Chengtu) and ] (Sichang) before arriving in ].]]

	After the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War resumed between the Chinese Nationalists (Kuomintang), led by ], and the Communist Party of China, led by ]. Throughout the months of 1949, a series of Chinese Communist offensives led to the capture of its capital ] on 23 April and the subsequent defeat of the Nationalist army on the mainland, and the Communists founded the ] 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>

	On 7 December 1949, after the loss of four capitals, Chiang evacuated his Nationalist government to Taiwan and made Taipei the ] 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 ] and foreign currency reserves.<ref name="bbctimeline-retreat">{{Cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1949_1955.stm\|title=Taiwan Timeline – 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>

	After losing most of the mainland, the Kuomintang held remaining control of ], the portions of ], ], and ] provinces along with the ] until 1951 before the Communists subsequently captured both territories. From this point onwards, the Kuomintang's territory was reduced to Taiwan, ], the portions of the ] province (] and ]), and two major islands of ] and ]. The Kuomintang continued to claim sovereignty over all "China", which it defined to include ], Taiwan, ] and ]. 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>

	], leader of the ] 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.]]

	==== Chinese Nationalist one-party rule ====

	Martial law, declared on Taiwan in May 1949,<ref name="martial">{{cite web \|publisher=National Archives Administration, National Development Council \|url=https://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 – Taiwan's Holocaust Remembered – 60th Commemoration\|year=2007\|publisher=New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa\|accessdate=2 July 2009}}</ref> During the ], 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 ]. 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 ] and ], 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 ] intervened again and ] into the ] 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 ] and the ], 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 ] and the ] 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 ] and the ].

	] waved to crowds during his visit to ] 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 ] through the ] 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 ]. During the ] in September 1958, Taiwan's landscape saw ] 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 ], 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/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1955_1972.stm\|title=Taiwan Timeline – 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 ]. 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 ] to the PRC (see ]).

	Up until the 1970s, the government was regarded by Western critics as undemocratic for upholding ], 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 \|editor2=Ramon Hawley Myers \|editor3=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 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 ] took place in ] to celebrate ]. 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/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\|Elections in Taiwan}}
	], 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 ], a Taiwanese-born, US-educated technocrat, to be his vice-president. In 1986, the ] (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 ] gradually resurfaced as a controversial issue where, previously, the discussion of anything other than unification under the ROC was ].

	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 ] 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 ] with most of its functions transferred to the ]. Under Lee, the original members of the ] and ] (a former supreme legislative body defunct in 2005）,<ref>{{Cite journal
	\|url=http://ntur.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/246246/262968
	\|title=Influence of Constitutional Reform on Parliamentary System in Taiwan: From the Perspective of the Abolishment of the National Assembly
	\|publisher=Graduate Institute of National Development, National Taiwan University, the Republic of China
	\|date=29 November 2014
	}}</ref> 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 ] in the broadcast media and in schools were also lifted.{{citation needed\|date=March 2013}}
	] and Taiwan's ] to the ] summit, ], November 2011]]

	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/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1986_1999.stm\|title=Taiwan Timeline – 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 1997,"To meet the requisites of the nation prior to national unification",<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://en.wikibooks.org/Annotated_Republic_of_China_Laws/Additional_Articles_of_the_Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_China/1997 \|title=Annotated Republic of China Laws/Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China/1997 \|publisher=Wikibooks \|date=2015-04-22 \|accessdate=2017-09-15}}</ref> the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China was passed and then the former "constitution of five powers" turns to be more tripartite. In 2000, ] 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 ] of parties led by the KMT, favouring eventual ], and the ] of parties led by the DPP, favouring an eventual and official declaration of ].<ref>. Reuters. 17 January 2016.</ref>{{clarify\|date=March 2016}} In early 2006, President Chen Shui-bian remarked:
	“The National Unification Council will cease to function. No budget will be ear-marked for it and its personnel must return to their original posts...The National Unification Guidelines will cease to apply."<ref>, 27 February 2006</ref>
	] has traditionally leaned in favour of ].]]

	On 30 September 2007, the ruling DPP approved a ] asserting a separate identity from China and called for the enactment of a new ] 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://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-30-taiwan_N.htm\|title=AP, Taiwan Party Asserts Separate Identity From China}}</ref> The Chen administration also pushed for referendums on national defence 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 = – <sup></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 ], while its nominee ] went on to ] in March of the same year, campaigning on a platform of increased economic growth and better ties with the PRC under a policy of "]".<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 ]. Part of the rationale for campaigning for closer economic ties with the PRC stems from the strong economic growth China attained since joining the ]. 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/content/a-13-2009-08-20-voa17-68706212/409333.html \|title=Taiwan-China Economic Ties Boom, Military Tensions Remain {{!}} English \|publisher=Voice of America \|date=20 August 2009 \|accessdate=1 August 2010}}</ref>

	On 24 May 2017, the ] ruled that current marriage laws have been violating the Constitution by denying Taiwanese same-sex couples the right to marry. The Court ruled that if the Legislative Yuan does not pass adequate amendments to Taiwanese marriage laws within two years, same-sex marriages will automatically become legitimate in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news\|last1=Wu\|first1=J. R.\|title=Taiwan court rules in favor of same-sex marriage, first in Asia\|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-lgbt-marriage/taiwan-court-rules-in-favor-of-same-sex-marriage-first-in-asia-idUSKBN18K0UN\|accessdate=11 October 2017\|publisher=Reuters\|date=24 May 2017}}</ref>

	== Geography ==
	{{Main\|Geography of Taiwan}}
	] are west of the main island.]]

	The total area of the ] 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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329071215/http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-01.xls \|archivedate=29 March 2014 \|df= }}</ref> making it the world's ] country/dependency, smaller than ] and larger than ].

	The island of Taiwan has an area of {{convert\|35883\|km2\|0\|abbr=on}}, and lies some {{convert\|180\|km}} from the southeastern coast of mainland China across the ].<ref name="taiwan-popstat" /> The ] lies to the north, the ] to the east, the ] of the ] directly to the south, and the ] to the southwest.
	Its shape is similar to a ], giving rise to the name ''sweet potato'' used by ] speakers for people of Taiwanese descent.<ref>{{cite journal \| last1 = Chao \| first1 = Kang \| last2 = Johnson \| first2 = Marshall \| year = 2000 \| title = Nationalist Social Sciences and the Fabrication of Subimperial Subjects in Taiwan \| journal = Positions \| volume = 8 \| issue = 1 \| pages = 151–171 \| doi = 10.1215/10679847-8-1-151 }} 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 ]s in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is ] (Jade Mountain) at {{convert\|3952\|m}},{{sfnp\|Exec. Yuan\|2014\|p=43}} making Taiwan the world's ].

	The ], {{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 ] are the ], ] and ] off the coast of ], with a total area of {{convert\|180.5\|km2\|sqmi\|1\|abbr=on}}, and the ] and ] 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" />
	The ROC government also claims the ] to the northeast, which are controlled by Japan.

	=== Climate ===
	Taiwan lies on the ], and its general ] is marine ].<ref name="cia-factbook">{{cite web \|title= CIA World Factbook \|publisher=United States ] \|accessdate=26 February 2015}}</ref> 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 {{convert\|2,600\|mm\|abbr=off}} per year for the island proper; the ] is concurrent with the onset of the summer ] in May and June.{{sfnp\|Exec. Yuan\|2014\|p=45}} The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. ]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}}
	]]]
	The island of Taiwan lies in a complex ] area between the ] to the west and north, the ] on the north-east, and the ] on the east and south. The upper part of the crust on the island is primarily made up of a series of ]s, mostly old ]s which have been forced together by the collision of the forerunners of the ] and the ]. These have been further uplifted as a result of the detachment of a portion of the Eurasian Plate as it was ] 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 \|publisher=University of Arizona \|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 ] and South China, where accreted portions of the ] and Luzon forearc form the ] and parallel inland ] 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 ]s. These have produced major quakes throughout the history of the island. On 21 September 1999, a 7.3 quake known as the "]" killed more than 2,400 people. The ] 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 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000303055258/http://seismo.ethz.ch/gshap/eastasia/asiafin.gif \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=3 March 2000 \|title=USGS seismic hazard map of Eastern Asia \|publisher=Seismo.ethz.ch \|accessdate=30 May 2011 \|df= }}</ref>

	== Political and legal status ==
	{{Main\|Political status of Taiwan}}
	{{See also\|List of states with limited recognition\|Foreign relations of China#International territorial disputes}}
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	The political and legal statuses of Taiwan are contentious issues. The ] (PRC) claims that the Republic of China government is illegitimate, referring to it as the "Taiwan Authority" even though current ROC territories have 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> The ROC has its own constitution, independently elected president and armed forces. It has not formally renounced its claim to the mainland, but ROC government publications have increasingly downplayed it.<ref>{{cite book \|last=Chang \|first=Bi-yu \|date=2015 \|title=Place, Identity, and National Imagination in Post-war Taiwan \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hgaUBwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA67&dq=9781317658122&pg=PA58#v=onepage&q=9781317658122&f=false \|location=Oxon, UK, and New York, USA \|publisher=Routledge \|pages=35–40, 46–60 \|isbn=978-1-317-65812-2 \|author-link= }}</ref>

	Internationally, there is controversy on whether the ROC still exists as a state or a defunct state per ] due to the lack of wide ]. In a poll of Taiwanese aged 20 and older taken by ] in March 2009, a majority of 64% opted for the "status quo", while 19% favoured "independence" and 5% favoured "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 declare de jure independence; it is the official PRC policy to use force to ensure unification if peaceful unification is no longer possible, as stated in its ], and for this reason there are substantial military installations on the ] coast.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/facility/liancheng.htm\|title=Liancheng / Lianfeng Airbase – 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 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><ref>{{cite news\|last1=Forsythe\|first1=Michael\|title=Protests in Hong Kong Have Roots in China's 'Two Systems'\|url=https://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><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://english.cctv.com/2016/05/21/ARTINLtOvFK6gNMpU5VfX0hn160521.shtml\|title=1992 Consensus basis for regular contact between cross-Strait affairs authorities: spokesman – CCTV News – CCTV.com English\|publisher=}}</ref>

	On 29 April 2005, ] ] ] travelled to ] and ] with ] (CPC) ] ],<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/04/30/2003252532\|title=Lien, Hu share 'vision' for peace\|last=Hong\|first=Caroline\|date=30 April 2005\|work=Taipei Times\|access-date=3 June 2016\|via=}}</ref> the first meeting between the leaders of the two parties since the end of the ] in 1949. On 11 February 2014, ] Head ] travelled to ] and ] with ] Head ], the first meeting between high-ranking officials from either side.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/02/12/2003583307\|title=MAC Minister Wang in historic meeting\|last=Wang\|first=Chris\|date=12 February 2014\|work=Taipei Times\|access-date=3 June 2016\|via=}}</ref> Zhang paid a reciprocal visit to Taiwan and met Wang on 25 June 2014, making Zhang the first minister-level PRC official to ever visit Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/25/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/first-minister-level-chinese-official-heads-to-taipei-for-talks/\|title=First minister-level Chinese official heads to Taipei for talks\|date=25 June 2014\|newspaper=The Japan Times Online\|language=en-US\|issn=0447-5763\|access-date=4 June 2016}}</ref> On 7 November 2015, ] (in his capacity as '']'') and ] (in his capacity as '']'') travelled to ] and ],<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan-relations/2015/11/07/450352/Cross-strait-leaders.htm\|title=Cross-strait leaders meet after 66 years of separation\|last=Chiao\|first=Yuan-Ming\|date=7 November 2015\|work=China Post\|access-date=3 June 2016\|via=\|deadurl=yes\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151110044804/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan-relations/2015/11/07/450352/Cross-strait-leaders.htm\|archivedate=10 November 2015\|df=dmy-all}}</ref> marking the highest-level exchange between the two sides since 1949.

	The PRC supports a version of the ], 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, meaning that Taiwan participates in international forums under the name "]". With the emergence of the Taiwanese independence movement, the name "Taiwan" has been employed increasingly often on the island.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/world/asia/12taiwan.html\|title=Taiwan's Independence Movement Likely to Wane\|last=Wong\|first=Edward \|date=12 March 2008\|newspaper=The New York Times\|accessdate=12 February 2016}}</ref>

	=== Foreign relations ===
	{{Main\|Foreign relations of Taiwan}}
	] in ]}}
	{{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.]]
	] in ].]]

	Before 1928, the ] of Republican China was complicated by a lack of internal unity—competing centres of power all claimed legitimacy. This situation changed after the defeat of the ] by the Kuomintang, which led to widespread diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://history.state.gov/countries/china \|title=Countries – 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 ], 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. ] (25 October 1971) recognized the ] as China's sole representative in the ].<ref>Eyal Propper. ], 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 ] maintain official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. The ROC maintains unofficial relations with most countries via '']'' ] and ] called ]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 ], 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 ] remains one of the ] of the country and, through the ] passed in 1979, has continued selling arms and providing military training to the ].<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\|first=Stephen J.\|last=Yates\|author-link=Stephen J. Yates\|date=16 April 1999\|publisher=The Heritage Foundation\|accessdate=19 July 2009\|deadurl=yes\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722095740/http://www.heritage.org/research/asiaandthepacific/bg1272.cfm\|archivedate=22 July 2009\|df=dmy-all}}</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 co-operation 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=] \|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDzKLVZ7X2dz8yrsshklcJZh38Cg \|work=] \|publisher=] \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206214100/https://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 to use force against Taiwan" and the ROC is to "exercise prudence in managing all aspects of ]." Both are to refrain from performing actions or espousing statements "that would unilaterally alter Taiwan's status."<ref name="UsPolicyToTaiwan">{{cite press release \|publisher=] \|date=21 April 2004\|title=Overview of US Policy Towards Taiwan \|url=https://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>

	On 16 December 2015, the ] announced a deal to sell $1.83 billion worth of arms to the ].<ref>{{cite news\|title=US to sell arms to Taiwan despite Chinese opposition\|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35115507?\|work=]\|date=16 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|title=Obama to push ahead on Taiwan frigate sales despite Chinese anger\|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/14/obama-to-push-ahead-on-taiwan-frigate-sales-despite-chinese-anger.html\|work=]\|agency=]\|date=14 December 2015}}</ref> China's ] had expressed its disapproval for the sales and issued the US a "stern warning", saying it would hurt ].<ref>{{cite news\|title=China warns against first major US-Taiwan arms sale in four years\|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/16/china-warns-against-us-taiwan-arms-sale-defence\|work=]\|agency=]\|date=16 December 2015}}</ref>

	=== Participation in international events and organizations ===
	{{See also\|Foreign relations of Taiwan#Relation with International organizations}}

	The ROC was a founding member of the United Nations, and held the ] on the ] 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>

	]" (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 centre 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.]]
	Due to its limited international recognition, the Republic of China is a member of the ], represented by a government-funded organization, the ] (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 ], 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 US and ] publicly support the ROC's bid for membership in the ] 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 sought to participate in the WHO since 1997,<ref>{{cite news\|title=Minister 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\|deadurl=yes\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210015656/http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=19343&CtNode=103&htx_TRCategory=&mp=4\|archivedate=10 February 2015\|df=dmy-all}}</ref> their efforts were blocked by the PRC until 2010, when they were invited as observers to attend the ], under the name "]".<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 "]" in international events, such as the ], 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 ] 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>
	Taiwan also participates in the ] forum (since 1991) and the ] (since 2002) under the name "Chinese Taipei".
	The ROC is able to participate as "China" in organizations that the PRC does not participate in, such as the ].

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

	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 former 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 ], 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=https://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 '']'' asked President Ma about his views on the subject of "]" 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 ]. Further, he stated that the sovereignty issues between the two cannot be resolved at present, but he quoted the "]", 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>

	On 27 September 2017, Taiwanese premier ] said that he was a “political worker who advocates Taiwan independence”, but that as Taiwan was an independent country called the Republic of China, it had no need to declare independence.<ref>{{cite web\|author=As of 11:59AM \|url=http://www.todayonline.com/chinaindia/china/taiwanese-premiers-independence-stance-incurs-beijings-wrath \|title=Taiwanese premier’s independence stance incurs Beijing’s wrath \|publisher=TODAYonline \|date=2017-09-28 \|accessdate=2017-10-06}}</ref>
	The relationship with the PRC and the related issues of Taiwanese independence and Chinese unification 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 and politics ==
	{{Main\|Government of the Republic of China\|Politics of the Republic of China}}
	{{See also\|Elections in Taiwan\|Human rights in Taiwan}}

	{\| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; float:left; margin-right:9px; margin-left:2px;"
	\|-
	\| style="text-align:left;"\| ]
	\| style="text-align:left;"\| ]
	\|-
	\| style="text-align:center;"\|]<br /><small>]</small>
	\| style="text-align:center;"\|]<br /><small>]</small>
	\|}
	], originally built in the Japanese era for colonial governors.]]

	The government of the Republic of China was founded on the ] and its ], 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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512091917/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/ \|archivedate=12 May 2008 \|df=dmy-all }}</ref> The government is divided into five branches (''Yuan''): the ] (cabinet), the ] (Congress or Parliament), the ], the ] (audit agency), and the ] (civil service examination agency). The constitution was drafted before the fall of mainland China to the ]. 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 ] (DPP) won the ], 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>

	The ] and commander-in-chief of the ] is the ], 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 ], including a ], who is officially the President of the Executive Yuan; members are responsible for policy and administration.<ref name="yb:government" />

	The main ] is the ] 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 ], as a standing ] and ], held some ]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" />

	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 ] 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 ], 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 ] was established to resolve constitutional disputes, regulate the activities of political parties and accelerate the democratization process. There is no ] 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" />

	] (Independent) Taiwanese-born politician ] (2L) celebrated his landslide victory (65.5%) in ]'s first mayoral election in January 1951 with supporters.]]
	] 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 ] for administrative inquiry and can be compared to the ] of the ] or the ] of the United States.<ref name="yb:government" />

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

	=== Major camps ===
	{{multiple image
	\|width = 140
	\|footer =
	\|image1 =
	\|alt1 = A circular logo representing the island of Taiwan surrounded by the text "DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY" and "民主進步黨"
	\|caption1 = The ], the main ] 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 ], the main ] party.
	}}

	The tension between China and Taiwan colours 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 ] under the formula of "]" 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 ]. It is the main political difference between two camps: the ], composed of the pro-unification ], ] (PFP), and ], who believe that the ROC is the sole legitimate government of "China" (including Taiwan) and supports eventual ]. The opposition ] is composed of the pro-independence DPP and ]. It regards Taiwan as an independent, sovereign state ], opposes the definition that Taiwan is part of "China", and seeks wide ] and an eventual declaration of formal ].<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 favour 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=https://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 ] 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, ] also held a similar view and was a supporter of the ] 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 favour 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 ], while refusing immediate ].<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 ] 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 \| Asia-Pacific \| 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 ]. For almost 60 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. Chase \|url=http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/as.2008.48.4.703?journalCode=as \|title=Caliber – Asian Survey – 48(4):703 – 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 ] 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 ].<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 ].<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 Qing China between 1661 and 1895. Another significant fraction descends from Han Chinese who immigrated from mainland China in the late 1940s and early 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 \|isbn=0-520-24570-9}}</ref> The ] camp supports a distinct Taiwanese identity, while the ] 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/20091223000000/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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323105730/http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2009/new/dec/16/today-t1.htm \|archivedate=23 March 2010 \|df=dmy-all }}</ref>

	In the latest survey conducted by ] 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
	\|-
	\|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%
	\|-
	\|Common Wealth Magazine (December 2009)<ref name="commonwealthsurvey1" />
	\| style="background:#9f9;" \|'''62%'''
	\|8%
	\|22%
	\|-
	\|], Executive Yuan (April 2008)
	\| style="background:#9f9;"\|'''67.1%'''
	\|13.6%
	\|15.2%
	\|}

	== Military ==
	{{Main\|Republic of China Armed Forces}}
	{{See also\|Republic of China Military Academy}}
	] ]\|alt=A light fighter aircraft on the ground surrounded by two men who are maintaining it.]]
	] ]s \|alt=Two of the navy's present destroyers.]]
	] ]]]

	The ] takes its roots in the ], which was established by ] in 1925 in ] with a goal of reunifying China under the Kuomintang. When the ] won the ], 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, Taiwan maintains a large and technologically advanced military, mainly as defence against the constant threat of invasion by the ] under the ]. This law gives green light to the use of military force when certain Chinese Red Lines formulated in the Anti-Secession Law are crossed like endangering citizens of the ].<ref name=2004NatDefRpt /> From 1949 to the 1970s, the primary mission of the military was to "retake mainland China" through ]. As this mission has shifted to defence because the strength of ] has massively increased, the ROC military has begun to shift emphasis from the traditionally dominant Army to the ] and ].

	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=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB988242686540854310?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\|deadurl=yes\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428091100/http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=28601&ctNode=3389\|archivedate=28 April 2011\|df=dmy-all}}</ref> with nominal reserves totalling 3.6 million {{As of\|2015\|lc=y}}.<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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127214132/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2005/p104.html \|archivedate=27 January 2010 \|df=dmy-all }}</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 defence related industries.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/729500.stm \|title=ASIA-PACIFIC \| 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 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313072548/http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_347888.html \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=13 March 2009 \|title=Taiwan to end conscription \|newspaper=The Straits Times \|date=9 March 2009 \|accessdate=28 May 2009 \|df= }}</ref> Conscription periods are planned to decrease from 14 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 defence 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: defence expenditures for 2008 were NTD 334 billion (approximately US $10.5 billion), which accounted for 2.94% of GDP.

	] Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit]]
	] is a separate branch in the armed forces. In the picture, a military policeman stands guard in ].]]

	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 ] were purchased from the United States, and commissioned into the ] in 2005–2006, significantly upgrading Taiwan's air defence 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-] controlled legislature. The defence 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 billion arms package including PAC III Anti-Air defence 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=https://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\|lc=y}}, continues to be legally guaranteed by the ].<ref name="TRA-review" /> In the past, ] and the ] 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=https://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 defence 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=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2005%2F03%2F14%2Finternational%2Fi003051S91.DTL \|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/14/international/i003051S91.DTL \|archivedate=11 April 2005 \|deadurl=yes \|df= }}</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 ] (ANZUS Treaty) may mean that other US allies, such as ], 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 \|pages=197–216 \|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>

	== Administrative divisions ==
	{{Main\|Administrative divisions of Taiwan}}
	{{See also\|History of the administrative divisions of the Republic of China (1912–49)}}
	{{Taiwan Labelled Map}}

	According to the 1947 constitution, the territory of the ROC is according to its "existing national boundaries".<ref name=constitution></ref> According to the ] in 2012, Mongolia was re-recognized by Republic of China as an independent country when the constitution was announced in 1946.<ref name="ExecutiveYuan_Mongolia">{{cite web\|url=http://www.mac.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=101988&ctNode=5650&mp=1 \|title=有關外蒙古是否為中華民國領土問題說明新聞參考資料 \|publisher=Executive Yuan, Taiwan \|location=Taipei \|accessdate=22 February 2017}}</ref>

	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 ] and some islands of ]. The ROC also controls the ] and ] in the ], which are part of the disputed ]. They were placed under ] 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. ] became a special municipality in 1967 and ] 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 \| deadurl=yes \| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226030251/http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1465&CtNode=1347 \| archivedate=26 February 2012 \| df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 2010, ], ] and ] were upgraded to ]. And in 2014, Taoyuan County was also upgraded to ] special municipality. This brought the top-level divisions 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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514012002/http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=19878&ctNode=2840&mp=21 \|archivedate=14 May 2012 \|df= }}</ref>

	{\|class=wikitable
	\|-
	!Level!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th
	\|- style="text-align:center; height:5ex;"
	!rowspan=7\|Division<br />type
	\| colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#f5c3c4;"\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|直轄市}} ''zhíxiáshì'') (6)\|\|]<br />{{nowrap\|({{lang\|zh-tw\|原住民區}} ''yuánzhùmín qū'') (6)}}
	\|rowspan=5\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|里}} ''lǐ'')\|\|rowspan=7\|Neighborhood<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|鄰}} ''lín'')
	\|- style="text-align:center; height:5ex;"
	\|rowspan=2\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|區}} ''qū'') (164)
	\|- align=center
	\|rowspan=5\|<span style="color:gray; font-size:80%;">Province<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|省}} ''shěng'') (2)<br />(Streamlined)</span>\|\|bgcolor=ceb2cd\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|市}} ''shì'') (3)
	\|- align=center
	\| rowspan="4" style="background:#e3edc3;"\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|縣}} ''xiàn'') (13)\|\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|縣轄市}} ''xiànxiáshì'') (14)
	\|- align=center
	\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|鎮}} ''zhèn'') (38)
	\|- align=center
	\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|鄉}} ''xiāng'') (122)
	\|rowspan=2\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|村}} ''cūn'')
	\|- align=center
	\|]<br />({{lang\|zh-tw\|山地鄉}} ''shāndì xiāng'') (24)
	\|-
	!Total!!colspan=2\|22!!368!!7,851!!147,785
	\|}

	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 ]) and Taoyuan County (now ] City).

	== Economy and industry ==
	{{Main\|Economy of Taiwan\|Economic history of Taiwan}}
	{{see also\|North-south divide in Taiwan}}
	] held the world record for skyscraper height from 2004 to 2010.\|alt=Photo of Taipei 101 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 is one of the "]" alongside ], ] and ].

	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, ] 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 ]s (where 1 tael = 37.5 g or ~1.2 ]) of ] 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\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927081949/http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/page.aspx?type=article&mnum=112&anum=9442\|dead-url=yes\|archive-date=27 September 2011\|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 ]s that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. The government also implemented a policy of ], 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 ], 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 the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On a ] (PPP) basis, its GDP per capita in the 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 ] (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 ], 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 ] and ], mobile phone maker ], as well as electronics manufacturing giant ], which makes products for Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. ] is a major computer expo, held since 1981.

	], with trains running at speeds near {{convert\|300\|km/h\|0\|abbr=on}}, links Taipei and the southern port city of Kaohsiung in just 96 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 ].<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\|deadurl=yes\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430041754/http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1153&CtNode=128\|archivedate=30 April 2011\|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Real growth in ] 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 = ]
	\| publisher = ]
	\| date = 4 September 2008
	\| accessdate = 3 January 2011
	\| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613005020/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2188rank.html
	\| archivedate = 13 June 2007
	\| dead-url = no
	\| quote = Rank 5 Taiwan $274,700,000,000 31 December 2007
	}}</ref> The currency of Taiwan is the ].

	Since the beginning of the 1990s, the economic ties between Taiwan and the People's Republic of 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, totalling 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>

	]]]
	In 2001, ] 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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510102658/http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=242 \|archivedate=10 May 2006 }}</ref> Traditional labour-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, ], ], the ], ], and ]. It is estimated that some 50,000 Taiwanese businesses and 1,000,000 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 neighbours from the ]. Unlike its neighbours, 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 co-ordination by the new administration and increasing bad debts in the banking system, pushed Taiwan into ] in 2001, the first whole year of negative growth since 1947. Due to the relocation of many manufacturing and labour-intensive industries to the PRC, unemployment also reached a level not seen since the 1970s oil crisis. This became a major issue in the ]. 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/ \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608110113/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5411/is_199801/ai_n21432097/ \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=8 June 2009 \|title=Coping with Asian financial crisis: The Taiwan experience \| Seoul Journal of Economics \|publisher=Find Articles at BNET \|date=28 April 2009 \|accessdate=28 May 2009}}</ref>

	The ROC often joins international organizations (especially ones that also include the People's Republic of China) under a politically neutral name. The ROC has been a member of governmental trade organizations such as the ] under the name Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (]) 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 ] 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, most of which are run by private bus companies. Inter-city rail services are provided by ] (TRA) and ] (THSR). Rapid transit systems include the ], ] (incl. the ]) and ], while ] is under construction. Major airports include ], ], ] and ]. There are currently seven airlines in Taiwan, the largest ones being ] and ]. There are four international seaports: ], ], ], and ].

	== Education, research, and academia ==
	{{Main\|Education in Taiwan\|Academia Sinica\|History of education in Taiwan}}
	{{See also\|Scholarships in Taiwan}}

	The higher education system was established in Taiwan by Japan during the colonial period. However, after the Republic of China ] 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>

	Taiwan is well known for adhering to the Confucian paradigm of valuing education as a means to improve one's socioeconomic position in Taiwanese society.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web \|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/fears-over-over-education-in-taiwan/news-story/aeae2a2d83898f684fd0ac5aaffd5816 \|title=Fears over over-education in Taiwan \|date= 3 September 2012 \|website=The Australian}}</ref> Heavy investment and a cultural value for education has catapulted the resource poor nation consistently atop the global education rankings. Taiwan is one of the top-performing countries in reading literacy, maths and sciences. In 2015, Taiwanese students achieved one of the world's best results in mathematics, science and literacy, as tested by the ] (PISA), a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance.<ref>{{Cite book \|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-worldwide-ranking-of-math-science-reading-skills-2016-12 \|title=The latest ranking of top countries in math, reading, and science is out — and the US didn't crack the top 10 \|last= Kiersz \|first=Andy \|date=16 December 2016}}</ref> The strong scholastic and educational performance of Taiwanese students has prompted the nation to build a highly educated labour force that possesses a strong background in mathematics and science to cope with the current labor market demands of the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite book \|title=Taiwan's Democracy: Economic and Political Challenges \|last=Garver \|first= John \|date=2011 \|publisher= Routledge}}</ref>

	The Taiwanese education system has been praised for various reasons including its comparatively high test results and its major role in ushering Taiwan's ] while creating one of the world’s most highly educated workforces.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_M_Chap1.pdf \|title=TIMSS Math 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url= http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_S_Chap1.pdf\| title= TIMSS Science 2003}}</ref> The country has also been praised for its high university entrance rate where the university acceptance rate has increased from around 20 percent before the 1970s to 49 percent in 1996 and over 90 percent since 2006, among the highest in Asia.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web \|url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/education-in-taiwan-taiwans-colleges-and-universities/ \|title=Education in Taiwan: Taiwan’s Colleges and Universities \|last=Chou \|first=Chuing \|publication-date=12 November 2014}}</ref> The nation's high university entrance rate has created a highly skilled workforce making Taiwan one of the most highly educated countries in the world with 68.5% of Taiwanese high school students going on to attend university. Taiwan has a high percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree where 45 percent of Taiwanese aged 25–64 hold a bachelor's degree or higher compared with the average of 33 percent among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).<ref name="auto" /><ref name="auto1" /> On the other hand, the system has been criticized for placing excessive pressure on students and eschewing creativity in favor of rote memorization. In addition, the system has been criticized for producing an excess supply of over-educated university graduates and a higher unemployment rate. With a large supply of university graduates seeking a limited demand of prestigious white collar jobs in an environment that is increasingly losing its competitive edge has led many degree holders ending up with lower end jobs with salaries far beneath than their expectations.<ref>{{Cite book \|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/education/university-degrees-mindset-shift-needed \|title=University degrees: Mindset shift needed \|last=Lee \|first=Pearl \|publisher=The Straits Times \|publication-date=13 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="auto2" /> Taiwan’s universities have also been under criticism for not being able to fully meet the requirements and demands of Taiwan’s 21st century fast-moving job market citing a skills mismatch among a large number of self-assessed overeducated university graduates that don't fit the demands of the modern Taiwanese labor market.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://monitor.icef.com/2016/08/taiwans-higher-education-enrolment-starts-downward-slide/ \|title=Taiwan’s higher education enrolment starts a downward slide \|date=16 August 2016 \|website=ICEF Monitor}}</ref> The Taiwanese government has also been criticized for undermining the economy as it has been unable to produce enough jobs to meet the demands of numerous underemployed university graduates.<ref name="auto3" /><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24156168 \|title=The draw of blue collar jobs in Taiwan \|last=Sui \|first=Cindy \|date=23 September 2013}}</ref>

	As the Taiwanese economy is largely science and technology based, the labor market demands people who have achieved some form of higher education, particularly related to science and engineering in order to gain a competitive edge when searching for employment. Although current Taiwanese law mandates only nine years of schooling, 95% of junior high graduates go on to attend a senior vocational high school, university, junior college, trade school, or other higher education institution.{{citation needed\|date=February 2017}}

	Many Taiwanese students attend cram schools, or ], 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 ] 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 ] (101,758), ] (127,723), and ] (12,506).<ref name="taiwan-popstat" />

	=== Ethnic groups ===
	{{Main\|Taiwanese people\|Han Taiwanese\|Taiwanese aborigines}}
	] dancer in traditional aboriginal dress]]
	The ROC government reports that over 95% of the population is ], of which the majority includes descendants of early Han Chinese immigrants who arrived in Taiwan in large numbers starting in the 18th century. Alternatively, the ethnic groups of Taiwan may be roughly divided among the ] (70%), the ] (14%), the ] (14%), and indigenous peoples (2%).<ref name="cia-factbook" />

	The ] are the largest Han subgroup (70% of the total population), whose ancestors migrated from the coastal southern ] region across the ] starting in the 17th century. The ] comprise about 15% of the total population, and descend from Han migrants to ], 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 ] number about 533,600 and are divided into 16 recognized groups.{{sfnp\|Exec. Yuan\|2014\|p=49}} The ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] live mostly in the eastern half of the island, while the ] inhabit ].<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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411063355/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/indigenous/ \|archivedate=11 April 2012 \|df=dmy-all }}</ref>

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

	] 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 ] and ], ] 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 ] ethnic group speak ] (a variant of the ] speech of ] 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 ]. Most ''waishengren''{{efn\|name=waishengren}} speak primarily Mandarin. Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio, non-Mandarin ] 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 ], do not belong to the Chinese or Sino-Tibetan language family, but rather to the ]. 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 ].<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}}
	{{Pie chart
	\|thumb = right
	\|caption = Religion in Taiwan (2005 census)<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 \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708213510/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm \|archivedate=8 July 2007}}</ref>
	\|label1 = ]
	\|value1 = 35.1
	\|color1 = Yellow
	\|label2 = ]
	\|value2 = 33.0
	\|color2 = Crimson
	\|label3 = ]
	\|value3 = 18.7
	\|color3 = Honeydew
	\|label4 = ]
	\|value4 = 3.9
	\|color4 = DodgerBlue
	\|label5 = ] (])
	\|value5 = 3.5
	\|color5 = GreenYellow
	\|label6 = ] (])
	\|value6 = 2.2
	\|color6 = Chartreuse
	\|label7 = ] (])
	\|value7 = 1.1
	\|color7 = Lime
	\|label8 = ]
	\|value8 = 0.8
	\|color8 = SlateBlue
	\|label9 = ]
	\|value9 = 0.7
	\|color9 = DarkSlateBlue
	\|label10 = Other or undeclared
	\|value10 = 1
	\|color10 = HotPink
	}}
	The ] protects people's ] 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\|lc=y}} (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%), ] (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 ] ], ], ], and ]; 4.5% are adherents of ], which includes ], ], 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=https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148895.htm \|publisher=]: ] \|date=17 November 2010 \|accessdate=17 March 2012}}</ref> ] 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). . '']'' 26.2, 5 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2014.</ref>

	] is a philosophy that deals with secular moral ethics, and serves as the foundation of both ] and ]. The majority of ] 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 ]. In 2008, Taiwan had 3,262 Churches, an increase of 145.<ref>, ''Taiwan News'', 28 July 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.</ref>

	=== Largest cities and counties ===
	{{Main\|List of cities in Taiwan}}

	The figures below are the 2011 estimates for the twenty most populous administrative divisions; a different ranking exists when considering the total ] (in such rankings the ] 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}}
	]]]

	] 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 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823191235/http://www.nhi.gov.tw/english/webdata.asp?menu=11&menu_id=295&webdata_id=1865 \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=23 August 2007 \|title=Bureau of National Health Insurance-National Health Insurance Act \|publisher=Bureau of National Health Insurance, ROC \|accessdate=28 May 2009 \|df= }}</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 people.{{citation needed\|date=March 2013}}

	According to a recently published survey, out of 3,360 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 ] outbreak in March 2003 there were 347 confirmed cases. During the outbreak the ] 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=https://www.cdc.gov.tw \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807030114/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/ \|archivedate=7 August 2016 \|df=dmy-all }}</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 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208030324/http://www.nhi.gov.tw/english/file/s92.pdf \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=8 February 2006 \|format=PDF \|df= }}</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 physicians and 63 hospital beds per 10,000 people. The life expectancy for males was 73.5 years and 79.7 years for females according to the World Health Report.

	In July 2013, the Department of Health was restructured as the ].<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}}
	{{See also\|Taiwanese Wave}}

	] and the ] Symphony Orchestra on stage in the ]]] 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 ] imposed an official interpretation of traditional Chinese culture over Taiwan. The government launched a ] promoting ], ], ], and ].{{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 ], 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 ] dualism. In recent years, the concept of Taiwanese ] 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 behaviour shared by the people of Taiwan.<ref>{{harvnb\|Hsiau\|2005\|pp=125–129}}; {{harvnb\|Winckler\|1994\|pp=23–41}}</ref> ], along with the over one hundred years of political separation from mainland China, has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including ] and ].

	], a Taiwanese writer, literary critic and politician]]
	One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the ], 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 encyclopedia\|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 ] 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 ]. Relations regarding this treasure have warmed recently; Beijing Palace Museum Curator Zheng Xinmiao said that artefacts 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 = https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hLODWs9HP8ywcjE_aaS5GPESiBvg
	\| agency = Agence France-Presse
	\| date = 22 September 2010
	\| archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/5tLc0bqi3?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hLODWs9HP8ywcjE_aaS5GPESiBvg
	\| archivedate = 9 October 2010
	}}</ref>

	The classical music culture in Taiwan is highly developed and features artists such as violinist ], pianist ], and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Artist Director ]. ], 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 theatre 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= – <sup></sup> \|ref=harv \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516161020/http://www.amcham.com.tw/publication_topics_view.php?volume=34&vol_num=11&topics_id=558 \|archivedate=16 May 2008 }}</ref> They also provide a service for mailing packages.

	Taiwanese culture has also influenced other cultures. ] and milk tea are available in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Europe, and North America. ] are popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian countries. ] have won various international awards at film festivals around the world. ], a Taiwanese director, has directed critically acclaimed films such as: '']''; '']''; '']''; '']''; '']''; and '']''. Other famous Taiwanese directors include ], ], and ].

	=== Sports ===
	{{Main\|Sports in Taiwan}}
	] with the 2011 Women's British Open trophy]]
	] is Taiwan's ] and it is a popular spectator sport. Two of the most famous Taiwanese baseball pitchers are ] and ]; both are pitchers in ]. Other notable players playing in the United States include ] who played for the ] (2003–2005) and the ] (2007, 2015–2016), ], ], and ]. The ] 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 ] in 2003. {{As of\|2015}}, the CPBL has four teams with average attendance over 5,000 per game.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.wbsc.org/news/pro-baseball-leagues-open-2016-seasons-worldwide-approx-150-million-fans-expected/\|title=Pro Baseball Leagues open 2016 seasons worldwide – approx. 150 million fans expected\|publisher=WBSC\|date=17 April 2016\|accessdate=11 September 2016}}</ref>

	Besides baseball, ] 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 \| deadurl = yes \| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120215062917/http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=43967&CtNode=128 \| archivedate = 15 February 2012 \| df = dmy-all }}</ref> Taekwondo has also become a mature and successful sport in recent years. In the 2004 Olympics, ] and ] won the first two gold medals in women's flyweight event and men's flyweight event, respectively. Subsequent taekwondo competitors such as ] have strengthened Taiwan's taekwondo culture.

	Taiwan participates in international sporting organizations and events under the name of "]" due to ]. In 2009, Taiwan hosted two international sporting events on the island. The ] were held in ] between 16 and 26 July 2009. Taipei hosted the ] in September of the same year. Furthermore, Taipei will host the Summer ] 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 ]. 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=https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/08/idUS82890+08-Nov-2008+BW20081108 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203071126/https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/08/idUS82890%2B08-Nov-2008%2BBW20081108 \|dead-url=yes \|archive-date=3 February 2012 \|accessdate=14 June 2011 \|agency=Reuters Newswire \|date=8 November 2008 \|df= }}</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>

	] is the most famous Taiwanese ] currently playing on the US-based ]. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five ] and had been ranked number 1 in the ] for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011 to 2013.<ref>{{cite news\|title=At Only 22, Tseng Wins Fifth Major\|url=https://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>

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

	] as the provisional President\|alt=A calendar with a picture of a Chinese man in the centre. On top of it stands a flag with five horizontal stripes (red, yellow, blue, white, and black).]]
	Taiwan uses two official calendars: the ] and the ]. The latter numbers years starting from 1911, the year of the founding of the Republic of China. For example, 2007 was 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 were 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 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 ] for traditional festivals such as the ], the ], and the ].<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 \|deadurl=yes \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009021955/http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/index_e.htm \|archivedate=9 October 2009 \|df=dmy-all }}</ref>

	== See also ==
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	{{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\|ref={{Sfnref\|DoIT\|2008}}\|accessdate=27 November 2009}}
	* {{cite journal
	\| last=Bird \| first=Michael I
	\| last2=Hope \| first2=Geoffrey \| last3=Taylor \| first3=David
	\| year=2004
	\| title=Populating PEP II: the dispersal of humans and agriculture through Austral-Asia and Oceania
	\| url=http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/pubs/Birdetal04.pdf
	\| journal=Quaternary International \| volume=118–119
	\| pages=145–163
	\| doi=10.1016/s1040-6182(03)00135-6
	\|ref=harv
	\| accessdate=31 March 2007
	}}
	* {{cite book \|title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua \|last=Chang \|first=Maukuei \|date=2005 \|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan \|isbn=978-1-4039-7020-6 \|edition=1 \|location=New York \|chapter=Chapter 7 : The Movement to Indigenize to Social Sciences in Taiwan: Origin and Predicaments \|ref=harv\|editor1-last=Makeham \|editor1-first=John \|editor2-last=Hsiau \|editor2-first=A-chin }}
	* {{cite book \|url=https://archive.org/details/islandofformosap00davi \|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 \|publisher=Macmillan \|year=1903 \|location=London and New York \|ol=6931635M \|ref=harv\|last1=Davidson \|first1=James W. \|authorlink=James W. Davidson }}
	* {{cite book \|title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2014 \|year=2014 \|isbn=9789860423020 \|ref={{harvid\|Exec. Yuan\|2014}} \|author=Executive Yuan, R.O.C. \|accessdate=11 June 2016 \|url=http://www.ey.gov.tw/Upload/UserFiles/YB%202014%20all%20100dpi.pdf}}
	* {{Cite book\|title=The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850–2009\|last=Fenby\|first=Jonathan\|publisher=]\|year=2009\|isbn=0-7139-9832-6\|ref=harv}}
	* {{Cite book\|title=In search of Chinese democracy: civil opposition in Nationalist China, 1929–1949\|last=Fung\|first=Edmund S. K. \|publisher=Cambridge University Press\|year=2000\|isbn=978-0-521-77124-5\|series=Cambridge modern China series\|ref=harv}}
	* {{cite book \|title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua \|last=Hsiau \|first=A-Chin \|date=2005 \|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan \|isbn=978-1-4039-7020-6 \|edition=1 \|location=New York \|chapter=Chapter 4 : The Indigenization of Taiwanese Literature: Historical Narrative, Strategic Essentialism, and State Violence \|ref=harv\|editor1-last=Makeham \|editor1-first=John \|editor2-last=Hsiau \|editor2-first=A-chin }}
	* {{cite book \|title=The Neolithic of southeast China: cultural transformation and regional interaction on the coast \|given=Tianlong \|surname=Jiao \|publisher=Cambria Press \|year=2007 \|isbn=978-1-934043-16-5 \|ref=harv }}
	* {{Cite journal\|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 \|issue=1\|pages=90–105 \| doi=10.2307/1992580\|jstor=1992580 \|ref=harv \| last1=Makinen \|first1=Gail E. }}
	* {{cite book \|title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua \|last=Makeham \|first=John \|date=2005 \|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan \|isbn=978-1-4039-7020-6 \|edition=1 \|location=New York \|chapter=Chapter 6 : Indigenization Discourse in Taiwanese Confucian Revivalism \|ref=harv\|editor1-last=Makeham \|editor1-first=John \|editor2-last=Hsiau \|editor2-first=A-chin }}
	* {{cite journal \|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 \|date=January 2007 \|title=A Mitochondrial Stratigraphy for Island Southeast Asia \|journal=The American Journal of Human Genetics \|volume=80 \|issue=1 \|pages=29–43 \|doi=10.1086/510412 \|pmc=1876738 \|pmid=17160892\|ref=harv \|last1=Hill \|first1=Catherine \|last10=Oppenheimer \|first10=Stephen \|last11=Richards \|first11=Martin }}
	* {{cite journal \|title=The earliest eyewitness accounts of the Formosan aborigines \|given=Lawrence G. \|surname=Thompson \|journal=Monumenta Serica \|volume=23 \|pages=163–204 \|year=1964 \|jstor=40726116 \|ref=harv }}
	* {{cite book \|title=Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island \|last=Valentijn \|first=François \|publisher=Kegan Paul \|year=1903 \|editor-last=Campbell \|editor-first=William \|location=London \|pages=25–75 \|chapter=History of the Dutch Trade \|oclc=644323041 \|ref=harv \|orig-year=First published 1724 in ''Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën'' \|authorlink=François Valentijn \|chapterurl=https://archive.org/stream/formosaunderdut01campgoog#page/n41/mode/1up \|editorlink=William Campbell (missionary) }}
	* {{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=978-0-8133-8632-4 \|ref=harv}}
	* {{cite book \|title=Envisioning Taiwan: Fiction, Cinema and the Nation in the Cultural Imaginary \|last=Yip \|first=June \|publisher=Duke University Press \|year=2004 \|isbn=978-0-8223-3357-9 \|ref=harv\|place=Durham, N.C. and London }}

	{{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=1-58826-806-3}}
	* {{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}}
	* Copper, John F. ed. ''Historical dictionary of Taiwan'' (1993)
	* {{cite web\|author=Federation of American Scientists\|title=Chinese Nuclear Forces and US Nuclear War Planning\|year=2006\|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/Book2006.pdf\|display-authors=etal}}
	* {{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", '']'' 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\|voy=Taiwan}}

	=== Overviews and data ===
	* {{CIA World Factbook link\|tw\|Taiwan}}
	* from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
	* {{dmoz\|Regional/Asia/Taiwan}}
	* ]
	* BBC News
	* US Department of State
	* Lonely Planet
	* New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa
	* from ]
	* ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' entry
	* ]
	* {{wikiatlas\|Taiwan}}

	=== Government agencies ===
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	* , Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan)

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Revision as of 16:42, 6 May 2018

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Revision as of 16:42, 6 May 2018

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