Taiwan

Taiwan was long home to indigenous Austronesian peoples before the arrival of Chinese settlers, Dutch and Spanish traders, and a brief kingdom founded by a Ming loyalist in the seventeenth century. The island was incorporated into the Chinese Qing empire and then ceded to Japan, which ruled it as a colony from 1895 to 1945. After the Second World War it came under the Republic of China, whose government, defeated by the Communists in the Chinese Civil War, retreated to Taiwan in 1949. The island then developed separately, transforming from authoritarian rule into a prosperous democracy.

Taiwan's status is one of the most disputed questions in international affairs. The island governs itself completely, with its own democratic government, military, currency, and economy, and by these measures functions as an independent state. Yet the People's Republic of China regards Taiwan as a province of China and opposes its recognition as a separate country, and only a small number of states maintain formal diplomatic relations with it as the Republic of China. Whether Taiwan is a sovereign nation or part of China is therefore unresolved and intensely contested, not a settled fact.

Taiwan is a mountainous island, with a long spine of high, forested ranges running down its length, rising to peaks well over three thousand metres, that drops to fertile plains along the western coast, where most of the population lives. The eastern side is rugged, with mountains plunging steeply to the Pacific. Lying on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, the island is prone to earthquakes, and its position in the western Pacific exposes it to typhoons. The varied terrain supports lush subtropical and temperate landscapes, from coastal plains to alpine heights.

The flag of Taiwan, as the Republic of China, has a red field with a blue canton in the upper hoist bearing a white sun with twelve rays. The red represents the land and the spirit of the people, the blue liberty and the nation, and the white fraternity and equality. The white sun with its twelve rays, also the emblem of the founding political party of the Republic of China, symbolises the spirit of progress and the twelve two-hour periods of the traditional day. The flag dates from the early twentieth-century Chinese republic.

Taiwan is known for its religious diversity and freedom, with a rich blend of traditions. The majority of people follow a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion, often together, with vibrant temples, festivals, and the worship of a wide array of deities and ancestors central to community life. The sea goddess Mazu is an especially beloved figure, her pilgrimages drawing huge crowds. There are also Christian and other minorities, and the indigenous peoples have their own traditions. This colourful and tolerant religious culture is a notable feature of Taiwanese society.

Taiwanese cuisine is celebrated across the world, a flavourful blend of Chinese regional cooking, Japanese influences, and the island's own creations, best experienced in its famous night markets. Iconic foods include beef noodle soup, often called a national dish, the soup dumplings known as xiaolongbao, gua bao steamed buns, oyster omelettes, and an endless variety of street snacks. Taiwan is also the birthplace of bubble tea, the sweet drink with chewy tapioca pearls that has become a global phenomenon. The island's food culture is a great source of pride and a major draw for visitors.

Agriculture, though now a small part of Taiwan's high-tech economy, remains productive on the fertile western plains and terraced hillsides. The island grows rice, its traditional staple, along with a wide variety of fruits for which it is famous, including mangoes, pineapples, and guavas, as well as tea, notably the prized high-mountain oolong teas grown on the misty slopes, and vegetables. Aquaculture and fishing are also significant. Modern Taiwanese farming is intensive and increasingly specialised, supplying both the domestic market and exports of premium produce.

The era of Dutch and then Qing rule, the Japanese colonial period, and the retreat of the Republic of China government to the island in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War are the defining chapters of Taiwan's history. In the decades that followed, the island achieved one of the great economic transformations of the twentieth century, becoming one of the wealthy Asian Tiger economies and later the dominant force in global semiconductor manufacturing. Equally remarkable was its peaceful transition from authoritarian rule to a vibrant democracy in the late twentieth century.

Taiwan has a population of around 23 million people, the great majority of Han Chinese descent, including communities whose ancestors settled the island over past centuries and those who arrived around 1949, alongside the indigenous Austronesian peoples who are the island's original inhabitants. The main language is Mandarin Chinese, with Taiwanese Hokkien and other languages also widely spoken. The population is concentrated in the cities of the western plains, above all the capital, Taipei, in the north. Taiwan is highly urbanised, well educated, and among the most developed societies in Asia.