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Welcome to my Taiwan Page. Please read below for a brief introduction
to Taiwan and follow the links to more in-depth articles covering
the topics in which you are interested.
Brief History
In 1895, China was forced by military defeat to cede
Taiwan to Japan. In  1945,
however, it reverted to Chinese control after the Japan was defeated.
When the Communists came to power on the mainland in 1949, 2 million
Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government that gradually
democratised and incorporated native Taiwanese within its structure.
In March 2000, the Nationalists were defeated in a popular election
by the Democratic People's Party (the first non-violent change in
rule in 5000 years of Chinese history), and Taiwan is now lead by
Chen Shuibian. Since 1945, the island has prospered as one of East
Asia's economic miracles, but the relationship between Taiwan and
Mainland China and the question of eventual reunification is still
the most pressing issue in Taiwan today.
Geography and Climate
Taiwan is situated in Eastern Asia, and borders the East China
Sea. The total area is almost 36,000 sq. km. The major administrative
divisions of Taiwan
are Changhua, Chiai, Keelung, Hsinchu, Hualien, Ilan, Kaohsiung,
Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, Taitung,
Taoyuan, and Yunlin. Its administrative area includes the Pescadores,
Matsu, and Quemoy. The eastern two-thirds of Taiwan is mostly rugged
mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west. It has a: tropical
climate in the south, and subtropical in the north. It is also subject
to severe earthquakes and typhoons.
Natural Resources
Taiwan lacks many natural resources (making it and excellent market
for all types of commodities), but it does have small deposits of
coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos.
Population
Taiwan has a population of approximately 23 million, which makes
it one of the world's most densely populated places. Most of the
Taiwanese population originates from Mainland China, except for
the approximately 350,000 aborigines. The vast majority of Taiwanese
practice a mixture of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, with Christianity
(mainly from the Catholic Church) standing at just under 5%. The
national languages are Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese (the local
dialect from Fujian Province in Mainland China). Many people can
speak some English, which is the most widely studied foreign language.
Foreign Relations
After the Civil War ended in 1949, the People's Republic of China
was established on the Chinese mainland, while the remnants of the
Nationalist government fled to Taiwan. The government of Taiwan
has since insisted that the Republic of China has retained its sovereign
state status, and has exercised full authority over the remaining
territory, including Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.
Theoretically, Taiwan is an established state that rules a defined
territory, has its own constitution, national flag, legal system,
and armed forces. Taiwan also conducts it own foreign relations
with 28 other countries, and its government represents the 22 million
people living on Taiwan. Nevertheless, the issue of eventual reunification
makes it impossible to speak of Taiwan's foreign or economic relations
without at least passing reference to the PRC's.
Economy
 Taiwan
has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance
of investment and foreign trade by government authorities and partial
government ownership of some large banks and industrial firms. Real
growth in GDP has averaged about 8.5% a year during the past three
decades. Export growth has been even faster and has provided the
impetus for industrialization. Inflation and unemployment are low,
and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Taiwan suffered
little compared with many of its neighbours from "the Asian
crisis" in 1998 mainly because of its conservative financial
approach and its entrepreneurial strengths.
Significant trading partners are Japan, US, Hong Kong and European
countries, exports include electrical machinery, electronic products,
textiles, footwear, and wood products. Significant imports include
chemicals, iron and steel, crude oil, and food. Taiwan has become
a major investor in China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines,
Malaysia, and Vietnam.
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