Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in
East Asia. The main
island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the
East and
South China Seas in the northwestern
Pacific Ocean, with the
People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest,
Japan to the northeast, and the
Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its
highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined
territories under ROC control consist of
168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The
largest metropolitan area is formed by
Taipei (the capital),
New Taipei City, and
Keelung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the
most densely populated countries.
Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of
Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale
Han Chinese immigration began under a
Dutch colony and continued under the
Kingdom of Tungning, the first predominantly Han Chinese state in
Taiwanese history. The island was
annexed in 1683 by the
Qing dynasty of China and
ceded to the
Empire of Japan in 1895. The
Republic of China, which had
overthrown the Qing in 1912, took control following the
surrender of Japan in 1945. Japan renounced sovereignty over Taiwan
in 1952. The immediate resumption of the
Chinese Civil War resulted in the loss of the
Chinese mainland to
Communist forces, who
established the People's Republic of China, and
the flight of the ROC central government to Taiwan in 1949. The effective jurisdiction of the ROC has since been limited to Taiwan,
Penghu, and smaller islands.
In the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization called the "
Taiwan Miracle". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a
one-party state under
martial law to a
multi-party democracy, with democratically elected presidents
since 1996. Taiwan's
export-oriented industrial economy is the
21st-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the
20th-largest by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a
developed country. It is ranked highly in terms of
civil liberties,
healthcare, and
human development.
The
political status of Taiwan is contentious. Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as a member of the
United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to
recognize the PRC instead. The ROC maintained its claim of being the sole
legitimate representative of China and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to
regard the Chinese Communist Party as a rebellious group and acknowledged its control over mainland China. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognise the ROC. Taiwan
maintains official diplomatic relations with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the
Holy See. Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through
representative offices and institutions that function as
de facto embassies and consulates. International organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate on a non-state basis. Domestically, the major political contention is between parties favoring eventual
Chinese unification and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with those
aspiring to formal international recognition and promoting a
Taiwanese identity; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. (
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