Taiwan

Official Sites of Taiwan



Taiwan's Presidential Office Building in Taipei at night. The Baroque-style building was completed in 1919 during Japanese rule. Today the building houses the Office of the President of Taiwan.
Image: Uwe Aranas


Taiwan political system

Taiwan's politics take place within the framework of a unitary, semi-presidential democratic republic.
Because of the Cold War, most Western countries and the United Nations considered the ROC (Taipei) to be the only legitimate government of China until the 1970s. In 1971 UN members voted to recognize the People's Republic of China instead.
Taiwan has received high marks for holding clean elections and protecting political rights. The public supports democracy in principle and, by and large, approves of the island's system in practice. However, when it comes to performance, the political system does not fare so well. This is partly due to a number of structural factors. The election of the president and the legislature according to the majority principle favors a certain polarization and makes it difficult to work out political compromises. ^[Brookings]


Government
Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Government Information Office
Official website of the Republic of China with comprehensive Taiwan facts and figures.

Office of the President, Republic of China
ROC President Office Home Page.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Diplomatic Missions
Bureau of Consular Affairs, Republic of China (TAIWAN)
The Bureau of Consular Affairs provides passport and visa services.

Information Division
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York.

ROC Embassies and Missions Abroad
List of Taiwanese embassies, missions and economic and cultural offices abroad.


Statistics
National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Offers information about Twain's statistical figures.

Weather
Central Weather Bureau Taiwan
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau Web Site.

 

Maps from Taiwan



Map of Taiwan (click map to enlarge)
Image: © nationsonline.org

Maps

Map of Taiwan
Detailed Map of Taiwan.
Google Earth Taiwan
Searchable map/satellite view of Taiwan.
Google Earth Taipei
Searchable map/satellite view of Taiwan's capital city.

Administrative Map of China
Political Map of mainland China's Administrative Divisions.

Map of South China Sea
Political map of the South China Sea.
Map of Southeast Asia
Map of the Southeast Asia region.
Map of Asia
Political Map of Asia.

 

News of Taiwan

News from Taiwan

The media environment in Taiwan is quite free and also quite competitive. However, according to media freedom organizations, Beijing is putting pressure on Taiwan's media owners, who often have business interests on the mainland.
According to RSF, political interference is rare and less tolerated. However, Taiwan's journalists suffer from a very polarized media environment dominated by sensationalism and the profit motive - a quite capitalistic approach.

Central News Agency
CNA - Taiwan's national news agency.

China Post
English-language online news. The China Post was a daily English-language newspaper; it ceased its print publication in 2017.
Taiwan News
English-language online news. Taiwan News ceased its print publication in 2010.
The Taipei Times
The Taipei Times is now the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan.

Chinese-language newspapers
China Times
National News (in Chinese)
Liberty Times
One of the major Chinese-language newspapers.
United Daily News
Chinese-language daily newspaper.

List of newspapers in Taiwan
Wikipedia's list of Taiwanese newspapers.

TV (in Chinese)
China Television Company, Ltd
Commercial advertising and broadcasting services.
CTITV
Commercial TV broadcasts from Taiwan.
Radio Taiwan International
RTI is a government-owned station and one of the world's oldest radio stations still in operation.
Taiwan Public Television Service Online
PTS was the first independent public broadcasting institution in Taiwan.


International News about Taiwan

Al Jazeera Media Network - Taiwan
Taiwan-related news by Al Jazeera.

Council on Foreign Relations
News and background information about Taiwan by the US nonprofit think tank.

The Guardian - Taiwan
Taiwan-related news by UK's The Guardian.

REUTERS - Taiwan
Taiwan-related news by Reuters, one of the largest news agencies in the world.

 

Arts & Culture of Taiwan



Close up of the roof of a temple in Taipei with the Sanxing deities Fu, Lu, and Shou (top), a Chinese dragon (always on the hunt for the Pearl of Wisdom). The legendary creatures in Chinese mythology represent wisdom, power, luck and creativity.
Image: Alex Watson

Arts & Culture

ROC Ministry of Culture
Official site of Taiwan culture affairs.


Museum
National Taiwan Museum
The National Taiwan Museum in Taipei's Memorial Peace Park is the largest and oldest museum in Taiwan. With a focus on Taiwan, the museum is dedicated to a wide range of topics, from art and natural history to the island's indigenous people.


On the Cusps of Epidemic Crises - Contemporary exhibition of the National Taiwan Museum.
Image: National Taiwan Museum

National Museum of Natural Science
The National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung features various permanent exhibits, including Taiwanese aborigines, gemstones, minerals and plants, astronomy and space exploration.

New Taipei City Government Gold Museum
The New Taipei City Gold Museum is an open-air museum about gold mining in the mining town of Jinguashi in the Ruifang District of New Taipei City. The facility includes several buildings, themed areas, a gold mining tunnel and a theater.

National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium
The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium is a public aquarium located on the west coast of Taiwan Island, near Kenting. It is the largest aquarium in Taiwan, a marine biology museum and a research institute.


National Museum of History
The National History Museum is located in the Nanhai Academy in the Zhongzheng district of Taipei. After the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan, the National History Museum was among the first museums established in Taiwan.

National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum in Taipei is famous for its permanent collection of more than 700,000 ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks. The museum's collections cover 8,000 years of Chinese art history, from Neolithic to modern times.

National Museum of Taiwan Literature
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature in Tainan researches, catalogs, preserves and exhibits literary artifacts.


List of museums in Taiwan
Wikipedia's list of museums in Taiwan, including cultural and art centers.


Performing arts

National Performing Arts Center
The National Theater and National Concert Hall are two performing arts venues on Liberty Square in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan.

National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra, also known as Taiwan Philharmonic outside Taiwan, is one of the leading orchestras in Asia.

TaipeiEYE
Traditional Chinese performing arts theater in Taipei.


Religious arts
Taiwan Religious Culture Map
From Taiwan's Top 100 Religious Scenes to your private Temple Stay.

List of temples in Taiwan
Wikipedia list of significant temples in Taiwan associated with Chinese folk religion, mainly Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, arranged by city and county.


Visual arts
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is a museum located in the western district of Xi Qu in the Taiwanese city of Taichung. It was founded in 1988 and is the first and so far only national-level art museum in Taiwan.

Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei
The Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art is located in Taipei, Taiwan. It shows changing national and international exhibitions of contemporary art, painting, sculpture, and media art.

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
Southern Taiwan museum for fine arts.


Aerial view of the National Taichung Theater, the opera house in "Qiqi" (七期), the city's central business district.
Image: Wpcpey

Theater
Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center
The Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center, also known as the Xiqu Center of Taiwan, is a performance center in Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan.

National Taichung Theater
The National Taichung Theater is an opera house in the Situn District of Taichung; it was officially opened in September 2016.


 
Traditional Chinese performance at TaipeiEYE theater in Taipei.
Image courtesy of TaipeiEYE

 

Business & Economy of Taiwan



Xinyi District in Taipei is the most cosmopolitan city district, with Taipei 101 tower and Taipei Songshan Airport (IATA: TSA) in the foreground, the Elephant Mountain (象 山) in the background.
Image: Timo Volz


Economy of Taiwan
Taiwan's industry consists primarily of many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but skilled crafts and trades also play an important role. Its dynamic economy is heavily dependent on exports, especially electronics, machinery and refined petroleum. The Taiwanese semiconductor industry is the unmatched global leader. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) alone supplies more than 50% of the worldwide market. The island has a highly skilled workforce and is an important link in global supply chains, a central hub for shipments and transshipments in East Asia, and a major center for advanced research and development (R&D).


Central Bank of the Republic of China
Official website of the Central Bank of the Republic of China, located in Zhongzheng, Taipei.

Taiwan Stock Exchange
The Stock Exchange of Taiwan (TWSE), headquartered in Taipei, was established in 1961.

Board of Foreign Trade, MOEA
An agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Ministry of Finance, R.O.C
The Official Website of the Ministry of Finance.

China External Trade Development Council (CETRA)
The nonprofit government co-sponsored trade promotion organization is a gateway to trade with Taiwan.

Computex
The Taipei International Information Technology Show is held annually in Taipei. Computex is among the world's leading platforms for ICT and IoT.

Taiwan International Tradeshows
A guide to Taiwan's tradeshows.


Major companies in Taiwan

Acer Inc.
Acer is a Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation. The PC manufacturer was founded in 1976 as Multitech in Hsinchu City.

ASE Group
Kaohsiung-based ASE (Advanced Semiconductor Engineering) is one of the world's largest providers of outsourced semiconductor manufacturing services.

Asus
ASUSTek Computer Inc. is a Taiwanese multinational computer hardware, smartphone and electronics company headquartered in Taipei's Beitou District.

Cathay Financial Holding
Cathay United Bank (part of Cathay Financial Holdings) is one of the largest commercial banks in Taiwan, with 165 branches.

Chunghwa Telecom
Chunghwa Telecom Company, Ltd. is Taiwan's largest telecommunications company and the local provider of public telecommunications (PSTN), mobile communications and broadband services.

Delta Electronics
DELTA is an electronic components and ICT infrastructure manufacturing company headquartered in Taipei's Neihu District.

Evergreen Marine Corporation
Evergreen Marine Corporation is a Taiwanese container transportation and shipping company headquartered in Taoyuan City.

Formosa Plastics Group
FPG is a titular Taiwanese conglomerate headquartered in Kaohsiung. The company operates in various fields, including biotechnology, petrochemical processing and the manufacture of electronic components.

Hon Hai Precision Industry
Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn Technology Group, is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer headquartered in Tucheng, New Taipei City. The BlackBerry phones, Apple's iPad, iPhone, iPod, Amazon's Kindle, and most of Nintendo's consoles are manufactured by Foxconn. The Foxconn group manufactured an estimated 40% of all consumer electronics sold worldwide.

Hotai Motor
Hotai Motor is Taiwan's largest automobile company and auto parts distributor and one of the largest financial holding companies in the country. Hotai Motor produces Toyota Sienna, Toyota C-HR and Toyota Prado cars.

HTC
HTC Corporation is a Taiwanese consumer electronics and smartphone company headquartered in Xindian District, New Taipei City.

Leofoo Tourism Group
The "Leofoo Tourism Group" was established in 1968. It operates, among others, Courtyard by Marriott Taipei, Leofoo Village, Asia's first large-scale theme park, Leofoo Water Park and Elite Bakery.

MediaTek
MediaTek Inc. is a Taiwanese semiconductor company that provides chips for wireless communications, high-definition television, smartphones, tablets and navigation systems.

Mercuries & Associates
Mercuries & Associates, Holding Ltd. is a Taipei-based investment holding company primarily engaged in the life insurance and retail sectors. It also operates restaurants, fast food chains and department stores.

Pegatron
Pegatron Corporation manufactures products for the computer, communications and consumer electronics markets at plants in Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Indonesia and China.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC)
TSMC is the world's largest chip foundry and the biggest contract chipmaker. The company manufactures integrated circuits and semiconductor products, including semiconductors below 1-nanometer (nm). The headquarters of one of Taiwan's largest companies is located in Hsinchu City.

Ting Hsin International Group
The scandal-plagued Taiwanese corporation owns various food brands such as the instant noodle maker Master Kong, Wei-Chuan Food Corporation and Dicos, China's (PRC) third-largest fast-food chain.

Uni-President Enterprises Corporation
Uni-President is an international food conglomerate based in Tainan. It is the largest food manufacturing company in Taiwan and Asia and has a significant market share in dairy products, food and snacks, and beverages. The company also runs Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Mister Donut and Carrefour in Taiwan.

Quanta Computer
Based in Taoyuan City, Quanta Computer Incorporated is a notebook computer manufacturer and a major Apple assembler. The company's products include the Apple Macbook Air, Apple Macbook Pro and Lenovo's ThinkPad Z60m.


Transportation

Airlines
China Airlines
State-owned China Airlines is Taiwan's national carrier and the largest airline with a fleet size of 83 (incl cargo); it serves 102 destinations globally (incl cargo).

Mandarin Airlines
Mandarin Airlines is a subsidiary company of China Airlines; it operates domestic and regional flights.

EVA Air
Evergreen Airways is an international airline based at Taoyuan International Airport; it is part of the Evergreen Marine Corporation and was the country's first private international airline.

UNI Air
UNI Air is the result of the merger of Great China Airlines and Taiwan Airways; it is a subsidiary of EVA Air.

Defunct airlines
FAT (dead link)
Far Eastern Air Transport was a Taiwanese private air transport company founded in 1957 and based at Taipei Songshan Airport. FAT ceased operations in December 2019.

Airports
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Taiwan Taoyuan International (IATA: TPE) is by far Taiwan's busiest airport.


Rail
Taiwan Railway
Official site of Taiwan's Railway.

Taiwan High-Speed Rail
Official site of Taiwan's High-Speed Rail.



End car of a Taiwan High Speed 700T train in Zuoying Station of Kaohsiung. Taiwan's High-Speed Rail runs for about 350 km (220 mi) along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. The high-speed trains run at a top speed of 300 km/h and connect Nangang Station (Taipei) with Zuoying Station (Kaohsiung City) in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Image: weichen_kh
 

Tourism in Taiwan



Main Building of the National Palace Museum, an art museum in Taipei City with one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks.
Image: Sdfery

Destination Taiwan - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Taiwan:
Alishan, Bangka Lungshan Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Chimei Museum, Daan Forest Park (Taipei), East Rift Valley, Gaomei Wetlands, Hehuanshan (mountain), Jiufen, Kinmen County, Lambai Island, Maolin National Scenic Area, Ningxia Night Market (Datong District, Taipei City), Rainbow Village, Sun Moon Lake, Taipei 101 (skyscraper), Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Yangmingshan National Park, Yushan (the highest mountain in East Asia), Zhuilu Old Road


The Taiwan Tourism Bureau
Taiwan Tourism Information by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.


Taipei Tourism Office
Taiwan information in German.

Culture Taiwan
Taiwan's cultural event calendar

Kinmen County
A guide to Kinmen County by the Department of Tourism.

Taitung Tourism
A tourist guide to Taitung County.



National Scenic Areas in Taiwan
Information about the National Scenic Areas in Taiwan, from north to south:


North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area
Taiwan's North Coast Scenic Area comprises two separate sections of the area of New Taipei. Among the scenic spots are Baisha Bay, Laomei Green Reef and Yehliu Geopark.

Northeast Coast National Scenic Area
Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area (Waiao) is located in the northeast corner of Taiwan. Some of its attractions are Bitou Cape, the Nanya Rocks, Longdong sea cliffs and Beiguan rock formations.

Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area
The area consists of three non-contiguous scenic areas, Lion's Head Mountain (Shitoushan) in Miaoli County, Lishan (Li Shan), a famous summer resort, and Baguashan, in northern and central Taiwan.

Sun Moon Lake
The scenic Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan's largest body of water and is located in the center of the island, nestled between the mountain peaks of the Central Mountain Range at 760 meters above sea level.

Alishan National Scenic Area
Alishan National Scenic Area and Alishan National Forest Recreation Area are located in the Central Mountain Range, which is known for its towering peaks, verdant valleys and giant age-old cypress trees.

East Rift Valley Taiwan
The scenic Huadong Valley (East Rift Valley) in southeastern Taiwan stretches from Hualien to Taitung, between the Central Mountains and the Hainan Range.

East Coast National Scenic Area
The coast of Taiwan between Hualien and Taitung is known as "Taiwan's last unspoiled land." The seaside region offers scenic spots, water sports and cultural activities.


Penghu National Scenic Area
Penghu National Scenic Area covers most of the archipelago that forms Penghu County.

Southwest Coast
The Southwest Coast National Scenic Area covers parts of Tainan City, Chiayi County and Yunlin County. The area includes Waisanding Barrier Island, Haomeiliao Wetland, Aogu Wetland and Beimen Lagoon Salt Ponds.

Maolin National Scenic Area
The mountainous scenic area is located in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County in the foothills of the western side of the Central Mountain Range. It is home to the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Cultural Park.

Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area
Dapeng Bay is located on Taiwan's southwest coast. The island's largest lagoon is a national protected area that includes the bay and the small coral island of Liuqiu nearby.


Taiwan Panorama
A Window on Taiwan, an online magazine.

Travel in Taiwan
Taiwan's Travel Magazine.


City Guides
Taipei
Official site of the Municipality of Taipei.
Taipei
Tourism website of the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government.

Kaohsiung
Official site of Kaohsiung City Government.

Keelung City 
The official Keelung City guide.


Festivals
Taiwan's Traditional Festivals
Tourism Bureau of Taiwan provides information about the nation's traditional festivals, such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), the Taiwan Lantern Festival, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, the Bombing of Master Han Dan or Grappling with the Ghosts.

Taiwan International Balloon Festival
Annual hot-air balloon festival in Taitung.

Festivals in Northeast and Yilan Coast
From the Hohaiyan Rock Festival to the Sand Sculpting Festival.


Theme Parks
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village is a wild mix of Aboriginal culture and amusement park; located in the community of Yuchi on the shores of Sun Moon Lake. The site includes the Aboriginal Village Park, the largest open-air museum in Taiwan.

Janfusun Fancy World
Janfusun Fancy World is an amusement park in Yongguang Village, about 30 km northeast of Chiayi City. JFW is the leader in the amusement park business in Taiwan.

Leofoo Village
The Leofoo Village Theme Park with themed areas, thrill rides and interactive animal shows is located about 30 km east of Hsinchu City.



The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum complex with its eight pagodas and a monumental 40 meters high Buddha statue. The museum is located in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan; it is affiliated with Fo Guang Shan, an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and one of the largest Buddhist organizations in Taiwan.
Image: Yuan mdx

National Monuments Taiwan




Dalongdong Baoan Temple is a Chinese folk religion temple in the Datong District of Taipei.
Image: Sdfery  


National Monuments Sites in Taiwan
As of March 2020, there are 967 historic sites protected under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, with 107 designated as national monuments. Tainan City has the most national monuments with 22, followed by Taipei City with 19. Notably, there are no national monuments in eastern Taiwan, though Batongguan Trail does cross into Hualien County. National monuments include temples, government buildings, fortresses, residences, city walls, Chinese archways (paifang), lighthouses and railroad stations.

The following links lead to a detailed description of the respective National Monuments.


Batongguan Historic Trail
Batongguan Historic Trail is a mountain trail within the Yushan National Park crossing the Central Range. The first attempt to cross the mountains was made in the Qing Dynasty, but the path was abandoned; a second one was built during Japanese rule.
The Batongguan Historic Trail is registered as a national monument of Taiwan to preserve several relics dating from the Qing Dynasty.

Chastity Arch for Qiu Liang-gong's Mother
The Chastity Arch is a four-pillar, three-section Chinese portal (paifang) in Jincheng Township of Kinmen.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous national monument and tourist attraction, built in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, a Chinese statesman, general and the former President of the Republic of China.

Eternal Golden Castle
The Eternal Golden Castle are the ruins of a Qing Dynasty fortress with a moat and a brick tunnel entrance in the Anping district of the city of Tainan in southwestern Taiwan.

Hilltop Garden Watercourse Museum
The Hilltop Garden Watercourse Museum in Tainan includes the old Tainan watercourse and the city's water sources and purification areas with the decommissioned filter basins and distribution pumps. The museum opened in October 2019.

Hsinchu railway station
The original Hsinchu railway station in the East District of Hsinchu City opened in October 1893. It was rebuilt during Japanese rule and opened in 1913. It serves as a major station on the Western Trunk line and is the western terminus of the Neiwan line.

Judicial Building
The Judicial Building in Taipei houses several judicial agencies of Taiwan. The eclectic style building is laid out in the Chinese character for "sun" (日).

Lin Family Mansion and Garden
The residence built by the Lin Ben Yuan family in Banqiao District of New Taipei is Taiwan's most complete surviving example of traditional Chinese garden architecture.

Luce Memorial Chapel
The Christian chapel on the campus of Tunghai University in Taichung is a tent-like conoid structure and was likely influenced by Le Corbusier's design of the Philips Pavilion for the Brussels World's Fair in 1958.

Monopoly Bureau
The Monopoly Bureau is a Renaissance-style red brick building in Taipei; today, it houses the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation headquarters.

Walls of Taipei
The Taipei City Walls were established in 1884 in Taipei Prefecture, Qing Taiwan. Shortly after the Qing dynasty established Taipeh Prefecture in 1875, Perfect Chen Hsing-chü ordered the foundation of new prefectural capital with enclosing walls in 1879.

Wuqiu Lighthouse
The Wuqiu Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Daqiu Village, Wuqiu Township, Kinmen County (Quemoy), Fujian Province (Fukien), Republic of China (Taiwan)



Chao Tian Temple is dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu and is located in Beigang Township, Yunlin County. Built around 1700, the temple became one of the most important Mazu temples in Taiwan and is known for its extravagant temple architecture. It is visited by more than one million pilgrims every year.
Image: U58029143
 

Education in Taiwan



Building of the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei. It is one of the oldest and largest academic teaching hospitals in Asia.
Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas


Ministry of Education Republic of China (Taiwan)
The Official Website from the Ministry of Education Taiwan.

National Central Library
The National Central Library of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

National Taiwan University
The predecessor of National Taiwan University was Taihoku (Taipei) Imperial University, founded by the Japanese in 1928. NTU is the best ranked university in the country.

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
TaiwanTech is the country's leading higher education institution for science and technology. It has five campuses, several research buildings and a library.

National Central University
NCU is a public research university with a long tradition. The institution was founded in 1915 (in Nanjing, China) and in 1962 in Miaoli, Taiwan. Today, it is one of the seven national research universities.

University of Taipei
Taipei University traces its origins to the Mandarin School of the Governor's Palace in Taiwan, established in 1895. It is the only public university in Taiwan under the jurisdiction of the Taipei City Government. UT is among Taiwan's best universities.

Asia University
The Asia Universitat is a private university in Taiwan founded in 2001.


List of universities in Taiwan
Wikipedia list of universities in Taiwan.
 
 

Environment & Nature



The dramatic coast of Yehliu Geopark, a cape in Wanli district of New Taipei.
Image: Adobe Stock - vladimirzhoga


Environmental Protection Administration - EPA
The EPA was founded with the mission of protecting and improving the environment.

Taiwan Forestry Research Institute
The Official website provides information about the work and the function of the research institute.

Nature Conservation Taiwan
Government agency for nature conservation in Taiwan.

Environmental issues facing Taiwan
The article analyzes the main environmental challenges Taiwan is facing.


National Parks

Kinmen National Park
Kinmen National Park is one of eight national parks in the Republic of China (Taiwan). The park covers about a quarter of the area of the Kinmen district and includes Zhaishan Tunnel, Kinmen National Park Historic Relics, Shanhou Folk Cultural Village, a Wind Lion God and a Military Brothel Exhibition Hall.

Shei-Pa-National Park
Shei-Pa-National Park is a high mountain park in the north-central mountain region of Taiwan.

Taijiang National Park
Taijiang National Park on the southwest coast includes part of the coastal area of the city of Tainan and a larger marine area extending from the coast of Tainan to Dongji Island.

Taroko National Park
Taroko National Park, located in the northeast of the island, is the oldest national park in Taiwan. It was named after the Taroko Gorge.

Yangmingshan National Park
The northernmost national park on the island is famous for its hot springs and geothermal activities.

Yushan National Park
Yushan National Park is the biggest National Park in Taiwan. The park in the Taiwan Central Mountains features more than 30 peaks whose elevation exceeds 3000 meters.



Dingtou Sandbar in Taijiang National Park. The sandy alluvial soil of the rivers flowing into the Taiwan Strait accumulates over time, forming a long and narrow sandbar.
Image: Cheetah mi

Taiwan History



Formosa island. -- The American consulate at Tam-sui.
Image: Reed College -- Formosa

History of Taiwan (short version)

The Austronesian-speaking ancestors of Taiwan's indigenous people settled the island about 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, extensive immigration of Han Chinese to western Taiwan began under a Dutch colony and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning. The island was annexed by the Chinese Qing Dynasty in 1683 and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing Dynasty in 1911, took control of Taiwan after Japan surrendered in 1945 on behalf of the World War II Allies. The resurgence of the Chinese Civil War resulted in the ROC losing mainland China to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces and retreating to Taiwan in 1949. Since then, its jurisdiction has been limited to Taiwan and numerous smaller islands.

History of Taiwan
Some historical facts and a timeline by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Why China-Taiwan Relations Are So Tense
It's complicated. Council on Foreign Relations article about the historical and current relations between China and Taiwan.

Formosa: 19th Century Images
Woodcuts, sketches and etchings concerning Taiwan.

New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa
The website for Taiwan's history, present, and future provides some information on Taiwan's History.

Taiwan's 400 years of history
A virtual walk through the history of Taiwan.

Taiwan profile - Timeline
A chronology of key events by the BBC.

History of Taiwan
Several Wikipedia articles related to the history of Taiwan.

Chinese Dynasties
Timeline of Chinese Imperial and Modern Dynasties.

 

Indigenous People of Taiwan



Picture of Bunun Tribesmen, Island of Formosa (early 1900s).
Image: unknown (restored by ralph repo)


Indigenous peoples in Taiwan
IWGIA Article about the Indigenous People in Taiwan.

Who are the Taiwanese Aboriginals?
Article about the indigenous people of Taiwan by the Website Guide-Taipei.

Amis people
The Amis are an indigenous Austronesian ethnic group to Taiwan. They speak the Amis language (Caciyaw no Pangcah; 阿美族語), an Austronesian language, and are one of the sixteen officially recognized Taiwanese indigenous peoples

Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large ethnic group in Madagascar, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Taiwan.

Paiwan people
The Paiwan are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak the Paiwan language.

Rukai people
The Rukai is one of the indigenous people of Taiwan. They consist of six communities residing in southern Taiwan, each of which has its dialect of the Rukai language.

Bunun people
The Bunun, also historically known as the Vonum, are a Taiwanese indigenous people and are best known for their sophisticated polyphonic vocal music. They speak the Bunun language.

Atayal
The Atayal, also known as Tayal or Tayan, is the second largest of Taiwan's indigenous peoples

Tsou people
The Tsou are an indigenous people of central southern Taiwan. They are an Austronesian ethnic group and reside in Chiayi County and Nantou County.

Kavalan people
The Kavalan or Kuvalan are indigenous people of Taiwan. They originally inhabited the Kabalan Plain of modern-day Yilan County. Most of them moved to the coastal area of Hualien and Taitung County in the 19th century due to encroachment by Han settlers. Their language is also known as Kavalan.

Additional Information

Selected country profiles of Taiwan published by international organizations.


Amnesty International: Taiwan
Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights.

BBC Country Profile: Taiwan
Country profiles by the British public service broadcaster.

FAO: China, Taiwan Province of
UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Freedom House: Taiwan
The U.S. government-funded nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote liberal democracies worldwide.

GlobalEDGE: Taiwan
Taiwan ranking by the Global business knowledge portal.

The Heritage Foundation: Taiwan
Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank.

Human Rights Watch: Taiwan
HRW conducts research and advocacy on human rights.

OEC: Taiwan
The Observatory of Economic Complexity provides the latest international trade data.

Reporters Without Borders: Taiwan
RSF (Reporters sans frontières) is an international NGO that defends and promotes media freedom.

Wikipedia: Taiwan
Wikipedia's Taiwan page in many languages.

The CIA World Factbook -- Taiwan
CIA World Factbook Taiwan Page.