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Introduction

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 kilometers (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 kilometers (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 Dutch colonial rule 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 and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1912 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, assumed control following the surrender of Japan in World War II. With the loss of mainland China to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan in 1949 under the Kuomintang (KMT).

From the early 1960s, Taiwan saw rapid economic growth and industrialization known as 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 beginning in 1996. Taiwan's export-oriented 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 and international 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 Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as a member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead.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 to be 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 recognize 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 the Pan-Blue Coalition, which favors eventual Chinese unification under the ROC and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with the Pan-Green Coalition, which favors eventual Taiwan independence and promoting a Taiwanese identity; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. (Full article...)

Selected article -

The Kingdom of Tungning, also known as Tywan, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1662 and 1683. It is the first predominantly ethnic Han state in Taiwanese history. At its zenith, the kingdom's maritime power dominated varying extents of coastal regions in southeastern China and controlled the major sea lanes across both China Seas, and its vast trade network stretched from Japan to Southeast Asia.

The kingdom was founded by Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) after seizing control of Taiwan from Dutch rule. Zheng aspired to restore the Ming dynasty in Mainland China, when the Ming remnants' rump state in southern China was progressively conquered by the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. The Zheng dynasty used the island of Taiwan as a military base for their Ming loyalist movement which aimed to reclaim China proper from the Qing dynasty. Under Zheng rule, Taiwan underwent a process of Sinicization in an effort to consolidate the last stronghold of Han Chinese resistance against the invading Manchus. Until its annexation by the Qing dynasty in 1683, the kingdom was ruled by Koxinga's heirs, the House of Koxinga, and the period of rule is sometimes referred to as the Koxinga dynasty or the Zheng dynasty. (Full article...)

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Selected biography

Kao Chin Su-mei (Chinese: 高金素梅; pinyin: Gāo Jīn Sùméi; born September 21, 1965), also known as Chin Su-mei, May Chin and Ciwas Ali, is a Taiwanese politician and retired actress and singer. She is of Manchu and Atayal descent, Ciwas Ali being her Atayal name.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she starred in many popular TV series and films, including Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet (1993). She also released several Mandopop albums. She retired from showbiz in 1999 following her diagnosis of liver cancer which she recovered from. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Selected picture -

Ximending shopping district at night in Wanhua, Taipei.

Photo credit: User:Liftarn

Good article -

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Mei-Ann Chen (traditional Chinese: 陳美安; simplified Chinese: 陈美安; pinyin: Chén Měi-ān; born 1973) is a Taiwanese-American conductor. She is currently music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and conductor laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. (Full article...)

List of Good articles

Did you know -

... that Longshan Temple (pictured) is the oldest temple in Taipei, originally built by settlers from Fujian Province in 1738 and is an example of classical Taiwanese architecture?

... that Taiwan Grand Shrine was once the largest and most important Shinto shrine in Taiwan but was destroyed in a fire in 1944. Did you also know that the Grand Hotel in Taipei was built in its place?

... that Taipei Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in Taiwan and that there are over 140,000 Muslims residing in Taiwan?

General images

The following are images from various Taiwan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A map of the Empire of Japan including Taiwan ("barbarian land" in red) in 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 2Map of Taiwan with the western coast pointed downwards, c. 1640 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 3Taiwan in the 17th century, showing Dutch (magenta) and Spanish (green) possessions, and the Kingdom of Middag (orange) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 4Population density map of Taiwan in 2019 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 5Statue of Chen Di in Lianjiang County (from History of Taiwan)
Image 6Evacuation of Keelung by the French forces, image created 1887 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 7Takasago Volunteers in October 1944 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 8Mid-17th century portrait of Koxinga (Guoxingye or "Kok seng ia" in southern Fujianese), "Lord of the Imperial Surname" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 9An example of a text message sent through the Line app, featuring sticker options. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 10The Dharmachakra represents the Noble Eightfold Path. (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 11Depiction of Qing ships crossing the ocean to suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, 1787–1788 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 12Penghu next to Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)
Image 13Woodcut of the mass killings which took place during the February 28 Incident (from History of Taiwan)
Image 14The Capture of Lin Shuangwen (from History of Taiwan)
Image 15Section of Kangxi period painting of Taiwan, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 16Taichung Middle School in 1919 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 17Pearl milk tea (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 18Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples (from History of Taiwan)
Image 19Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert Hall in Taipei and Play Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony No. 3 (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 20Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty by 1894 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 21Kagi Shrine, one of many Shinto shrines built in Taiwan. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 22Territory controlled by Koxinga, founder of the Kingdom of Tungning (from History of Taiwan)
Image 23Conquest of Douliumen (Zhuluo) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 24Depiction of a Chinese man, woman, and soldier, by Georg Franz Müller (1646–1723) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 25Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 26Departure of a Ryukyuan ship bearing tribute to Beijing, 1831 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 27The original flag of the Taiwanese People's Party, 2 January 1929 – 6 October 1929 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 28The Imperial Guard Defeats the Enemy in Hard Fighting at Keelung on the Island of Taiwan, 1895 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 29Siege of Fort Zeelandia (from History of Taiwan)
Image 30Zheng Keshuang (from History of Taiwan)
Image 31The Qing Empire in 1820, with provinces in yellow, military governorates and protectorates in light yellow, tributary states in orange. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 32Map of Asia showing the "Chinese Empire" (1892) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 331901 map with red line marking approximate boundary separating territory under actual Japanese administration from "Savage District" (from History of Taiwan)
Image 34Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1734 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 35Chinese depiction of Chikan (Fort Provintia), 1752 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 36Portrait of Zheng Jing (1642–1681), possibly 17th c. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 37Two 7-Eleven stores opposite each other on a crossroad. Taiwan has the highest density of 7-Eleven stores per person in the world (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 38Section of a painting depicting daily life of the Taokas people, 1684–1722 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 39Japanese painting of the expedition forces attacking the Mudan tribe, 1874 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 40Severed heads of Seediq rebels (from History of Taiwan)
Image 41Shi Lang (1621–1696) in an 18th-century painting (from History of Taiwan)
Image 42Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 43Bunun dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989) (from Culture of Taiwan)
Image 44Administrative units of Taiwan under the Qing dynasty in 1685 (from History of Taiwan)
Image 45Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the Cairo Conference in Cairo, 25 November 1943. (from History of Taiwan)
Image 46Map showing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681) (from History of Taiwan)
Image 47Bird's eye view of Fort Zeelandia in Dutch Formosa in the 17th-century (from History of Taiwan)
Image 48Photo from Savages of Formosa, a 1926 government report on tribal life in Taiwan (from History of Taiwan)

On this day...

In the news

28 July 2026 –: Taiwanese prosecutors detain an Nvidia employee in an investigation into alleged smuggling of advanced artificial intelligence chips to China through falsified transport documents. Authorities hold seven people over shipments of about 50 Supermicro servers that may violate U.S. export controls. (AFP via France 24)
16 July 2026 – Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations: Taiwan says that its representative office in Port Moresby will continue operating and assisting Taiwanese nationals, rejecting Papua New Guinea's decision to close it and stating that the move was made without prior consultation. Papuan foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko says that his ministry informed Taiwan of the closure "weeks ago". (AFP via The Straits Times)
15 July 2026 – Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations: Papuan foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko announces the immediate closure of Taiwan's representative office in Port Moresby, citing Papua New Guinea's adherence to the One China policy, while saying the decision does not affect contracts between Taiwan's CPC Corporation and natural gas in Papua New Guinea. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Topics

Administrative divisions

The Republic of China government governs 22 administrative divisions
The administrative divisions presently consist of 13 counties, 6 special municipalities and three cities.


Chiayi City	Chiayi County	Changhua County	Hsinchu City	Hsinchu County

Hualian County	Kaohsiung City	Keelung City	Kinmen Country	Lienchang County

Miaoli County	Nantou County	New Taipei City	Penghu County	Pingtung County

Taichung City	Tainan City	Taipei City	Taitung County	Taoyuan City

Yilan County	Yunlin County

Related portals

East Asia

Southeast Asia

Portals listed here are related to Taiwan by way of history, Asian region, diplomatic relations with ROC, and significant diaspora of overseas Taiwanese

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