Information following: "Taiwan"

Taiwan or Formosa, island in East Asia, the seat of the government of the Republic of China, also claimed by China as a province. It is separated from the Chinese mainland by the Taiwan (Formosa) Strait and is bordered on the north by the East China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, and on the south by the South China Sea. Taiwan also administers the P’eng-hu Islands (Pescadores), the small Chin-men (Quemoy) Islands off the mainland city of Xiamen (Amoy), and the Matsu group off Fuzhou (Fu-chou). Taiwan has been the seat of the Republic of China since 1949, when Communist armies gained control of the Chinese mainland. The area of Taiwan is about 36,000 sq km (about 13,900 sq mi). The capital and largest city of Taiwan is T’ai-pei.

Land and Resources

Throughout almost the entire length (about 360 km/225 mi) of the island of Taiwan extends a lofty, forested mountain range, reaching a maximum elevation of 3997 m (13,113 ft) above sea level atop Yü Shan. East of this central chain the land is hilly, terminating in cliffs that rise precipitously from the ocean to heights of up to about 760 m (about 2500 ft). To the west, a broad, fertile plain slopes gently down to the shallow Taiwan Strait. With the exception of this plain, the average elevation of Taiwan is some 1220 m (some 4000 ft).

All Taiwan's rivers originate in the mountains and have short, rapid courses. The longest rivers are the Cho-shui, Kao-p’ing, Tsengwen, and Tan-shui, which is the only navigable stream.

Climate

The warm, humid Taiwan summer extends from May until September; temperatures average about 28° C (about 82° F). The mild winter season lasts from December until February; January temperatures average about 18° C (about 64° F). Typhoons occur between June and October. Average annual precipitation is about 2540 mm (about 100 in).

Natural Resources

The most important natural resource of Taiwan is the land, some 25 percent of which is arable. Taiwan also has mineral resources, including coal, gold, silver, copper, marble, petroleum, and natural gas.

Plants and Animals

Taiwan has about 3800 plant species. Between sea level and about 1980 m (about 6500 ft), tropical and subtropical forests abound. Deciduous and coniferous trees grow in the region between about 1980 and 3050 m (about 6500 and 10,000 ft); above this level only coniferous forests are found.

The abundant animal life of Taiwan comprises about 60 species of mammals, including squirrel, deer, wild boar, and the Formosan black bear. The island also has numerous kinds of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

Population

The population of Taiwan comprises three main groups: the Taiwanese (about 84 percent), who are descendants of the Chinese who emigrated from Fujian and Guangdong provinces during the 18th and 19th centuries; the Chinese (about 14 percent), who moved to the island after World War II (1939-1945); and the aborigines (2 percent), who are perhaps related to the people of the Philippines or Indonesia. The society traditionally has been agrarian, but by the late 1980s only about 15 percent of the labor force worked in agriculture.

Population Characteristics

The population of Taiwan (1994 estimate) is about 21,298,930, giving the island an average population density of about 592 persons per sq km (about 1532 per sq mi). The large majority of the people live in the coastal plain in the western part of the island. More than 70 percent of the people live in the cities and towns.

Political Divisions.

Taiwan is divided into 16 counties (hsien), five municipalities, and two special municipalities (T’ai-pei, the capital, and Kao-hsiung). Each county is subdivided into townships (chen), rural districts or groups of villages (hsiang), and precincts.

Principal Cities

T’ai-pei has a population (1991 estimate) of 2,717,992. Kao-hsiung (1,396,425), the second largest city, is a leading port and industrial center on the southwestern coast; T’ai-chung (774,197) is an industrial and cultural center in the west; and T’ai-nan (689,541) is an important commercial and cultural center in the southwest.

Religion and Language

Most of the population of Taiwan practices a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. About 5 percent of the people are Christian, mostly Roman Catholic, and fewer than 1 percent are Muslim.

The official language of Taiwan is the Mandarin dialect of Chinese. Other Chinese dialects are also used, and the aborigines speak dialects that are in the Malay-Polynesian language group. See Chinese Language.

Education

The Taiwan educational system, based on the constitution of 1947, seeks to implement the teachings of Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China. More than 90 percent of the people of Taiwan aged 15 or older are literate. Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 15. In the late 1980s about 2.4 million pupils were enrolled in primary schools, and about 1.7 million students attended secondary and vocational schools. In addition, Taiwan had more than 100 institutions of higher education, attended by a total of about 464,700 students. Major schools included National Taiwan University (1928) and Soochow University (1900), in T’ai-pei; National Cheng Kung University (1931), in T’ai-nan; National Chunghsing University (1961), in T’ai-chung; and National Central University (1968), in Chungli.

Culture

Many ancient Chinese customs and holidays are still observed in Taiwan. The family remains the important social unit, and filial piety is the custom. Ancient celebrations that are widely enjoyed today include the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Feast of Lanterns. See Chinese Art and Architecture; Chinese Literature; Chinese Music.

Taiwan has a number of notable libraries and museums. The two largest libraries, both in T’ai-pei, are the National Central Library, with more than 1.7 million items, and the Taiwan Branch Library, with about 382,000 volumes. More than 15 public libraries are located throughout Taiwan.

The principal museums, situated in T’ai-pei, include the Hwa Kang Museum, noted for its collections of folk and modern Chinese art; the National Palace Museum, which exhibits treasures from the mainland; the National Museum of History; and the Taiwan Provincial Museum, which displays collections from local cultures.

Economy

The government of Taiwan has pursued an aggressive program of industrialization, and in the 1980s manufacturing was the leading sector of the economy. Economic policy has been implemented through a series of multiyear plans initiated in 1953 and designed to increase production and develop export industries. In 1991 Taiwan launched a six-year, $300-billion public works construction program.

In the late 1980s the annual gross national product reached an estimated $91.7 billion ($4325 per capita) and the economy was growing at a rate of 7 percent a year. The annual budget called for $19.9 billion in expenditure.

Agriculture

The chief agricultural enterprises of Taiwan are located on the fertile western plain. About 25 percent of Taiwan's land area is suitable for crops. Production of rice, the principal food crop, was about 1.9 million metric tons annually in the late 1980s. A variety of other crops are grown, including sweet potatoes, cassava, asparagus, mushrooms, soybeans, peanuts, tea, bananas, pineapples, citrus fruit, and sugarcane. Livestock consisted of some 7.1 million hogs, 169,900 cattle and buffalo (used primarily as draft animals), 255,800 sheep and goats, 69.2 million chickens, and 12.9 million ducks.

Forestry and Fishing

Approximately 55 percent of the land of Taiwan is forested, but the output of forest products is insufficient for local needs. The main timbers are oak, cedar, hemlock, bamboo, and rattan. Inshore and deep-sea fishing yield about 80 percent of the total catch; the remainder comes from along the coast and from cultivated ponds. The annual catch in the late 1980s was 1.2 million metric tons. Leading marine species landed included mackerel and tuna.

Mining

Coal mines are worked near the northern coast of Taiwan. In the late 1980s about 1.5 million metric tons of coal were mined annually. Modest quantities of marble, petroleum, natural gas, salt, copper, silver, gold, and talc were also produced.

Manufacturing

In the late 1980s manufacturing accounted for nearly 40 percent of the yearly output and employed almost 35 percent of the workforce. Taiwan is particularly noted for producing electrical and electronic equipment. Annual industrial output included 15.7 million metric tons of cement, 1.9 million tons of crude steel, 12.6 million radios, 5.9 million television sets, 1.8 million videotape recorders, 68.2 million electronic calculators, and 3.1 million microcomputer systems. Other major manufactures include chemicals, refined petroleum, textiles and clothing, plastic items, tobacco products, food and beverages, paper, and ships.

Energy

About 71.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity were generated annually in the late 1980s. Three nuclear power plants provided about half of Taiwan's electrical supply.

Currency and Banking

The unit of currency is the new Taiwan dollar (26.42 Taiwan dollars equal U.S.$1; 1994). The Central Bank of China is the bank of issue. Taiwan is served by commercial banks and by offices of foreign banks.

Foreign Trade

Taiwan is one of the leading trading powers of Asia. In the late 1980s the annual value of exports was about $49.8 billion, and imports cost some $60.5 billion. The main exports were textiles and clothing, electrical and electronic equipment, plastic articles, dolls and toys, and processed food. Leading imports included crude petroleum, timber, iron and steel, machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, and foodstuffs. Taiwan's principal trade partners were the United States, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.

Transportation and Communications

Taiwan has about 19,950 km (about 12,400 mi) of roads and about 4600 km (about 2860 mi) of railroads. Most of the railroads are owned by industry and are used for shipping goods. Overland passenger service is provided by public and private bus lines. The busiest seaports are Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, and T’ai-chung. International airports serve T’ai-pei and Kao-hsiung. The main Taiwan airline, China Air Lines, provides domestic and international service.

Taiwan in the late 1980s had about 13.6 million radios and 6.1 million television sets. Some 6.5 million telephones were in use. Taiwan was served by about 31 daily newspapers and many periodicals. Leading dailies included the Central Daily News, China Times, and United Daily News, all published in T’ai-pei; Taiwan Shin Wen Daily News, published in Kao-hsiung; and Taiwan Daily News, published in T’ai-chung.

Labor

In the late 1980s the total Taiwan labor force included some 8.1 million people. About 15 percent of the workers were employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, about 35 percent in mining and manufacturing, and about 18 percent in commerce. Taiwan has about 2750 labor unions with nearly 2.1 million members. The leading workers' organization is the Chinese Federation of Labor.

Government

Taiwan, the seat of the Republic of China, is governed under a constitution adopted in 1947 and subsequently amended.

Executive

The chief executive official of the Republic of China is a president, who is elected by universal suffrage to a six-year term. Before 1996 the president was elected by the National Assembly. The president, who is head of state, is assisted by the vice-president and the executive council, led by a prime minister.

Legislature

The main lawmaking body is the Legislative Council, composed of 164 members elected to three-year terms. The National Assembly, which once elected Taiwan's president and votes on constitutional amendments, was formerly dominated by some 900 life members; these seats were abolished in 1991, when the assembly was reconstituted. It now includes 325 members who are elected to four-year terms.

Judiciary

The highest judicial body of the Republic of China is the Judicial Council. It oversees the Supreme Court, high courts, administrative court, district courts, and other tribunals. The Control Council has a semijudicial function: it monitors the activities of Taiwan's government officials and has the power of impeachment.

Local Government

In addition to being the seat of one of the governments claiming authority over all China, Taiwan is a province of China. As such, it has a governor, who is the leader of the provincial council (the principal policymaking body of the province), and a provincial assembly, the main legislative body of the province. In 1994 the governor was popularly elected for the first time; previously the governor was appointed by the president of the Republic of China. Provincial council members are appointed by the executive council of the Republic of China, and provincial assembly members are popularly elected to four-year terms. Each county of the province is headed by a magistrate and each municipality by a mayor; each of these divisions of the province has a representative assembly.

Political Parties

The most important political party of the Republic of China is the Kuomintang. It had about 2.4 million members in the late 1980s. Until 1989, the Kuomintang was the only legal political party in Taiwan. Since then, other parties, such as the Democratic Progressive Party and the New Party have been recognized.

Health and Welfare

The government of the Republic of China promotes social welfare through several programs. A health and retirement program covers workers in private industry, and government employees are covered by a similar insurance plan. In the late 1980s, Taiwan had about 19,400 physicians and more than 86,000 hospital beds.

Defense

Males are liable for two years of service in the armed forces of the Republic of China. In the mid-1990s the military had a strength of about 428,000 people, including 290,000 in the army, 70,000 in the air force, 38,000 in the navy, and 30,000 in the marines. These forces were equipped with modern weapons, aircraft, and ships.

History

Chinese annals record an expedition undertaken by China against the island of Taiwan as early as AD 603. Bands of Japanese are said to have conquered portions of the island in the 12th century, and from the 15th century onward Japan regarded the eastern half of Taiwan as its possession. The Portuguese, in 1590, were the first Europeans to visit the island, which they called Formosa (“beautiful one”). Subsequently, the Spanish attempted to found permanent settlements, but were thwarted by the Dutch, who succeeded in taking possession of the P’eng-hu Islands in 1621. Three years later the Dutch had established themselves on the southeastern coast of Taiwan, where they maintained a settlement for 37 years.

Chinese Settlement

With the defeat by the Manchus of the Ming dynasty in China, the Mings, led by the notorious pirate-general Koxinga, or Cheng Ch'eng-kung, drove the Dutch from Taiwan and occupied a considerable portion of the island. By the end of the 17th century, however, the Ming dissidents on Taiwan had capitulated to the Manchus, and the island became part of the Chinese Empire. Thereafter, immigration to Taiwan from the mainland of China increased greatly. By the Treaty of Tientsin (Tianjin) in 1858, which concluded a victorious Franco-British war against China, two ports on the eastern coast of Taiwan were opened to foreign ships, and within the next two years Roman Catholic and Protestant missions were established on the island.

During the war between France and China in 1884 and 1885, the French imposed a partial blockade against Taiwan and occupied Chi-lung, on the mainland, for several months. The Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 terminated the Sino-Japanese War over Korea and required that China cede Taiwan and the P’eng-hu Islands to Japan. The Chinese inhabitants of Taiwan, however, refused to submit. A subsequent rebellion was put down by the Japanese, and for the following half-century a stringent occupation that included a cultural Japanization was enforced. Early in World War II (1939-1945), the Japanese further tightened their control of Taiwan by making the island an integral part of the empire.

Nationalist Refuge

With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the territory of Taiwan, including the P’eng-hu Islands, was returned to China, but governmental malfeasance and monopolistic trends engendered widespread resentment against the Chinese authorities. The unrest resulted in an uprising in February 1947, but it was quickly suppressed, and two months later Taiwan was proclaimed a province of China.

On December 8, 1949, following occupation of most of the Chinese mainland by Communist armies, the Nationalist government of China, led by General Chiang Kai-shek, established its headquarters at T’ai-pei. Communist plans to invade Taiwan were subsequently frustrated by the United States, which in 1950 sent naval forces to defend the island. In April 1951 the United States further announced that U.S. military personnel would be sent to Taiwan to assist in the training of Nationalist forces. For the remainder of the 1950s, despite sporadic hostilities between Taiwan and the mainland, the United States Seventh Fleet in effect shielded the Nationalist government from invasion by the Communist regime in Beijing. Chiang Kai-shek was reelected president of the Republic of China (as his Taiwan government still called itself) in March 1954. Later that year, the Nationalist and U.S. governments signed a mutual-defense treaty by which the United States agreed conditionally to take punitive action against the Chinese mainland if the Communist regime attacked Taiwan or the P’eng-hu Islands.

Time of Prosperity

During this time the United States also extended massive economic and military aid to the Taiwan regime, enabling it to build up the island's economy despite its great investment in military defense. By the mid-1960s, when such aid was terminated, more than $4 billion had flowed into Taiwan's economy. In that time industrial production was estimated to have risen by 300 percent; in addition, exports had tripled and imports had doubled. Of greater significance, however, was that the island had become a showcase of modern economic health, with a growth rate far above that of most other Asian nations.

Throughout the 1960s few changes were effected in Taiwan's international status or its internal government. The National Assembly elected Chiang Kai-shek to his third and fourth six-year terms as president in 1960 and 1966, and a bill broadening his powers was passed the latter year. The regime still enjoyed wide diplomatic recognition throughout the world, and its foreign trade was booming. More and more nations, however, were shifting their formal relations to the People's Republic on the mainland. Thus, for example, diplomatic relations with France were broken off in 1964, when France recognized the People's Republic. (Neither of the Chinese governments would have such relations with any nation recognizing the other.) On occasion, trade relations were also strained by a partner's overtures to the mainland regime.

Shifting Relations

A radical change in this situation occurred in the early 1970s. The decision by the U.S. government to seek contacts with the People's Republic led to the expulsion of Taiwan from China's seat in the United Nations and the seating of the rival regime in 1971. This was followed by a visit of U.S. President Richard Nixon to Beijing in 1972 and the subsequent opening of a U.S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic. In the wake of these developments many other nations withdrew their diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. At the beginning of 1979 the United States formalized its relations with the People's Republic, thereby ending its ties to Taiwan, although the trade relations and informal communications between Taiwan and the United States continued. A year later, in January 1980, the defense treaty of 1954 lapsed. By 1981 relatively few nations still maintained formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the island's international trade seemed to have suffered little damage.

Chiang Kai-shek was elected to his fifth term as president in 1972. Three years later, embittered by U.S. abandonment, he died and was succeeded by Vice President Yen Chia-kan. Chiang's eldest son, Chiang Ching-kuo, who had been premier of Taiwan since 1972, continued in that office and assumed leadership of the Kuomintang party. He was elected to the presidency in 1978 and reelected in 1984.

In the late 1970s and the 1980s Taiwan's economy continued to expand; trade contacts with Western Europe were increased, and the Taiwanese government rejected the offers of reconciliation that came from Beijing. Martial law, in effect since 1949, was finally lifted in July 1987. Chiang Ching-kuo died in January 1988 and was succeeded by Vice President Lee Teng-hui, who became the first native of Taiwan to assume the presidency. The 1989 general election, won by the Kuomintang, was the first in which opposition parties were allowed to participate freely. Lee was elected to a full six-year term in March 1990. In 1991, a plan was formulated to restructure the government, and a long-term, three-phase plan for reunification with mainland China was introduced. In April 1993 representatives from the Chinese and Taiwanese governments met in the Republic of Singapore to discuss the relationship between China and Taiwan and to set up a schedule for subsequent meetings between the two governments. The Singapore meeting was the first high-level contact between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan since 1949. Relations between Taiwan and China deteriorated in 1995 and early 1996 as China performed military exercises near Taiwan. Observers believed the maneuvers were intended to intimidate Taiwanese supporters of the anti-Communist Nationalist Party and pro-independence candidates. Nationalist Party candidates took a slim majority in the December 1995 parliamentary elections. Taiwan held its first direct presidential elections in March 1996 and voters returned Nationalist candidate Lee Teng-hui to office.

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