Famous landmarks in Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia, about 160 kilometres off the south-eastern coast of mainland China across the Taiwan Strait, with Japan to the north-east and the Philippines to the south. Its largest cities include Taipei, the seat of government, and Kaohsiung. Taiwan is governed by the Republic of China; the People's Republic of China claims it as its territory, and Taiwan's international status is disputed.

Taiwan is known for steep green mountains, busy night markets, bubble tea and high-tech factories. On the globe you can find Taipei 101, once the world's tallest building, the white Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the colourful Lungshan Temple of Manka and a TSMC chip factory in Hsinchu Science Park.

Geography and nature

Taiwan is shaped a bit like a leaf, and high mountains run down its eastern side. Yushan, or Jade Mountain, about 3,950 metres tall, is the highest peak. The west has plains where most people live and farm rice. Taroko Gorge has marble cliffs carved by a rushing river, and Sun Moon Lake sits in the central mountains. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the island. Typhoons often arrive in summer. Wildlife includes the Formosan black bear and the long-tailed Taiwan blue magpie.

People, languages and culture

Mandarin is the most widely used language, and many people also speak Taiwanese Hokkien or Hakka. Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, with sixteen officially recognised groups, speak Austronesian languages. Many people follow Buddhism, Taoism and folk religion, visiting colourful temples such as Lungshan. Night markets sell snacks like beef noodle soup, scallion pancakes and stinky tofu, and bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. Lantern festivals and dragon boat races are popular celebrations.

History in a nutshell

Indigenous Austronesian peoples have lived on Taiwan for thousands of years. In the 1600s the Dutch and Spanish set up trading posts, and then Zheng Chenggong, also called Koxinga, drove the Dutch out in 1662. The Qing dynasty ruled from 1683, and Japan governed the island from 1895 to 1945. After the Chinese Civil War, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan in 1949. Martial law ended in 1987, and Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996.