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Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the territories administered by the Republic of China (ROC) and to ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Lanyu or the Orchid Island and Green Island in the Pacific off the Taiwan coast, the Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands off the coast of mainland Fujian. Taiwan is a modern industrialized megalopolis clinging to the fringes of an ancient culture. It has a string of teeming cities at the feet of a glorious mountain range. Here you will find traditional noodles at the 7-Eleven, and a day of temple rituals followed by water slide rides.

Taiwan has a population of 22.9 million. More than 18 million, the "native" Taiwanese, are descendants of Chinese who migrated from Fujian and Guangdong Provinces on the mainland, primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The "mainlanders," who arrived in Taiwan after 1945, came from all parts of mainland China. About 475,000 "aborigines" inhabit the mountainous central and eastern parts of the island and are believed to be of Malayo-Polynesian origin. Of Taiwan's total population, approximately one million, or 4.4%, currently reside in mainland China.

The history of Taiwan is dates long back. The people probably from Austronesia are thought to have inhabited the island since 10,000 BC with migration from China occurring much later in the 15th century. In 1517 Portuguese sailors reached Taiwan and named it Ilha Formosa or the Beautiful Island. The Dutch invaded in 1624 and built a capital at Tainan. Two years later they lost the island to a Spanish invasion but returned the favor by booting the Spanish out in 1641. During the 1660s the Ming and Manchu (Qing) dynasties arrived on the scene, kicking out the Dutch and wrestling one another for control of the island. The Manchus eventually won, making Taiwan a county of Fujian province and triggering a flood of Chinese immigration.

The island of Taiwan is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population.

The best way to get to Taiwan is through air. Taiwan has international airports at Taoyuan which is near Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung. You can fly to Taiwan from just about anywhere in the world except, ironically enough, mainland China. Ferries run between Okinawa in Japan and Keelung and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Flights go between all the major cities and outlying islands, which are also serviced by regular ferries. With buses you can choose between government or private . A train line circumnavigates the island and the service is good. There are four classes the first three are more expensive than buses, the fourth is cheap but slow. A high-speed rail (HSR) system on the west coast, from Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung, opened in 2007. HSR stations are literally in the sticks connecting shuttle services link to urban centres. Long-distance share taxis are expensive. There are several tourist trains with better facilities and service.

Taiwan is comparatively modern with a good infrastructure for business. It is heavily industrialized. The capital, Taipei, is a bustling city with some interesting museums housing fine collections of Chinese artifacts. There many different types of flights like cheap or discounted flights available for Taiwan. If you are planning to visit Taiwan ensure that you book the reservations before hand to have a hassle free trip.