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The Republic of China was founded as Asia's
first constitutional republic in 1912 by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen.
Since the ROC government moved to Taiwan after the Chinese
mainland fell to communist Chinese forces in 1949, the area
over which the ROC government exercises administrative control
is called the Taiwan area. This area encompasses Taiwan, Penghu,
Kinmen, Matsu, and a number of smaller islands.
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The island of Taiwan, situated off the southeast
coast of China and separated from the Chinese mainland by
the Taiwan Strait, is located in the Western Pacific between
Japan and the Philippines. With a total area of about 36,000
square kilometers, the island is 394 kilometers long and 144
kilometers at its widest point.
Taiwan's most prominent geographic feature is its 270-kilometer
central mountain range, which has more than 200 peaks over
3,000 meters high. At 3,952 meters, Mount Jade is the highest
point in East Asia. Foothills from the central mountain range
lead to tablelands and coastal plains in the west and south.
The eastern shoreline is relatively steep, and volcanic mountains
over 1,000 meters high dominate the island in the north. Over
60 percent of the island is classified as mountainous.
Lying on the Tropic of Cancer, Taiwan has a subtropical climate,
except for the extreme southern tip, which is tropical. Warm
ocean currents give the island a climate conducive to the
growth of lush vegetation and two or three rice harvests per
year. Rainfall is abundant, with an average annual precipitation
of 2,515 millimeters and the highest recorded rainfall reaching
more than 5,600 millimeters. Thundershowers and typhoons often
bring heavy downpours in the summertime. November through
February is the island's driest period.
Summers are long and humid, while winters are short and usually
mild. In the coldest months, snow is visible on the high mountains.
The mean monthly temperature in the lowlands is 16 degree
in the winter, and ranges between 24-30 degree the rest of
the year.
Due to Taiwan's subtropical climate, plant life is diverse
and plentiful. Low altitude flora is closely related to that
of southern China, mountain flora is similar to that of western
China, and high alpine flora resembles that of the Himalayan
region. Acacia is ubiquitous in the lower hills, and bamboo
groves and forests are found throughout central and northern
Taiwan. Native plant species are numerous, accounting for
roughly 40 percent of the total.
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Taiwan's
population |
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PEOPLE
IN TAIWAN |
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Taiwan's population surpassed 22 million by the end of 1999.
Taipei City is the island's largest and most densely populated
metropolitan area, followed by Kaohsiung City in the south.
About 60 percent of Taiwan's population is concentrated in
four metropolitan areas: Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and
Tainan. Over the past few decades, the average age of Taiwan's
population has been rising. In 1999, the number of people
over the age of 65 exceeded 8 percent of the total population,
and this percentage is expected to continue to rise.
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With the exception of over 402,000 indigenous peoples,
the population of Taiwan is composed almost entirely
of Han Chinese. Early Han Chinese immigrants, or "Taiwanese,"
are of two groups: the Hakka, mostly from Guangdong
Province; and the Fujianese, from China's southeastern
coastal province of Fujian. These two groups comprise
about 85 percent of the Han population, with the Fujianese
outnumbering the Hakka by about three to one. The last
group of immigrants came from various parts of China
with the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. They are
generally referred to as "mainlanders," and account
for less than 15 percent of the Han population. Intermarriage
between all four groups--indigenous peoples, Hakkas,
Fujianese, and mainlanders--is quite common, so the
distinguishing characteristics of these groups have
become fainter with the passage of time.
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Mandarin |
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LANGUAGE
IN TAIWAN |
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The number of native speakers of Chinese greatly
exceeds that of any other language in the world. Although many
Chinese dialects are mutually unintelligible, all tend to be
grouped together under the classification of "Chinese." Nevertheless,
the Chinese people shared what is known as the "National Language"
in Taiwan, "Common Language" on the Chinese mainland, and "Mandarin"
in the English language. Mandarin is based on the Beijing dialect.
Languages or dialects belonging to the Chinese language family
usually have several similar characteristics: a monosyllabic
or simple phonological system; tones to distinguish different
meanings; a syntax that depends on word order; and a lack of
inflection, grammatical gender, and pluralization.
To represent the sounds of Mandarin, people in Taiwan use the
Mandarin Phonetic Symbols system, collection of 37 phonetic
symbols with marks that signify Mandarin's four tones. Two Romanization
systems for Mandarin are also prevalent in the ROC; Wade-Giles
and Gwoyeu Romatzyh. The Hanyu Pinyin system used on the Chinese
mainland is also gaining popularity in Taiwan. |
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Taiwan's
big events |
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EVENTS |
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| You'll need to get hold of a lunar
calendar if you want to have any hope of attending Taiwan's
big events - very few of them occur on the same date every year.
If fireworks and crowds crank your engine, visit Yenshui, Luerhmen
or Peikang for the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the
first moon. Kuanyin's Birthday, on the 19th day of the second
moon, is a good time to see temple festivities in full swing.
During the Ghost Month, the seventh lunar month, ghosts from
hell walk the earth. No one travels, swims, gets married or
moves house, but everyone visits Taoist temples. National Day
(10 October) is celebrated with gusto, fireworks and a light
show in Taipei. Chinese New Year (first day of the first lunar
month) should be avoided at all costs.
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Money & Costs
Currency: New Taiwan dollar (NT$)
Budget meal: AUD$2-6
Moderate restaurant meal: AUD$20-30
Top-end restaurant meal: AUD$60-200
Budget room: AUD$20-40
Mid-range hotel: AUD$60-200 (double)
Top-end hotel: AUD$3000 and upwards
Costs in Taiwan for the traveller are on a par with a good
number of European countries, reflecting the rise in the standard
of living on the island. However, Taiwan is still cheaper
than Japan (which isn't saying much). If you stay in youth
hostels, live on noodles and travel by bus, you could get
by on AUD$30 to AUD$40 a day. If you want a bathroom of your
own, a few souvenirs, a couple of taxi trips and a decent
feed or two a day, budget AUD$70 to AUD$100 a day. Staying
in Taipei will cost you more than heading out into the country.
Travellers' cheques and cash can be changed at international
airports and large banks, but you'll have trouble with travellers'
cheques in rural areas. Stick to US dollars for cash and cheques
if you can - other currencies will cause you problems. When
changing cheques, shop around, as commission costs can vary
widely. There are no legal private money changers in Taiwan,
but some jewellery shops will change cash. Major international
credit cards can be used at big hotels and flash restaurants
or to get cash advances at your card's offices.
Tipping is not the done thing in Taiwan. The only people
who really expect you to shell out are hotel bellhops and
airport porters, who will expect about AUD$2 a bag. Big hotels
and restaurants will stick 10 per cent service charge and
5 per cent value added tax on your bill. Taiwan is not a third
world country, so don't expect to haggle yourself a bargain
- you may be able to get a slight discount (around 10 per
cent) in street markets and small shops.
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Getting
there and away |
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GETTING
THERE & AWAY |
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| Taiwan has international airports
at Taoyuan, near Taipei, and Kaohsiung. 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. There are also weekly boats between
Kaohsiung and Macau. You'll need to pay about US$10 to leave
the country.
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Getting
around |
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GETTING
AROUND |
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| Flights go between all the major cities.
With buses you can choose between government or private (cheaper,
faster but more dangerous). 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. Long-distance share taxis are expensive and will probably
try to rip you off.
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APROC
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