Taiwan is home to lush mountains, pulsating cities, stunning cliffs and world’s best hot springs. Read on to know more interesting and fun facts about Taiwan.

Facts About Taiwan

The ‘beautiful island’ of Taiwan is nestled between Japan and Philippines in the Western Pacific Ocean. This sweet-potato-shaped atoll, tucked away in the southwest coast of China, boasts of a total area of 13,800 square miles. This mountainous island, with its bustling metropolis and rural vistas, is a mélange of cultural influences and is apparently home to a diverse population like the Hokkien, Hakka, and Mainlander aboriginals. Initially governed by the Republic of China, today its political standing remains disputed chiefly because of the territorial tug-of-war between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China. The history of Taiwan goes back to about 400 years. Initially home to a Malay-Polynesian populace, Taiwan was later colonized by the Dutch. It was only much later that the Chinese tribes filtered in and gained dominance over the land. One of the most developed industrialized nations in Asia, Taiwan ranks as one of the ‘Four Asian Tigers’ along with Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. The hybrid culture of Taiwan is splattered with diverse influences of Japanese, Confucian, Han Chinese, American, European, global, local and Taiwanese aborigine cultures.
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Interesting And Fun Facts About Taiwan 
  • Taiwan is nicknamed ‘Ilha Formosa’, meaning beautiful island. It was christened so by the Portuguese sailors in the sixteenth century. Taiwan is also fondly known as ‘The Kingdom of the Corals’
  • Did you know Taiwan is the fifteenth most densely populated country in the world?
  • Jade Mountain or Mount Yu is the highest peak in Taiwan, situated 3950m above sea level.
  • Taipei 101, or the Taipei Financial Center, is ranked as the world’s second tallest building after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
  • Baseball is the most popular sport in Taiwan and is apparently the national game of the region.
  • Taiwan is rather famous for its films. The first Taiwanese film was released in the year 1901.
  • The streets of Taiwan have more than 291,000 vendors, approximately.
  • Taiwan boasts of more than 22.2 million mobile users.
  • Taiwan is 245 miles long and 89 miles wide and has a total area of 13,900 square miles.
  • Taiwan is the 17th largest economy in the world and is one of the world’s leading producers of computers and computer related products.
  • Taiwan has the highest recycling rates in the world.
  • Taiwan has the lowest poverty rate in the world.
  • Taiwan, in Chinese, means “terraced bay”.
  • Although the national language of Taiwan is Mandarin, most of the local people prefer to speak in Fujianese and Hakka.
  • A breakfast/lunch/dinner meal in Taiwan basically includes of a bowl of rice, a vegetarian dish, a meat dish and a lightly flavored soup. Also, it is considered disrespectful in Taiwan to waste food.
  • The popular Asian drink ‘Bubble Tea’ or ‘Boba’ that is made with milk and tapioca pearl originated in Taiwan in the 1980s.
  • Taipei is the largest city in Taiwan.
  • Taiwan has a democratic form of government where the officials are elected by the general people.
  • Taiwan has participated in the Winter Olympic Games 9 times so far.
  • The traditional festival of Taiwanese people revolves around their agricultural cycle and their most important celebration is the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival.
  • Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are the three prevalent religions in Taiwan.

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