| |
LOCATION :
Eastern Asia, islands bordering the
East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait,
north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES :
23 30 N, 121 00 E
In 1895, military
defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to
Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory
on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and
established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for
all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities
gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within
the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first
peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic
Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and
became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political
issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China -
specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as
domestic political and economic reform. Population
is 22,858,872 (July 2007 est.), Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%,
mainland Chinese 14% and indigenous 2%. Official Language is
Mandarin Chinese and Capital is
Taipei.
People Groups :
|
|
