Taiwan also known as Formosa (formally known as Republic of China Taiwan) is an island country in south east Asia. It has a total area of 35, 980 km2. The climate is tropical; marine; with a rainy season during the south-west monsoon which lasts from June to August; cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year. The terrain is two-thirds mostly rugged mountains in the east and flat to gently rolling plains in the west. Natural resources are small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos. The religion is 93% a mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist; 4.5% Christian; 2.5% others. The official language is Mandarin Chinese with Taiwanese and Hakka dialects also spoken.
Taiwan was settled by the Chinese during the 15th century, and during its history has been taken by the Dutch and the Japanese before returning to Chinese control in 1945. Following the Chinese Revolution the nationalist forces fled to Taiwan and established a rival, unofficial Chinese state with the backing of the USA. Research Taiwan
Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Taiwan