Taiwan

"Republic of China" redirects here. For other uses, see Republic of China (disambiguation) and Taiwan (disambiguation).

Republic of China 中華民國 Zhōnghuá Mínguó
Flag Emblem
Anthem: 中華民國國歌 Zhōnghuá Mínguó guógē "National Anthem of the Republic of China"
Capital	Taipei 25°04′N 121°31′E
Largest city	New Taipei City
Official languages	Standard Chinese
Official script	Traditional Chinese
National languages	Mandarin Hokkien Hakka Formosan Matsu Wuqiu Taiwan Sign Language
Ethnic groups (2024)	95% Han 2.5% Indigenous 2.5% Others
Religion (2023)	28% Buddhism 27% No religion 24% Taoism 7% Christianity 13% Others
Demonym	Taiwanese
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Lai Ching-te
• Vice President	Hsiao Bi-khim
• Executive Yuan President / Premier	Cho Jung-tai
• Vice Executive Yuan President / Premier	Cheng Li-chun
• Legislative Yuan President	Han Kuo-yu
• Vice President of the Legislative Yuan	Johnny Chiang
• Judicial Yuan President	Shieh Ming-yan (acting)
Legislature	Legislative Yuan
Establishment
• Dutch Formosa	1624
• Kingdom of Tungning	1 February 1662
• Qing rule	1683
• Japanese rule	17 April 1895
• ROC rule	25 October 1945
• Retreat of ROC to Taiwan	7 December 1949
Area
• Total	36,197 km2 (13,976 sq mi)
Population
• December 2025 estimate	23,299,132 (59th)
• 2020 census	23,829,897
• Density	644/km2 (1,668.0/sq mi) (17th)
GDP (PPP)	2026 estimate
• Total	$2.275 trillion (20th)
• Per capita	$98,051 (11th)
GDP (nominal)	2026 estimate
• Total	$976.719 billion (21st)
• Per capita	$42,103 (30th)
Gini (2022)	34.2 medium inequality
HDI (2023)	0.934 very high (21st)
Currency	New Taiwan dollar (NT$) (TWD)
Time zone	UTC+8 (National Standard Time)
ISO 3166 code	TW
Internet TLD	.tw, .台灣, .台湾

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometers (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined territories under ROC control consist of 168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometers (13,974 square miles). The largest metropolitan area is formed by Taipei (the capital), New Taipei City, and Keelung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.

Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale Han Chinese immigration began under Dutch colonial rule and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning, the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history. The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, controlled by Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang (KMT), assumed control following the surrender of Japan in World War II. With the loss of mainland China to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan in 1949.

From the early 1960s, Taiwan saw rapid economic growth and industrialization known as the "Taiwan Miracle". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a one-party state under martial law to a multi-party democracy, with democratically elected presidents beginning in 1996. Taiwan's export-oriented economy is the 21st-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the 20th-largest by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a developed country. It is ranked highly in terms of civil liberties, healthcare, and human development.

The political and international status of Taiwan is contentious. Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as a member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead. The ROC maintained its claim to be the sole legitimate representative of China and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to regard the Chinese Communist Party as a rebellious group and acknowledged its control over mainland China. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognize the ROC. Taiwan maintains official diplomatic relations with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the Holy See. Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates. International organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate on a non-state basis. Domestically, the major political contention is between the Pan-Blue Coalition, which favors eventual Chinese unification under the ROC and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with the Pan-Green Coalition, which favors eventual Taiwan independence and promoting a Taiwanese identity; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal.