Taiwan

Taiwan ({{zh-tspw|t=臺灣 or 台灣|s=台湾|p=Táiwān|w=T'ai-wan}}; Taiwanese: Tâi-oân) is an island in East Asia located off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan and north of the Philippines. "Taiwan" is commonly used to refer to the territories currently governed by the Republic of China (ROC), which include the Taiwan island group (including Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island), the Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait, Quemoy and Matsu off the coast of mainland Fujian, and Taiping and the Pratas in the South China Sea.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Taiwan

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ROC's population was estimated in 2005 as being 22.9 million, most of which are on Taiwan. About 98 percent of the population is of Han Chinese ethnicity. Of these people, 84 percent are early Han immigrants known as Bensheng ren (本省人), meaning "original-province person." This group contains two subgroups. The first subgroup is the Southern Fujianese (70 percent of the total population), who migrated from the coastal Southern Fujian region in the southeast of mainland China. The second subgroup is the Hakka (15 percent of the total population), who originally migrated south to Guangdong, its surrounding areas and Taiwan, intermarrying extensively with Taiwanese aborigines. The remaining 14 percent of Han Chinese are later immigrants, known as Waisheng ren (外省人), meaning "external-province person" (see also Mainlanders). This group fled mainland China in 1949 following the Nationalist defeat in the Chinese Civil War.

Related Topics:
Han Chinese - Southern Fujian - Hakka - Guangdong - Taiwanese aborigine - Mainlander - 1949 - Nationalist - Chinese Civil War

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Dalu ren (大陸人) refers to residents of Mainland China.

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This group excludes almost all Taiwanese, including the Waisheng ren, except recent immigrants from mainland China, such as those made Republic of China citizens through marriage.

Related Topics:
Taiwanese - Immigrants

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The other 2 percent of Taiwan's population, numbering about 440,000, are the indigenous people, divided into 12 major groups: Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Yami, Thao, Kavalan and Taroko.

Related Topics:
Ami - Atayal - Paiwan - Bunun - Puyuma - Rukai - Tsou - Saisiyat - Yami - Thao - Kavalan - Taroko

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Languages

Almost everyone on Taiwan born after the early 1950s can speak Mandarin, which has been the medium of instruction in the schools for more than four decades. A large fraction of people also speak Taiwanese, a variant of Min-nan. The Hakka have a distinct Hakka language/dialect. Between 1900 and 1945, Japanese was the medium of instruction, and many Taiwanese educated during that period can speak fluent Japanese. Taiwanese schools also commonly teach English, resulting in a trilingual population, many of whom speak even more languages. Chinese romanization on Taiwan uses both Tongyong pinyin, which the national government officially has adopted, and Hanyu pinyin, which some localities use. Wade-Giles, used traditionally, also is found. Mayor Ma Ying-jeou recently succeeded in changing all Taipei street names to the Hanyu form, although most romanizations in other cities still are in Tongyong. Most aboriginal groups in Taiwan have their own languages, and unlike Taiwanese or Hakka, do not belong to the Chinese language family, but rather belong to the Austronesian language family.

Related Topics:
1950s - Mandarin - School - Taiwanese - Min-nan - Hakka language/dialect - 1900 - 1945 - Japanese - English - Romanization - Tongyong pinyin - Hanyu pinyin - Wade-Giles - Ma Ying-jeou - Street name - Austronesian language family

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Religion

About half of the ROC population is religious, and most of these people identify themselves as Buddhists or Taoists. Belief in folk religion also is prevalent, and many people practice some combination of these three faiths. Confucianism is also an honored school of thought and ethical code. Christian churches have been active on Taiwan for many years; a majority of these churches are Protestant, with Presbyterians playing a particularly significant role.

Related Topics:
Buddhist - Taoist - Folk religion - Confucianism - Christian - Protestant - Presbyterian

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