Taiwan

A Few Tidbits about Taiwan

When did Westerners discover Taiwan?
In 1517, a Portuguese fleet sailing through the Taiwan Strait on the way to Japan sighted Taiwan and called it Ilha Formosa, meaning "Beautiful Island." This is the origin of Taiwan’s other name, Formosa. However, whenever they came across a beautiful island on the sea, Portuguese sailors had the habit of calling it "Ilha Formosa", so there are more than ten islands in Africa, South America and Asia which bear the same name. Nevertheless, Formosa became the proper name of Taiwan, and was commonly used among Westerners.

If it was called "Formosa," where did the name "Taiwan" come from?
"Taiwan" did not originate from Han language. The Siraya aborigines who dwelled in the vicinity of Tainan called outsiders and visitors "Taian" or "Tayan," and it had been misheard as "Taioan." Han immigrants and Japanese had applied different Han characters and Kanji, which became the name of the island itself. Between the years 1573 and 1620, Ming government began calling the island "Taiwan," and the Dutch also used "Taioan" in their writings.

What about Taiwan’s political orientation?
Despite its economical success in recent years, Taiwan faces intractable political problems which stem from differing views of the island’s national identity. The roots of these problems lie deep in Taiwan’s past. For one thing, Taiwan’s political status has never been unassailable. Taiwan has not always been considered part of China, has often been governed by non-Chinese, and has never been ruled exclusively by people who consider Taiwan as home. This problem is intensified when Beijing demands that Taiwan be surrendered to Communist Chinese control and makes threats that the island will be taken by force if necessary.

How big is Taiwan?
The population of Taiwan is now estimated to be over 22 million. Considering the nation’s small geographic size, this makes it the second most densely populated nation in the world after Bangladesh. There are approximately 1,505 people per square mile in Taiwan. Considering that most the island is mountainous, Taiwan has more people per unit of flat land than any medium-sized or large nation in the world.