Introduction to Taiwan’s geographical location

Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, is an island located in eastern Asia and the northwest side of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between the Ryukyu Islands and the Philippine Islands, facing mainland China across the Taiwan Strait to the west, and the surrounding sea area extends from 3 The o'clock direction is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean (Philippine Sea), Bashi Strait, South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and East China Sea in clockwise order. It is an island in the East Asian Island Arc.

With an area of ??about 36,000 square kilometers, it is the 38th largest island in the world, 70% of which is mountainous and hilly. The plains are mainly concentrated on the western coast, and the terrain and elevation vary greatly. Because the Tropic of Cancer runs through it, the climate is between tropical and subtropical zones. North of the Tropic of Cancer is a subtropical monsoon climate, and south of the Tropic of Cancer is a tropical monsoon climate. The natural landscape and ecosystem resources are quite rich and diverse.

The current population of the island is about 23.31 million, with more than 70% concentrated in the five metropolitan areas in the west. Among them, the Taipei Metropolitan Area with the administrative center of Taipei as the core is the largest, with a total population of 7 million. The ethnic composition is divided into two major ethnic groups: the Han and the aboriginal ethnic groups: the aboriginal ethnic groups are composed of multiple tribes belonging to the Austronesian ethnic groups, while the Han ethnic groups are divided into Heluo (Southern Fujian), Hakka and other provincial ethnic groups according to different ethnic origins and immigration years. , among which the Heluo are the largest ethnic group in Taiwan.

Extended information:

Mainland and Taiwan belong to the same China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The aboriginal ethnic group (Gaoshan ethnic group) had settled here before the Han people immigrated in the 17th century. From the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, people from southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong migrated to the area, eventually forming a society dominated by Han people.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, Penghu belonged to Fujian Road; in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, an inspection department was set up in Penghu; in the late Ming Dynasty, it was invaded by the Netherlands and Spain; in 1662, Zheng Chenggong recovered it; in the Qing Dynasty, Taiwan Prefecture was established in 1684 and belonged to Fujian Province in 1885 It was established as a province; in 1895, the Qing government ceded it to Japan with the Treaty of Shimonoseki; it was recovered after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945; in 1949, the Kuomintang government retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war, and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been divided to this day.