According to abbreviationfinder, Taipei is a city of 10.5 million people, the de facto capital of Taiwan since 1949. In traditional Chinese it is named 臺北市 or 台北市; In pinyin letter it is named Táiběi Shì.

It is the political, economic and cultural center of the country. The city has an elevated metro and is connected by high-speed rail to Kaohsiung. It is also home to several universities, the National Palace Museum and other cultural institutions such as the Academia Sinica, and Taipei 101, the eighth tallest building in the world.

Taiwan (calling itself the “ROC”) is an officially recognized state by only 21 countries.

Characteristics

Located in the extreme north of the island of Formosa, the city is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei. It is located about 25 kilometers southwest of the port city of Keelung. Taipei is located in the eponymous basin, an ancient lake bounded by the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the western border of the city. ^[2]

In 2009, the city was home to an estimated population of 2.69 million, and formed the central part of the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan region, which includes the neighboring cities of New Taipei and Keelung, with a population of 6.9 million. of residents, which made it the 40th (fortieth) most populated metropolis in the world.

The name Taipei can refer to the entire metropolitan area or to the city itself.

Taipei is the political, economic, educational and cultural center of Taiwan, being one of the main centers of the Chinese-speaking world. Considered a global city, it is also part of a major high-tech industrial zone.

The city is connected to all parts of the island through bus lines, highways, railways, high-speed trains, and airports.

Taipei has two airports: Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan.

The city is home to several world-famous architectural and cultural monuments, such as Taipei 101 and the Chiang Kai-shek Monument.

In political terms, the term “Taipei” may occasionally be used as a synecdoche for the sovereignty of Taiwan.

Due to the controversy over the political status of Taiwan, the name “Chinese Taipei” is used officially when Taiwanese representatives participate in national teams in some international organizations (which may require United Nations sovereignty), in order to avoid political controversies. on the use of other names.

History

Before the arrival of the Han Chinese, during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Taipei was occupied by the Ketagalán ethnic group. Until the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), this region was undeveloped and considered uninhabitable. The founding of the city of Taipei took place in 1709, when Cheng Lai Chang, a native of mainland China and a subject of the Qing dynasty, obtained permission to develop Wanhua, which would become the city’s first district.

At the end of the 19th century, Taipei gained importance thanks to the tea trade. In 1875 it was renamed Chengnei, and when in 1885, when Taiwan (made up of the island of Formosa) became a province of China, Taipei became its capital.

After the first Sino- Japanese war, in 1895, Japan invaded the entire island, and Taipei became the center of Japanese colonial rule under the new name Taihoku. During this period, the city grew and annexed the neighboring cities. Many outstanding buildings from the time of the Japanese government still remain in the current city.

In 1949, before the communist triumph in mainland China, the “nationalist” government of the Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-shek, settled in Taiwan and designated Taipei as the provisional capital of the country, pending a hypothetical reunification with China..

Taipei is the fun capital of Taiwan. It is a combination of modern shopping malls, ancient temples, beautiful palaces, and night markets. ^[3]

In the ROC, the capital of Taiwan shares an ancient lake basin with New Taipei City. The Tamsui River flows through both cities and interconnects them, despite being separate administrative entities. ^[3]

With the Tropic of Cancer to the south of Taipei, the city enjoys hot summers and warm winters, and is humid all year round. ^[3]

Taipei has a comfortable transportation system, a technology-loving population, and a unique culture. ^[3]

Approximately 6 million people visit Taipei each year. Many of them head straight for the iconic skyscraper, Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum and the glorious Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

Climate

In the city of Taipei the humid subtropical climate prevails. There, the winter season is generally short and mild, while the summer is rainy and is usually a time marked by storms and typhoons.

Demography

Almost all Taiwanese are descendants of immigrants from mainland China, who arrived between the 17th and 19th centuries, and especially in 1949, when Kuomintang supporters took refuge on the island.

Of the original residents of the island (Malay-Polynesians), only about 370,000 in the mountainous areas of the island still preserve the cultures and languages of their ancestors. Between 10% and 20% of the Chinese-speaking population, according to DNA-based studies, have a greater or lesser degree of Malay-Polynesian ethnic ancestry.

The total population is 22,400,000 residents (Nov. 2001). The population density is 622 residents per km ², the third in East Asia after Hong Kong and Japan. Taipei, the capital, is the city with the largest population (2,800,000 residents) followed by Kaohsiung (2,700,000) and Taichung (850,000). See population of Taiwan.

The population of Chinese origin, currently the majority, is divided into three distinct groups. On the one hand, those who arrived on the island before 1949 have their family backgrounds in the Chinese province of Fujian and mostly speak the southern Min language or Minayu (often called “Taiwanese” on the island). Minayu speakers make up 60% of the Taiwanese population, while around 10% of the population speak the Hakka language. Speakers of these languages are commonly referred to by the Chinese term běnshěngrén (本省人, literally “people of the province”, meaning “colonies before 1949”). In 1949, the island was the final destination of the exodus of more than a million mainland Chinese followers of the Kuomintang, who speak mainly Mandarin. To this last group,

Tensions between these groups have been one of the central axes of Taiwanese politics in recent years.

Created in 1949, the State of Taiwan (or the National Republic of China) is a presidential republic, as established by the Chinese Constitution of 1947, still in force and last amended in 2005. The President of the Republic, elected by direct suffrage with a four-year mandate, appoints the head of government. The power to legislate is entrusted to a Legislative Assembly, made up of 225 members elected by universal suffrage and in office for 3 years. The dissolution of the National Assembly, active until 2005 with constitutional tasks, has in fact assigned to the instrument of the popular referendum any possible modification to the Fundamental Charter. Martial law was abolished in the country in 1987; at the same time, the parliamentary opposition was legalized. On a legal level, the enactments of the International Court of Justice are accepted with reservation and the death penalty is still in force. Justice is administered through a collegial body, the Judicial yuan, whose members are appointed by the president with the consent of the Legislative Assembly. The defense system of the state is organized according to the classic tripartition: army, navy and air force, to which are added paramilitary corps.

The military service is compulsory and lasts 16 months; a reduction of the detention period is foreseen to 12 months by 2008. The system contemplates the participation of women in the aviation corps in roles that do not involve combat. Primary education is compulsory and free from 6 to 15 years. The secondary school is divided into middle school, normal school and technical institutes. According to educationvv, middle schools in turn are divided into two cycles. Primary teacher training for rural areas is equated with the first cycle of middle school, while the training of other elementary teachers is equivalent to the second cycle of middle school. The specialized technical institutes have 2 cycles, one lower and one higher. In the country there are numerous universities and several independent colleges. The percentage of illiterate people is particularly low: in 2005 it stood at 2.8%, almost halved compared to the estimate recorded ten years earlier.

ENVIRONMENT

The spontaneous vegetation has been partially destroyed, above all due to the recent thickening of the population, but it is still present in its original luxuriant form, especially on the eastern mountainous slopes; the most typical and widespread species are the lauraceae, the bamboos and the camphor tree. Over 2000 m there are conifer woods and, near the peaks, pastures and shrubs. The different types of forest, especially the less inhabited mountainous areas, are home to a great variety of fauna: mammals (Formosan brown bear, macaque, wild boar, sika, pangolin, sambar), birds (pheasant, sparrow), reptiles, amphibians (Formosa salamander, various species of frog), insects; territorial waters are rich in fish. Some protected species are subject to illegal trade. The frenetic growth of industry, starting from the 1950s, initially accompanied by a lack of ecological sensitivity, has caused extensive damage to the environment: air and water pollution and groundwater contamination due to illicit disposal. of radioactive waste, although since the 1990s the authorities have passed laws aimed at safeguarding the natural heritage and established sustainable development policies. 18.8% of the country is considered a protected area; in particular, 6 national parks have been created, several nature reserves, naturalistic shelters,

ECONOMY

The tertiary sector is the largest voice of GDP and employs more than half of the workforce. Banking, financial and insurance services are highly developed and Taiwan is one of the largest business centers in Asia. Due to the now high standard of living achieved by the country, internal trade is quite lively. Foreign trade is essential for the Taiwanese economy; the country mainly exports electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, optical and precision instruments, mining products (iron, steel, copper), plastic objects, dolls and toys, sports equipment, clothing, while it mainly imports oil, machinery and means of transport, minerals, agricultural products. The trade balance is constantly in surplus; the exchange takes place eminently with the United States, China, Japan and South Korea, followed by Saudi Arabia (for oil imports); exports are also directed towards Hong Kong, which has long been the leading market also because it acted as an intermediary in relations with China, and some countries of the European Union. The morphology of the island hinders communications, which are lacking, especially between the coasts and inland areas. The railways follow the coastal contour and cover a total of 4,600 km (of which, however, only a little more than a thousand are national railways); the most important section is the one that runs along the island on the western side, from Keelung to N to Kaohsiung to S. The situation is better with regard to the road network (approx. 37,000 km, mostly asphalted, in 2002). Maritime transport has been developed, which mainly refer to the four international ports of Kaohsiung, Chilung, Taichung and Hualien. Taiwan also strengthened its airport structure; the international airport of Taoyuan, near T’aipei, joins the international ones of Kaohsiung and Hualien as well as various national airports. Tourism is developing strongly: the island has been visited every year for approx. 2.8 million foreigners (2005). The government has launched programs to promote the country’s natural and historical wealth; the 2008 Beijing Olympics are an important step in this program. Kaohsiung and Hualien as well as various domestic airports. Tourism is developing strongly: the island has been visited every year for approx. 2.8 million foreigners (2005). The government has launched programs to promote the country’s natural and historical wealth; the 2008 Beijing Olympics are an important step in this program. Kaohsiung and Hualien as well as various domestic airports. Tourism is developing strongly: the island has been visited every year for approx. 2.8 million foreigners (2005). The government has launched programs to promote the country’s natural and historical wealth; the 2008 Beijing Olympics are an important step in this program.