The Chinese Realm:
Regions - Taiwan
As a separate society (from China) Taiwan [chtai] has become one of the most potent economic powers on the Pacific Rim. Taiwan, formerly named Formosa, experienced a fifty year period of colonial rule by the Japanese [jpempire] ending in 1945. It is a good market for Japanese products and a good source of food and raw materials, iron and steel industry, nuclear power plants, chemical industries. They have improved and expanded the infrastructure.
Invaded by the anti-Communist regime of Chaing Kai-shek in 1949 when Mao Zedong took power in China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) was estblished, although the rest of the world recognized mainland China (The People's Republic of China) as the "real China". For years, Taiwan was ruled as a dictatorship by the Chinese who came from the mainland.
Taiwan is now a democracy with unlimited economic possibities, but a limited political future as the People's Republic of China is determined to incorporate Taiwan back into its geopolitical orbit as it did Hong Kong and Macao.
Taiwan is the size of Idaho, with 22.1 million people. The eastern half of the island [chtaiphy] are dominated by the Chungyang Mountains. There are substantial rice paddies on the western side of the Chungyang Mountains. Like Japan they must import a large amount of material resources.
Taiwan is an exporter of personal computers, telecommunications equipment. Their research and development is done by government and foreign firms. It is the 13th largest trading nation in the world (still larger than China) and are involved in the redevelopment of Vietnam.
[top]
[The text of the above was written by Scott
Girhard, San
Antonio College from his online course:
http://www.accd.edu/sac/earthsci/1303.090/home.htm.
Used with permission.]
Physical [chtaiphy]
[top]
[top]
Economic [chcoumea]
[top]