The Taiwanese flag17th century former sandbank of"Taiwan"/"Tayouan"/"Taioan" (nowsilted up and connected to the island as modern-dayAnping District,Tainan) withFort Zeelandia on it
The specific form"Taiwan" in English emerged from theWade–GilesTʻai²-wan¹ romanization ofMandarin臺灣／台湾 (Táiwān), and also perhaps theromaji ofJapanese臺灣(taiwan), both of which are ultimately fromLiterary Chinese臺灣, fromHokkien大員 (Tāi-oân),大圓,臺員,大灣,臺灣, and other forms, a placename initially referring to asandbank peninsula that latersilted up; now wholly part of the island in the area of modern-dayAnping District,Tainan, and eventually became the name of the entire island. The original placename itself was originally likely the transcription of a loanword fromSiraya.
The name is sometimesfolk-etymologized to have originally meant "terraced bay" (臺灣 /台湾), "great bay" (大灣 /大湾), or similar parsings from interpretations of the Chinese characters alone.
India was not alone in its predicament or in its policy. While a few developing countries likeTaiwan, Mexico, and Thailand had made remarkable progress in agriculture and had experienced success in curbing their population increases, others were nearly as bad off as India, even without a drought.
1996 March 15, Leyla Linton, “London students sing their defiance”, inThe Times[5], number65,528,→ISSN,→OCLC, Overseas News,page14, column 2:
Pei Ling Wu, 30, said: "I am worried about my family, but they do not want to leaveTaiwan. They want to defend their country and fight to the end. If China continues to push us, independence is the only solution."
2018 October 9, “Taiwan conducts massive military drills ahead of National Day”, inEFE[6], archived fromthe original on18 August 2022:
Taiwan carried out an unprecedented military drill Tuesday, a day ahead of its National Day celebrations, in Taoyuan in northern parts of the country. The drill was attended by Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, and President of Paraguay Mario Abdo Benitez, who is on a state visit toTaiwan until Thursday.
2025 August 29, Fabian Hamacher, Ben Blanchard, quotingRoger Wicker, “Taiwan has right to be free and 'preserve self-determination', senior US senator says”, in Stephen Coates, Frances Kerry, editors,Reuters[7], archived fromthe original on29 August 2025:
"We come here from the United States bringing a message from the Congress of commitment, of long-term friendship and a determination that a free country likeTaiwan absolutely has the right to remain free and preserve self-determination," Wicker said. Beijing, which regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington, repeated its opposition to Wicker's trip. China firmly opposes any official exchanges between the United States andTaiwan, the country's foreign ministry said.
1888,James Harrison Wilson, chapter III, inChina: Travels and Investigations in the "Middle Kingdom": A Study of Its Civilization and Possibilites[8],→OCLC,page26:
The Government claims suzerainty over and receives tribute more or less regularly from Corea, and also from Anam, Siam, Burmah, and part of the Loochoo Islands, and it has recently erected the beautiful and extensive Island of Formosa, orTaiwan, hitherto attached to the province of Fo-Kien, into a separate province with its own governor-general who, like those of the other provinces, is appointed directly from Peking.
The Pescadores or Hoko islands, lying between Formosa (Taiwan) and the Chinese coast, are described by Koto (Notes on the Geology of the dependent isles of Taiwan,Journ. Coll. Sci.,Imp. Univ.,Tokyo, xiii, 1899, pt. 1) as the ragged remnants of a series of nearly horizontal basalt sheets with intercalated strata of supposed Tertiary age.
As a result of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, China lost to Japan the important islands ofTaiwan (Formosa) and the Pescadores, lying about a hundred miles off the Chinese coast.
TAIWAN, or Chinese Formosa, is considered a Foo or district of the province of Fokien, and is governed by a Taoutai extraordinary, who, though responsible to the provincial viceroy, possesses the privilege of memorialising the Throne direct. “The district ofTaiwan,” says the Chinese Government Chart, of which a copy was supplied to me by the Formosan authorities, “is bounded in the rear by mountains, and in front by the sea. The ancestral hills of Formosa derive their origin from the Woo-hoo-mun (Five Tiger Gate), the entrance to Foochow, whence they glided across the sea. In the ocean towards the east are two places called Tungkwan (Damp Limit) and Pih-mow (White Acre), which mark the spots where the dragons of the Formosan hills emerged. These sacred reptiles had pierced unseen the depths of ocean, and announcing their ascent to the surface by throwing up the bluff at Kelung-head, by a number of violent contortions heaved up the regular series of hills, valleys, and plains that extend north and south in varied undulations for the space of 1000 leagues (applied figuratively). The mountain-peaks are too multitudinous to enumerate, and the geography of the island too comprehensive to take into present consideration ; we will therefore confine ourselves to a few general remarks. In rear of the hills, eastward, flows the ocean ; facing them, to the westward, is the sea ; and between lies the prefecture ofTaiwan.”
THE PESCADORES, consisting of over twenty inhabited islands, besides several inlets and rocks, lie off the south-western coast of Formosa at a minimum distance of about twenty-five miles, and the entire group is set down on the charts as extending from latitude 23° 12′ to 23° 47′ N., and from longitude 119° 19′ to 119° 41′ E. They form together the Dashing Lake District orTing,澎湖廳, of theTaiwan Prefecture, and are placed under the control of resident civil and military mandarins who report to their superior officers at Taiwanfoo.
1980, Ramon H. Myers, “The Public Sector: The State”, inThe Chinese Economy Past and Present[13],→ISBN,→LCCN,→OCLC,pages78–79:
In effect each area paid an assigned land tax quota, which was allocated among households — depending upon the amount of land they owned and registered with the land tax office. Households paid this tax in silver, and by 1736 the state collected this kind of land tax in all provinces except Shansi,Taiwan prefecture (part of Fukien province), and Kweichow.
2016 [2014 April 17], “President Ma Attends "Examining the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands Dispute under New and Multiple Perspectives" International Conference”, inMa Ying-jeou, editor,Chinese (Taiwan) Yearbook of International Law and Affairs[14], volume32 (2014),Brill Nijhoff,→ISBN,→ISSN,→OCLC,page281:
President Ma further noted that in 1683 during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) the emperor formally included the Diaoyutais as territory of China inTaiwan Prefecture, Fujian Province. In 1812, the Diaoyutais were placed under the administration of the Kavalan Office of theTaiwan prefectural government, he added, pointing out that theRecord of Missions to Taiwan and Adjacent Waters《臺海使槎錄》 and theIllustrations of Taiwan《全臺圖説》 prove that China effectively ruled over the Diaoyutai Islets during the Qing Dynasty.
In 1885 Governor LIU determined to reconstruct Taipei and make it the temporary capital until, the railway having on its way to Taiwan reached the old town of Changhua, in about the middle of Formosa, he should build a city near that place and make it, under the name of Taiwan, the capital of the province ofTaiwan.
The Chinese forces holding Formosa numbered about 50,000 men, and its defence was ably conducted by Liu Ming-chüan, then imperial High Commissionerad hoc afterwards first governor of the newly created province ofTaiwan.
1902, “Appendix”, inThe Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Malta, St Helena, Barbados, Cyrpus, the Channel Islands, the British Army & Navy (The British Empire Series)[18], volume V,→OCLC,page649:
Taiwan (Formosa) andHōkotō (the Pescadores) were ceded to Japan upon the close of the Chinese War of 1895.Taiwan has a Governor-General with extreme powers, and is now an integral part of Japan.
1913, Charlotte M. Salwey, “Formosa, the Beautiful (Taiwan)”, inThe Island Dependencies of Japan[19],London: Eugène L. Morice,→OCLC,page39:
Taiwan is governed by a Governor-General. Since 1895 three Governors have resigned. The present in office is General Count Samata Sakuma.
1938 July 29, “Amoy is Island Key to South China's Strategic Province”, inThe Winchester Star[20], volume LVIII, number 1,Winchester, Mass.,→ISSN,→OCLC,page 2, column 5:
Amoy is one of the three Chinese ports closer to the Japanese colony ofTaiwan (Formosa) than are any ports in the Japanese Empire proper.
Recent reports fromTaiwan (Formosa), although fragmentary, begin to give a picture of economic conditions following the conclusion of the war. Now officially referred to asTaiwan Province, the island's former Japanese administration is being replaced by Chinese officials with little change, at least as yet, in the administrative pattern. Although there is no indication that ideographs will be changed, Chinese readings rather than Japanese will be followed for place names. Taihoku, for example, will be read in our alphabet as Taipei. This city presumably will continue to be the capital ofTaiwan.
The Chinese Government today, with its program of local self-government inTaiwan, provides a revealing contrast to the Communist totalitarian "democratic dictatorship" on the mainland. Herein lies the foundation for our eventual victory against Communism.
1988 January 25, Fay Willey, Carroll Bogert, Dorinda Elliott, David Newell, “End of a Dynasty and an Era”, inNewsweek[23], volume CXI, number 4,→ISSN,→OCLC, International,page34, column 3:
By all accounts,Lee lacksChiang's charisma. The son of a rice farmer from northern Taiwan, he trained as an agronomist at Cornell University, then served as mayor of Taipei and governor ofTaiwan Province, where he won widespread popularity.
2000,Chen Shui-Bian, “From Elected Representative to Administrative Chief”, in David J. Toman, transl.,The Son of Taiwan: The Life of Chen Shui-Bian and His Dreams for Taiwan[24], Taiwan Publishing Co., Ltd.,→ISBN,→OCLC,page84:
In August 1993, I began preparing to run in the first race for mayor of Taipei elected directly by popular vote, to be held in December 1994. At the same time, the positions of mayor of Kaohsiung City and governor ofTaiwan Province were also up for direct popular election.
2022 February 28, Chiang Yi-ching, Teng Pei-ju, “Civil groups march in Taipei, demand truth about228 Incident”, inFocus Taiwan[25], archived fromthe original on28 February 2022:
The participants then marched to several sites where other major incidents had occurred, and they ended at the Executive Yuan building, which was formerly the headquarters of theTaiwan Provincial Government.
The eastern part ofTaiwan Province is washed by the Pacific Ocean while the mainland coast borders on the Pohai, the Yellow, the East China and the South China Seas, each with its different depth and water temperature.
China (excludingTaiwan Province) has 381 cities as of the end of 1987, including 3 provincial-level cities, 170 provincially administered cities and 208 township-level cities. In addition there are 1,985 counties (including autonomous counties, banners and autonomous banners) in China.
I had my final meeting with Deng Xiaoping. We signed agreements concerning consular offices, trade, science and technology, cultural exchange, and so forth. After discussing the political problems I had in normalization, Zbig asked him, "Did you have political opposition in China?" Everybody listened very carefully when Deng said, "Yes, I had serious opposition in one province in China—Taiwan."
1862 [1859],John E. Ward, “Proclamation of JOHN E. WARD announcing exchange of ratifications of Treaty”, inTreaties between the United States of America and China, Japan Lewchew and Siam, Acts of Congress, and the Attorney-General's Opinion, with the Decrees and Regulations Issued for the Guidance of U.S. Consular Courts in China[29], Hongkong,→OCLC,page22:
The ports of Cháu-chau or Swatau, in the province of Kwangtung, andTaiwan on Formosa in the province of Fuhkien, will be opened to American commerce, and for Americans to reside with their families, on and after the first day of January, 1860.
In 1860 Mr. Swinhoe attended Gen. Napier, and afterwards Sir Hope Grant, the Commander-in-Chief, as interpreter, and received a medal for war service. At the end of the same year he was appointed Vice-Consul atTaiwan, Formosa, and in 1865 to the full Consulship.
1885 January 7, “Summary of News”, inNorth-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette[31], volume XXXIV, number913,Shanghai,→OCLC,page 4, column 2:
Evidently the French blockade of Formosa is not very effective, or else the Pescadores are not included in the blockaded district. TheDaily Press of 31st December states:—We learn by private letter that there have been no blockading ships atTaiwan or at Takao during the last seven days. The blockade is a purely paper one. Troops and treasure are pouring into South Formosa.
In 1885 Governor LIU determined to reconstruct Taipei and make it the temporary capital until, the railway having on its way toTaiwan reached the old town of Changhua, in about the middle of Formosa, he should build a city near that place and make it, under the name of Taiwan, the capital of the province of Taiwan.
2005, D. Vokrouhlickýet al., “Yarkovsky/YORP chronology of asteroid families”, inIcarus[33], volume182, number 1, published2006,→DOI,→ISSN,→OCLC, page126, column 2:
For the Massalia family, we only have information on (20) Massalia (pv = 0.21±0.01). Finally, for the Astrid family, we have (1128) Astrid withpv = 0.077±0.010 and (2169)Taiwan withpv = 0.099±0.020. In each of these cases, the values conform to the taxonomic type of the corresponding families.
2019 August 29, “Asteroid 'Taiwan' to come closest to Earth late Thursday: museum”, inFocus Taiwan[34], archived fromthe original on10 September 2022, Science & Tech[35]:
2169Taiwan, a carbonaceous asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars, will be at its closest to Earth at around 11 p.m. Thursday, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said.
Taiwan andTaiwanese are both widely used asattributives, e.g. Taiwan culture or Taiwanese culture, the Taiwan government or Taiwanese government, Taiwan food or Taiwanese food, etc.
^Campbell, William (1903), “Explanatory Notes”, inFormosa Under the Dutch: Described from Contemporary Records, with Explanatory Notes and a Bibliography of the Island[1], London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd.,→ISBN,→LCCN, page548
^Mair, V. H. (2010),How to Forget Your Mother Tongue and Remember Your National Language[2]
^T'ai-nan, inEncyclopædia Britannica: "T’ai-nan is one of the oldest urban settlements on the island. The Han Chinese settled there as early as 1590 (some sources say earlier), when it was known as T’ai-yüan (Taiyuan), Ta-yüan (Dayuan), or T’ai-wan (Taiwan)—a name that was later extended to the whole island."
Fort Zeelandia (circa 1670), on the former sandbank of"Taiwan"/"Taywan" (now silted up and connected to the island as modern-dayAnping District,Tainan)
Fort Zeelandia (circa 1669), on the former sandbank of"Taiwan"/"Teowan" (now silted up and connected to the island as modern-dayAnping District,Tainan)
The modern form may possibly be fromEnglishTaiwan or a way older form reminiscent ofDutchTayouan, perhaps fromSiraya. Recorded historically inDutch asTayouan (and other variants), and inHokkien大員 /大员(Tāi-oân) (and other variants).[1] The term initially referred to asandbank peninsula that latersilted up now wholly part of the island in the area of modern-dayAnping District,Tainan, and eventually became the name of the entire island.
“Taiwan”, inSlovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak),https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk,2003–2025
Taiwan on Wikivoyage.Wikivoyage
