10 things you might not know about TAIWAN

THE latest flashpoint that could end in us being reduced to atomic cinders is the faraway island of Taiwan.

But what do we know about this island off the coast of Commie China?

Here are some facts: 1

ONLY 2.3% of the population is native. The other 97.7% are ethnically Chinese. This is because Taiwan was ruled by the Qing Dynasty for 200 years from 1683 to 1895 and the Chinese Han people pushed out the natives.

2

50% of the island is covered in forest and is uninhabited. 90% of the population lives along a strip of land along the coast. 3

IT was once known as Formosa. The name dates from 1542 when Portuguese sailors sighted an uncharted island and noted it on maps as Ilha Formosa (“beautiful island”).

4

TAIWAN’S official title is the Republic of China ( RoC). The Republic of China

( RoC) is not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China ( PRC), the official name of China. 5

THE People’s Republic of China does not recognise Taiwan as an independent nation and regards it as a rebellious part of mainland China

6

ONLY 13 countries and the Vatican have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The US passed a law in 1979, requiring Washington to supply weapons to Taiwan if it comes under attack.

7

THE Republic of China was set up on Taiwan by the losing, Nationalist, side in the Chinese Civil War, which ended in 1949.

8

UNTIL 1971, Taiwan held China’s seat at the United Nations but a vote in that year – proposed by Albania – transferred the seat to the Peking government.

9

IN Taiwan, white symbolises death and is worn at funerals. Red is used at weddings.

10

90% of Taiwan’s GDP comes from the manufacture of microchips. They supply around two thirds of the world’s high- end semiconductors