Taiwan Abbreviations

TW is the abbreviation for Taiwan. Taiwan is a territory located in Southeastern Asia. Although the official name of Taiwan is the Republic of China, it is not a member of the United Nations. Rather, it is widely recognized as a province of China – People’s Republic of China. Below please see the most basic profile of Taiwan. The capital city of Taiwan is Taipei. Other major cities include Kaohsiung City (population: 1,519,722), Taichung (population: 1,040,725), Tainan City (population: 771,235), Banciao (population: 543,342), Hsinchu (population: 404,109), Taoyuan City (population: 402,014), Keelung (population: 397,515), Hualien City (population: 350,468), and Yuanlin (population: 124,725).

Country Profile

• Capital: Taipei
• Language: Taiwanese
• Area: 35,980 km²
• Population: 23,577,271
• Currency: New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
• Time zone: UTC+8
• Calling code: 886
• ISO 2-Letter Abbreviation: TW
• UN 3-Letter Abbreviation: TWE
• Internet TLD: .tw
• State Government Website: taiwan.gov.tw

List of Taiwan Acronyms

The most commonly used abbreviations about Taiwan are TW which stands for Taiwan and TWD which means new Taiwan dollar (Taiwan currency). In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Taiwan, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.

Geography

Taiwan consists of one large and several small islands just east of China. More than half of Taiwan is covered by dense forest. Most of the forest grows in the sparsely populated mountain areas east of the island. To the west lie fertile plains, where much farming is practiced. More than 90 percent of the population lives on the west coast, where most of the natural ports are located. Taiwan is in the middle of two climate zones, and there are major differences between the north and south. In the far north there is a temperate climate, with mild winters and hot summers, while in the south there are tropical climates, with high temperatures throughout the year.

The country has long struggled with acid rainfall due to air pollution. This is due to both emissions from own industry and emissions from China. The acid rainfall, and the storage of toxic and radioactive waste, have destroyed several agricultural areas. Another major problem is contaminated water.

History

The oldest finds of humans on the island are over 15,000 old. The indigenous people were gradually pushed away by the Chinese who moved out, especially since the Middle Ages. The island first became part of China in the late 1600s. Taiwan remained a Chinese province for more than 200 years. After a war between Japan and China, Japan took over control of the island in 1895. Under Japanese rule, Taiwan was modernized, receiving electricity, proper roads and industry. After World War II, Japan was forced to return Taiwan to China. The acquisition took place at the same time as a civil war was going onbetween communists and nationalists in China. This civil war became crucial for Taiwan: In 1949, the Chinese nationalist party Kuomintang fled to the island. They proclaimed themselves to the rightful government of China, under the name “Republic of China”.

Between 1949-1971, the Republic of China was internationally recognized as China’s real government. In 1971, however, the People’s Republic of China took their place in the UN and the UN Security Council. The government of Taiwan was no longer recognized as a representative of China’s people. Taiwan remained a one-party state under Kuomintang’s control until 2000, but in the 1980s a democratization process began, and opposition parties were allowed. At the same time, society was to be “Taiwanese”. The refugee Chinese from the mainland had dominated politics, but now a Taiwanese identity was to be created. The Taiwanese dialect became official language, and for the first time Taiwanese could have prominent positions in the state.

Society and politics

Although in practice Taiwan has been independent since 1949, it is not recognized as an independent state. Taiwan still uses the 1947 Constitution, which was written for all of China. The country is a republic. The president is the head of state and he/she appoints the prime minister. In addition, there are five “yuan”, which means council or assembly: Parliament is the legislative yuan, and the government is the executive yuan; There is a legal yuan that acts as a court, a control yuan that examines the work of the state and an investigative yuan that tests the appointments of officials.

The most important political issue in the country is still the relationship with China. Historically, Taiwan has been ruled by Koumintang, but since 2000, power has switched between Kuomintang – which mainly consists of mainland Chinese, and is more reunification-friendly – and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – which mostly consists of native Taiwanese, who want greater independence.

Relations with China have gradually improved over the past decades, and countries have signed trade agreements, opened up direct contact between governments and allowed travel between countries. After the DPP took power in 2016, the relationship again became cooler. China has broken official contacts and once again began to block Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.

Economics and Commerce

Taiwan experienced tremendous economic development in the post-World War II era and is today among the richest countries in Asia. Over 50 years, gross domestic product (GDP) more than tripled. Economic growth came because the government focused on producing some textiles and food that Taiwan could offer cheaper on the world market than any other. Economic growth has been lower in recent years. Since the Taiwanese economy is dependent on exports, it was hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis and the 2010 euro crisis.

The country’s geographical location has made it an ideal trading partner for countries such as Japan and the United States, and in 2010, Taiwan signed an important trade agreement with China.

Taiwan has been able to keep up with developments in world trade. Agriculture was replaced by the textile industry in the post-war period. The country switched to heavier industry in the 1970s, such as iron and steel mills, and computer technology in the 1990s. After controlling the economy quite a bit, the government has in recent years entrusted more and more to the market forces, and today Taiwan produces an incredible variety of high-tech goods for export, from cars and toys to laptops and shoes.

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