台湾(Taiwan)
正式名称中华民国（Republic of China）
旧称福尔摩沙（Formosa）
中国东南方外海的岛屿。中华民国（台湾）与中华人民共和国（中国大陆）双方都宣称拥有台湾的主权。台湾，包括离岛的面积为13,971平方哩（36,185平方公里），人口数约为22,186,000人（2000），首都位於台北。几乎由汉族人构成全体人口。语言：官方语言为国语，也使用台湾、福建与客家方言。宗教：佛教、道教、儒家学说；基督教则占小部分。货币：新台币。台湾位於中国大陆100哩（160公里）之外，主要地形由山脉与丘陵构成，以及人口密集的西部海岸平原。台湾为世上人口密度最高的区域之一。台湾是太平洋盆边居於领导地位的工业中心，其经济以制造工业、国际贸易与服务业为基础。最主要的出口产品包括电子设备、成衣以及纺织品。农业出口包括冷冻猪肉、糖、罐装香菇、香焦和茶叶。台湾是华语电影的主要生产地。台湾采行单一立法机关的共和体制，国家的领袖是总统，政府的首脑为行政院长。中国人早於七世纪就已发现台湾的存在，十七世纪初期有大批中国人移居此地。1646年，荷兰人掌握这座岛屿的控制权，直到1661年才被来自中国明朝拥入的大批避难者所驱逐。台湾於1683年落入满族手中，而直到1858年前，才再度向欧洲人开放。1895年，中日战争後台湾被割让给日本。台湾在第二次世界大战间是日本的军事中心，经常遭到美国军机的轰炸。日本战败後，台湾归还给中国，当时由国民党加以统治。1949年，共产党人接掌中国大陆，国民党政府败退至台湾，以此作为政府的所在地，而由蒋介石将军担任总统。1954年，蒋介石与美国签署共同防御协定，台湾开始接受美国将近三十年的援助，发展出令人惊为奇蹟的经济成就。在1971年，台湾於联合国被中华人民共和国取代以前，许多非共产国家都承认台湾代表全中国。1987年，台湾取消戒严令；自1988年，取消前往中国大陆的旅游限制。1989年，反对党开始合法化。台湾与中国大陆的关系在1990年代关系逐渐趋於密切，然而在2000年，由於主张台湾独立的陈水扁当选总统，两岸关系也因而转为紧张。
English version：
Taiwan
formerlyFormosaIsland, off southeastern China. Both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (mainland China) claim jurisdiction over it. Area: 13,971 sq mi (36,185 sq km), including its outlying islands. Population (2000 est.): 22,186,000. Capital: Taipei. Han Chinese constitute virtually the entire population. Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese, Fukien, and Hakka dialects also spoken. Religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism; small minority, Christianity. Currency: new Taiwan dollar. Lying 100 mi (160 km) off the Chinese mainland, it is composed mainly of mountains and hills, with densely populated coastal plains in the west. It has one of the highest population densities in the world. It is a leading industrial power of the Pacific Rim, with an economy based on manufacturing industries, international trade, and services. Leading exports include electronic equipment, garments, and textiles. Agricultural exports include frozen pork, sugar, canned mushrooms, bananas, and tea. It is a major producer of Chinese-language motion pictures. It is a republic with one legislative branch; its chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the premier. Known to the Chinese as early as the 7th century, it was widely settled by them early in the 17th century. In 1646 the Dutch seized control of the island, only to be ousted in 1661 by a large influx of Chinese Ming-dynasty refugees. It fell to the Manchus in 1683 and was not open to Europeans again until 1858. In 1895 it was ceded to Japan following the Sino-Japanese War. A Japanese military center in World War II, it was frequently bombed by U.S. planes. After Japan's defeat, it was returned to China, which was then governed by the Nationalists. When the Communists took over mainland China in 1949, the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan and made it their seat of government, with Gen. Chiang Kai-shek as president. In 1954 he and the U.S. signed a mutual defense treaty, and Taiwan received U.S. support for almost three decades, developing its economy in spectacular fashion. It was recognized by many non-communist countries as the representative of all China until 1971, when it was replaced in the U.N. by the People's Republic of China. Martial law was lifted in Taiwan in 1987, and travel restrictions with mainland China in 1988. In 1989 opposition parties were legalized. The relationship with the mainland became increasingly close in the 1990s, though it again became strained when Ch'en Sui-pian, who advocated independence for Taiwan, was elected president in 2000.