Taiwan

Proper noun

Taiwan

1. A partly-recognized country in East Asia consisting of a main island and 167 smaller islands. Official name: Republic of China. Capital: Taipei.
   • India was not alone in its predicament or in its policy. While a few developing countries like Taiwan, 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.1971, Lyndon Johnson, “Feeding the Hungry: India's Food Crisis”, in The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 224
   • Pei Ling Wu, 30, said: "I am worried about my family, but they do not want to leave Taiwan. They want to defend their country and fight to the end. If China continues to push us, independence is the only solution."1996 March 15, Leyla Linton, “London students sing their defiance”, in The Times, number 65,528, →ISSN, →OCLC, Overseas News, page 14, column 2

   Synonyms:

   Republic of China, ROC, Chinese Taipei, Formosa

2. An island between the Taiwan Strait and Philippine Sea in East Asia.
   • 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, or Taiwan, hitherto attached to the province of Fo-Kien, into a...1888, James Harrison Wilson, chapter III, in China: Travels and Investigations in the "Middle Kingdom": A Study of Its Civilization and Possibilites, →OCLC, page 26
   • 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...1900 June 1, W. M. Davis, “Current Notes on Physiography.”, in Science, volume XI, number 283, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 871, column 2

   Synonyms:

   Formosa

3. (historical) A former prefecture of Fujian province in China (Qing Empire) (1683–1885).
   • 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 of Taiwan,” says the Chinese Government...1864, Robert Swinhoe, “Notes on the Island of Formosa.”, in The Journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London, volume XXXIV, London: John Murray, published 1865, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6
   • 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...1887 February, W. Campbell, “A Few Notes from the Pescadores.”, in Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal, volume XVIII, number 2, Shanghai: American Presbyterian Mission Press, →OCLC, page 62

   Synonyms:

   Formosa

4. (historical) A former province of China (Qing Empire) (1885–1895).
   • 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...1896, J. D. Clark, Formosa, Shanghai: Shanghai Mercury, →OCLC, page 44
   • Near Bang-ka is Twa-tu-tia, the great center of the tea-trade of Formosa, and the capital of the province of Taiwan (i. e. Formosa) from 1885 to 1896.1898, “Bang-ka, or Mang-ka”, in Johnson's Universal Cyclopædia: A New Edition, volume I, New York: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 480, column 2

   Synonyms:

   Formosa

5. (historical) A former dependency of Japan (1895–1945).
   • Taiwan (Formosa) and Hōkotō (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.1902, “Appendix”, in The Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Malta, St Helena, Barbados, Cyrpus, the Channel Islands, the British Army & Navy (The British Empire Series), volume V, →OCLC, page 649
   • Taiwan is governed by a Governor-General. Since 1895 three Governors have resigned. The present in office is General Count Samata Sakuma.1913, Charlotte M. Salwey, “Formosa, the Beautiful (Taiwan)”, in The Island Dependencies of Japan, London: Eugène L. Morice, →OCLC, page 39

   Synonyms:

   Formosa

6. A province of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (from 1945).
   • Recent reports from Taiwan (Formosa), although fragmentary, begin to give a picture of economic conditions following the conclusion of the war. Now officially referred to as Taiwan Province, the island's former Japanese administration is being replaced by Chinese officials with little change, at...1946 February 16, “China”, in Foreign Commerce Weekly, volume XXII, number 7, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, United States Department of Commerce, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26, column 2
   • The Chinese Government today, with its program of local self-government in Taiwan, provides a revealing contrast to the Communist totalitarian "democratic dictatorship" on the mainland. Herein lies the foundation for our eventual victory against Communism.1957, Chiang Chung-cheng (Kai-shek), Soviet Russia in China: A Summing-up at Seventy, New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 239–240

   Synonyms:

   Formosa

7. The territory currently under the de facto jurisdiction of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

   Synonyms:

   Formosa, Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, Taiwan Area, Free Area

8. (disputed) A claimed province of the People's Republic of China (from 1949).
   • The eastern part of Taiwan 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.1964, 任育地 [Jen Yu-ti], “Seas”, in 中国地理概述 [A Concise Geography of China], Peking: Foreign Languages Press, →OCLC, →OL, pages 42–43
   • China (excluding Taiwan 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.1992, Zhou Shunwu (周舜武), “Overview”, in 中国分省地理 [China Provincial Geography], Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 499

   Synonyms:

   Formosa, Taiwan region

9. (historical) Synonym of Tainan, a city of Taiwan, former capital of Taiwan Province.
   • The ports of Cháu-chau or Swatau, in the province of Kwangtung, and Taiwan 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, 1860.1862 [1859], John E. Ward, “Proclamation of JOHN E. WARD announcing exchange of ratifications of Treaty”, in Treaties between the United States of America and China, Japan Lewchew and Siam, Acts of...
   • 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 at Taiwan, Formosa, and in 1865 to the full Consulship.1877 November 8, “Robert Swinhoe, F.R.S.”, in Nature, volume XVII, number 419, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 35, column 2

   Synonyms:

   Tainan

10. 2169 Taiwan, a main belt asteroid.
    • 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 with pv = 0.077±0.010 and (2169) Taiwan with pv = 0.099±0.020. In each of these cases, the values conform to the taxonomic type of the corresponding families.2005, D. Vokrouhlický et al., “Yarkovsky/YORP chronology of asteroid families”, in Icarus, volume 182, number 1, published 2006, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 126, column 2
    • 2169 Taiwan, 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.2019 August 29, “Asteroid 'Taiwan' to come closest to Earth late Thursday: museum”, in Focus Taiwan, archived from the original on 10 Sep 2022, Science & Tech