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Taiwan Island contains all but one county of Taiwan Province: 15 counties and all five province-administered cities. Outside of the provincial boundary, Taiwan also contains two municipalities -- Kaohsiung City and Taipei City -- which are administered directly by the central government. Penghu (the Pescadores) is the only county in Taiwan province which is not on Taiwan.
See also: Political divisions of the Republic of China
Main article: Geography of Taiwan Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east, but gradually transitions to gently sloping plains in the west (satellite photo by NASA).
The island of Taiwan lies some 200 km off the southeastern coast of China across the Taiwan Strait, with the East China Sea to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest. The island is characterised by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds that consist mostly of rugged mountains, running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is the Yu Shan at 3,952 m.
Taiwan's climate is marine tropical. The rainy season lasts from June to August during the southwest monsoon, though cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year. Natural hazards include typhoons and earthquakes.
Main article: Culture of Taiwan
Taiwan's culture is a blend of traditional Chinese with significant Japanese and Western influences including Dutch, Spanish and American. The Taiwanese aboriginals also have a distinct culture. Fine arts, folk traditions, and popular culture embody traditional and modern, Asian, and Western motifs. One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the National Palace Museum, which houses over 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting, and porcelain. This collection was moved from the mainland in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party (KMT) fled to Taiwan. The collection, estimated to be a tenth of China's cultural treasures, is so extensive that only 1% is on display at any one time.
Most people in Taiwan speak Mandarin, which was enforced by ROC government and has been the medium of instruction in the schools for more than four decades. About 70 percent of the people in Taiwan also speak Taiwanese, a variety of Min-nan. The Hakka, who make about 10 percent of the population, have a distinct Hakka language. Between 1895 and 1945, under Japanese rule, the official language on Taiwan was Japanese, and many older residents still speak that language fluently and more so than Mandarin. The aboriginal minority groups still speak their native languages, but most of them can also speak Mandarin and Taiwanese.
About half of the Taiwanese population can be considered religious believers, most of whom identify themselves as Buddhists or Taoists. At the same time there is a strong belief in folk religion throughout the island. These are not mutually exclusive, and many people practice a combination of the three. Confucianism also is an honoured school of thought and ethical code. Christian churches have been active on Taiwan for many years, a majority of which are Protestant and with Presbyterians playing a particularly significant role.
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