Taiwan (Traditional Chinese: 臺灣 or 台灣; Simplified Chinese: 台湾; Hanyu Pinyin: Táiwān; Wade-Giles: T'ai2-wan1; Taiwanese: Tâi-oân) is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the territories administered by the Republic of China (ROC), which governs the island of Taiwan, Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island in the Pacific off the Taiwan coast, the Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands off the coast of mainland Fujian. The island groups of Taiwan and Penghu (except the municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung) are officially administered as Taiwan Province of the Republic of China.

As a rule you'll find the best weather in autumn. October and November tend to be mild and dry island-wide and, especially in the southwest, you may catch some residual typhoons from summer. Summer is full-blown typhoon season, consistently hot and sticky, though late-afternoon showers tend to cool temperatures (and tempers) down. Airfares also increase in summer.

If you're heading to the south of the island, December and January are an exceptionally good time to travel. You can still swim, bike, hike and it's hot enough to tan. The best thing, though, is that tourists are few, even in popular resort areas.

Try to avoid major public holidays, especially Chinese New Year (usually early February), when transport will be full, shops and restaurants closed, and hotels unusually expensive. You are best to visit during other colourful festivals such as the Lantern Festival, the birth of the goddess Matsu, Dragon Boat Festival and Teacher's Day.

Full Name
    Republic of China

Capital City
    Taipei

Area
    35,563 sq km
    13,731 sq miles

Population
    23,000,000

Time Zone
    GMT/UTC +8 ()

Languages
    Mandarin (official)

Religion

    Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christian


Currency
    New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

Electricity
    110V 60HzHz

Electric Plug Details
    Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades
Country Dialing Code
    886
 

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