What is Taiwan?
Taiwan is located about 180 kilometers from the Chinese mainland and has about 23 million inhabitants. Actually it is a group of islands. Close to the mainland there are several islands that belong to Taiwan.
Taiwan is very prone to earthquakes. Just offshore, the geological Philippine plate is sliding beneath the Eurasian one. There were two earthquakes greater than 8.3 in the early 20th century. The east coast and the area around Hualien are especially sensitive to earthquakes.
Although Taiwan has its own government, army, currency, passport and airline, it is not recognized by the United Nations as an independent state.
Since the 1990s, Taiwan has evolved into the full-fledged democracy it is today, with a strong economy based on high-tech sectors.