Taiwan 🇹🇼

Taiwan sits in Eastern Asia, part of Asia. It is a self-governing state with its own government, currency and armed forces, but limited formal recognition and no UN seat. Treaties and official documents call it Republic of China (Taiwan). Government sits in Taipei.

It covers 36,193 km², which ranks it 139th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Bhutan and just ahead of Guinea-Bissau. That makes it a fraction smaller than Switzerland.

It is home to roughly 23.4 million people, placing it 60th of 250 by population — between Burkina Faso above it and Sri Lanka below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 6th of 8 in size and 5th in population.

Taiwan on the map

Plotted on a globe it falls at 23.5° north, 121.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 2,616 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.

The Tropic of Cancer runs through or very close to it. Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Libya — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.

There is no land frontier at all — every boundary it has is a coastline. That puts it among the 85 entries of 250 here with no land neighbours, a group made up mostly of islands and island groups.

How crowded Taiwan is, and what is spoken there

Density comes out at around 647 people per square kilometre, which makes it densely populated. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.

The one official language is Chinese. It shares that with China, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.

People from Taiwan are called Taiwanese.

Against Asia as a whole it is the 23rd most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 1.4% of everyone living in Eastern Asia.

Useful reference details

Money there is the New Taiwan dollar ($, TWD). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.

Websites there use the .tw domain. The international dialling code is +886. Its ISO codes are tw and TWN, which is what most databases and flag files use.

If a quiz asks for the capital of Taiwan, the answer is Taipei.

Taiwan does not hold a seat at the United Nations, but it is not a dependency of another state either: it is a self-governing state with its own government, currency and armed forces, but limited formal recognition and no UN seat. That is why it appears among the 250 entries on this site while the familiar count of UN member states stops at 193. Where a figure depends on that distinction, this site says which rule it used rather than quietly picking one.

Fun facts about Taiwan

• It is not a UN member state, but not a dependency of one either.
• It lies about 2,616 km from the equator, in subtropical latitudes.
• The New Taiwan dollar is used here and nowhere else on this list.
• Its capital city is Taipei.
• Its full official name is Republic of China (Taiwan).
• In land area it is a fraction smaller than Switzerland.

Taiwan — frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Taiwan?

The capital of Taiwan is Taipei.

Does Taiwan border any other country?

No. Taiwan has no land border with any other country, so every route in or out is by sea or air. 85 of the 250 entries on this site are in the same position.

What language is spoken in Taiwan?

The official language of Taiwan is Chinese. It is also official in 4 other entries on this list.

Is Taiwan a country?

It depends on the rule you use, which is why the answer is worth spelling out. Taiwan is a self-governing state with its own government, currency and armed forces, but limited formal recognition and no UN seat. It is not a dependency of another state, so lists of dependent territories leave it out, and it is not a UN member, so the familiar count of 193 leaves it out too. It appears here with its own flag, capital and statistics like every other entry.

What is the population of Taiwan?

Taiwan has a population of about 23.4 million, which makes it the 60th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Burkina Faso sits just above it and Sri Lanka just below.

How big is Taiwan?

Taiwan covers 36,193 km², ranking 139th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Switzerland.

What currency does Taiwan use?

Taiwan uses the New Taiwan dollar, written $ (currency code TWD). No other entry in this dataset uses it.

Where is Taiwan located?

Taiwan is in Eastern Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 23.5° north and 121.0° east, roughly 2,616 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.