Taiwan 🇹🇼
Taiwan is a country in Asia with a population of 23,893,394. Its capital is Taipei. The official currency is TWD, and the main languages are Mandarin.
Quick facts
- Capital: Taipei
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 23,893,394
- Area: 36,193 km²
- Density: 660 people per km²
- Currency: TWD
- Languages: Mandarin
- ISO code: TW
Where Taiwan sits
Taiwan 🇹🇼 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Taipei. It covers 36,193 square kilometres — 134th in the world — and is home to about 23,893,394 people, 57th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Taiwan compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Taiwan sits closest to Burkina Faso and Mali. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Guinea-Bissau and Bhutan.
At 660 people per square kilometre it is about 11 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Mandarin is an official language in 3 countries here, among them China and Singapore. The TWD is used by Taiwan and no one else.
To see Taiwan next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Taiwan
Taipei is in Northern Taiwan, so think 'Taipei, top of the island'. For the flag, picture a red sheet with a blue corner where a white 12-rayed sun shines, one ray for each month.
The flag of Taiwan: red, blue and white
🇹🇼 The flag is a red flag with a dark blue rectangle in the top corner holding a white sun with 12 rays. The colours are linked to the Three Principles of the People: blue with liberty, white with equality and red with fraternity. The 12 rays stand for the months of the year and the traditional Chinese hours, each ray equal to two hours.
Region and neighbours
Taiwan is an island in East Asia, governed as the Republic of China (ROC) together with some smaller nearby islands, across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China. It has no land neighbours.
Three facts about Taiwan
- Yu Shan, 3,952 m high, is the highest peak on the island, which makes Taiwan the world's fourth-highest island.
- Taipei 101 was once the tallest building in the world.
- Semiconductors and other AI-related equipment make up around 80% of Taiwan's exports.
Sources: Wikipedia: Taiwan, Wikipedia: Flag of the Republic of China, Wikipedia: Taipei, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Taiwan
- Asian capitals quiz — match Taiwan to Taipei
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Taiwan flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Taiwan
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Taiwan those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Taipei
- Taiwan capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Taiwan
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Taiwan
- Capital of Taiwan: Taipei — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Taiwan flag?
The flag of Taiwan is a red flag with a dark blue rectangle in the top corner holding a white sun with 12 rays. The colours are linked to the Three Principles of the People: blue with liberty, white with equality and red with fraternity. The 12 rays stand for the months of the year and the traditional Chinese hours, each ray equal to two hours.
Which countries border Taiwan?
None. Taiwan is an island in East Asia, governed as the Republic of China (ROC) together with some smaller nearby islands, across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China, so it has no land borders with other countries.
How can I remember the capital of Taiwan?
Taipei is in Northern Taiwan, so think 'Taipei, top of the island'. For the flag, picture a red sheet with a blue corner where a white 12-rayed sun shines, one ray for each month.