Taiwan - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Taiwan, it was "Tayowan" was the name of the coastal sandbank where the Dutch erected their colonial headquarters on the island in the 17th century; the former name "Formosa" means "beautiful" in Portuguese. The Government system in this country is the semi-presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes:
includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 13 counties (xian, singular and plural), 3 cities (shi, singular and plural), and 6 special municipalities directly under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan
counties: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Hualien, Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taitung, Yilan, Yunlin
cities: Chiayi, Hsinchu, Keelung
special municipalities: Kaohsiung (city), New Taipei (city), Taichung (city), Tainan (city), Taipei (city), Taoyuan (city)
National symbols
White, 12-rayed sun on blue field; national colors: blue, white, red.
The flag
The National flag of Taiwan has red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays; the blue and white design of the canton (symbolizing the sun of progress) dates to 1895; it was later adopted as the flag of the Kuomintang Party; blue signifies liberty, justice, and democracy, red stands for fraternity, sacrifice, and nationalism, and white represents equality, frankness, and the people's livelihood; the 12 rays of the sun are those of the months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours (each ray equals two hours).
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note: similar to the flag of Samoa
The National Anthem
| Title | "Zhonghua Minguo guoge" (National Anthem of the Republic of China) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | HU Han-min, TAI Chi-t'ao, and LIAO Chung-k'ai/CHENG Mao-yun |
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note: adopted 1930; also the song of the Kuomintang Party; it is informally known as "San Min Chu I" or "San Min Zhu Yi" (Three Principles of the People); because of political pressure from China, "Guo Qi Ge" (National Banner Song) is used at international events rather than the official anthem of Taiwan; the "National Banner Song" has gained popularity in Taiwan and is commonly used during flag raisings
More about the government of Taiwan
| Date of Independence | |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Republic Day (National Day), 10 October (1911); note - celebrates the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, also known as Double Ten (10-10) Day |
| Legal system | civil law system |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1912, 1931; latest adopted 25 December 1946, promulgated 1 January 1947, effective 25 December 1947 |
| Amendments | Proposed by at least one fourth of the Legislative Yuan membership; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote of at least three fourths of the Legislative Yuan membership and approval in a referendum by more than half of eligible voters; revised several times, last in 2005 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Taiwan |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes, except that citizens of Taiwan are not recognized as dual citizens of the People's Republic of China |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President LAI Ching-te (since 19 May 2024) |
| Head of government | Premier CHO Jung-tai (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 20 May 2024) |
| Cabinet | Executive Yuan - ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier |
| Elections/appointments | president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 13 January 2024 (next to be held in 2028); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier |
| Election results | 2023: LAI Ching-te elected president; percent of vote - LAI Ching-te (DPP) 40.1%, HOU Yu-ih (KMT) 33.5%, KO Wen-je (TPP) 26.5%; note - LAI takes office on 20 May 2024 2020: TSAI Ing-wen reelected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 57.1%, HAN Kuo-yu (KMT) 38.6%, James SOONG (PFP) 4.3%; note - TSAI is the first woman elected president of Taiwan |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats; 73 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 34 directly elected in a single island-wide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat aboriginal constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Last held on 13 January 2024 (next to be held in 2028) |
| Election results | Percent of vote by party - DPP 40.6%, KMT 37.2%, TPP 12.6%, other 5.7%, independent 3.9%; seats by party - KMT 52, DPP 51, TPP 8, independent 2; composition - men 66, women 47, percentage women 41.6% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 100 judges organized into civil and criminal panels, each with a chief justice and 4 associate justices); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 13 justices) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court justices appointed by the president; Constitutional Court justices appointed by the president, with approval of the Legislative Yuan; Supreme Court justices serve for life; Constitutional Court justices appointed for 8-year terms, with half the membership renewed every 4 years |
| Subordinate courts | High courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | None |
| Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (branch offices) | Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver (CO), Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | The US does not have an embassy in Taiwan; commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts; it is managed by Director Sandra OUDKIRK (since July 2021) |
| Mailing address | 4170 AIT Taipei Place, Washington DC 20521-4170 |
| Telephone | [886] 2-2162-2000 |
| FAX | [886] 2-2162-2251 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.ait.org.tw/ |
| Branch office(s) | American Institute in Taiwan No. 100, Jinhu Road, Neihu District 11461, Taipei City |
| Other offices | Kaohsiung (Branch Office) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Taiwan
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Taiwan
Want to know more about Taiwan? Check all different factbooks for Taiwan below.
