Today the remaining indigenous peoples make up only about 2% of the population, while the other 98% are considered ethnically Han Chinese. Among the Taiwanese group, Hoklo (Minnan) speakers form the majority, which is about 70% of the population, while the remaining 14% are largely Hakka speakers. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan is the cabinet-level governing body of the transport network in Taiwan. In March 2019, 13.86 million were registered, twice that of cars.435 Both highways and railways are concentrated near the coasts, where the majority of the population resides, with 1,619 km (1,006 mi) of motorway. Railways in Taiwan are primarily used for passenger services, with Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) operating a circular route around the island and Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) running high speed services on the west coast.
Upon the resumption of Chinese rule, the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) under Chiang Kai-shek, also known as the Nationalists, was suspicious of the locals in Taiwan, because many Taiwanese had served in the Japanese military and civil service during World War II. Despite having been discriminated against, many locals had seen their standards of living improve under Japanese rule, and were disillusioned by the corruption and incompetence that plagued the Kuomintang at that time. Taiwan was placed under martial law following the incident, which was not lifted until 1987; this period is known to the Taiwanese as the “White Terror” (白色恐怖). Discussion of the incident was banned under the years of martial law, but was brought back to the fore once again following democratization in the 1990s, and it remains a key impetus behind the Taiwan independence movement.
On Tuesday, Takaichi declined to retract her remarks, which she defended as “consistent with the government’s traditional position”. She did note, however, that she would be careful about commenting on specific scenarios from now on. However, those soils have largely been leeched of their nutrients by heavy rains and long-term irrigation. In the northern part of the island, the soils in arable areas are primarily acid alluvials and latosols; in the south, areas of arable land have neutral to weak-alkaline and planosol-like alluvial soils. Much of Taiwan’s soil is deficient in phosphorous and potash, and fertilizers are needed to produce good harvests, especially where the land is double cropped. Taekwondo was introduced to Taiwan in 1966 for military training and has become a mature and successful combat sport in Taiwan.537 The first two Olympic gold medals won by Taiwanese athletes belong to the sport.
Many parents who send their children to schools to be taught English expect the teacher to look like they are from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and so on, and so the decision on the part of the school managers is mainly about economics. Perhaps due to its political ambiguity and lack of global presence, Taiwan has traditionally not been a significant destination for Westerners, though this is changing. Nevertheless tourists from Japan and Hong Kong have been visiting Taiwan in droves for a long time, and they are being joined by an increasing number of Koreans and Southeast Asians. The island is home to many cultural attractions, with an excellent selection right in the capital.
To do this, you will need to show your passport and obtain a tax refund application form from the store. When departing Taiwan, bring the form to the tax refund counter or automated kiosk and follow the relevant instructions. If choosing to get your refund in cash, you will be issued a receipt that you will need to bring to the bank counter after your have cleared departure immigration to receive your refund. Bellhops in high end hotels and porters at airports are an exception and should be given NT$50 per bag. Tipping is also not expected in taxis and drivers would usually return your change to the last dollar. Most hotels and department stores accept credit and debit cards, generally Visa, MasterCard, and JCB.

Military and security service personnel strengths

An international driving license is required for driving in Taiwan and may be used for up to 30 days, after which you’ll need to apply for a local permit. Some municipalities may impose additional restrictions, so check ahead with the rental shop. VIP Rentals in Taipei is quite happy to rent cars to foreigners, and will even deliver the car to a given destination. A deposit is often required, and the last day of rental is not pro-rated, but calculated on a per-hour basis at a separate (higher) rate. From Taoyuan Airport (TPE), buses are a much more economical option but if you want a direct route Taoyuan airport drivers are the best choice. They’re quite comfortable and get you to your destination as quick as possible.

Economic Challenges and Development

The majority of the population is of Han Chinese descent, specifically from the Hoklo and Hakka ethnic groups. These groups arrived in Taiwan during different historical periods, contributing to the country’s cultural diversity. There are also indigenous groups in Taiwan, collectively known as the Formosan peoples, who have lived on the island for thousands of years. These indigenous groups, numbering around 2% of the population, are divided into several tribes, each with its own distinct languages, customs, and traditions. Giant Bicycles Corporation operates a large network of bicycle retail stores that offer rentals for as little as NT$100 per day, if requested one week in advance. Also, rented bicycles can be picked up at one station and given back another station.
There is no ferry from Kinmen to the main island of Taiwan, though flights may be reasonably priced. From Fuzhou (福州), China, there are two daily ferries to the Taiwan-controlled Matsu (馬祖) islands. Take bus 69 from Fuzhou train station to Wuyilu, then bus 73 to the end station Mawei harbor (馬尾港). No visa is required if you are connecting between international flights so long as you do not leave an airport’s secure area.
These cost NT$2,800 for a standard pass, which does not allow you to ride on Tzu-Chiang trains, and NT$3,600 for an express pass, which allows you to ride on all TRA lines. The THSR passes may only be used by foreigners who are in Taiwan on tourist visas (or visa exemptions), and must be purchased from travel agents overseas before you arrive in Taiwan. Notice the difference between accessibility services and “senior or disabled tickets” – while THSR provides good accessibility service for senior or disabled passengers, the “senior or disabled tickets” with 50% off are special tickets for Taiwanese citizens only. If you need accessibility services such as finding handicap-friendly seats, consult the staff by online chat, phone, or on-site station desks. Bookings can be easily made by internet, and you can pay online or pay and pick up your tickets at almost every FamilyMart and 7-Eleven.

Coastline

The children often understand more English than their parents, especially with the emphasis on English language education today, and English being a compulsory subject in Taiwanese schools. However, attempts to speak Mandarin or Taiwanese will be met with beaming smiles and encouragement, by and large. There are multiple ways of romanizing Mandarin Chinese, but pinyin (漢語拼音 hànyǔ pīnyīn) is the most useful for a visitor to learn. It’s a fairly logical system, although it has a few idiosyncrasies, including using some letters in ways that are different from English (such as q which is similar to English “ch” and x which is like English “sh”). With just a few hours of practice, you can learn to pronounce Mandarin words accurately using pinyin. However, as Chinese has many homophones, pinyin is useful for pronunciation but not practical for communicating queenwin casino meaning; for something like a street address, you need to use Chinese characters.

Taiwan National Flag

• People from Kinmen and Matsu do not identify as Taiwanese and instead identify as Kinmenese/Matsunese or simply Chinese.
• Unless you know your listener well, it is unwise to say anything (either positive or negative) about the current government, about historical figures in Taiwanese history, about Taiwan’s international relations, or about relations with mainland China.
• The stations and platforms are wheelchair-friendly and all trains include a wheelchair-accessible car (wider doors, ample space, accessible bathroom).
• The Economic Daily News (經濟日報) and Commercial Times (工商時報) focus on financial and business news.
• Tolls are charged electronically and you pay the rental company when you return the car.

One Taipei motorcycle and scooter rental service with English language service is Bikefarm, which is run by a very friendly and helpful English guy called Jeremy. In Taichung, Foreigner Assistance Services In Taiwan F.A.S.T offers a rental service for foreign visitors. Otherwise, scooters are generally easy to rent in most major cities, with many such places being near railway or bus stations.

• Citizens of the above countries presenting an emergency or temporary passport will be required to apply for a visa on arrival by supplying a passport photo and paying a fee of NT$2,400, or NT$800 for citizens of countries with reciprocal agreements.
• When in Kinmen or Matsu, you should call the country the “Republic of China”, and use “Taiwan” only to refer to the island of Taiwan.
• Mosquito/insect repellent spray can be found at convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven and FamilyMart) and local pharmacies.
• However, this service is not available to short term visitors on tourist visas; nor does it cover major hospitalization expenses.
• When leaving that region, e.g. by train, which is still possible with a (bus) locked card, no-one will be willing to unlock your card, even though also other bus companies are able to do so.
• While the local building codes are extremely strict, general precautions should still be observed during an earthquake, including opening the door to prevent it from being jammed, taking cover and checking for gas leaks afterwards.

The fee consists actually of the credit company’s commission and also the local sales tax/VAT. If you pay cash, you might not get an official receipt, as then the seller would have to report and pay their taxes in full. If you ask for a Unified Invoice (統一發票, tongyi fa piao), you will get it but you may need to pay 3-5% more.
Often this will be a LINE (a Japanese messaging app similar to Whatapp) contact. You should download and set up an account on LINE before traveling to Taiwan. One should also try Lei cha (擂茶; léi chá) a tasty and nourishing Hakka Chinese tea-based dish consisting of a mix ground tea leaves and rice. Some stores specialize in this product and allows one to grind their own lei cha.

Where the fossil fuel industry tries to teach kids climate

All the TPE taxi drivers are interlinked by radio so they could be forewarned if there are police. Sometimes, if there are traffic jams and no police around, the driver will drive in the emergency lane. Taxis from TPE to destinations in Tao Yuan, parts of Taipei county and some other destinations are ‘allowed’ to add an additional 50% to the meter fare. Similar to Japan and South Korea, Taiwan also offers several rail passes to foreign tourists for unlimited train travel within a stipulated period.
This can be convenient if you want to go down the quiet east coast with a bicycle and back up the busy west coast with the train/bus. Many are supporters of the pan-green coalition and Taiwanese independence, spending all day listening to Taiwanese political talk radio. Also watch out for drivers who discriminate against other cultures such as taping “No Korean passengers” on their cars. In addition, if you see what looks like blood spewing from the driver’s mouth, or him spitting blood onto the street—not to fret–it’s merely him chewing betel nut (see box). Although the vast majority of the population is ethnically Han Chinese, the indigenous Austronesian inhabitants maintain their own cultures, and the legacy of Japanese colonial rule still pervades much of Taiwanese life. The highest are in the Chung-yang (Zhongyang, or Central) Range in the east, which extends along the island’s north-south axis and in many places descends to the shoreline.
However, mainland Chinese citizens are not permitted to transit through Taiwan. Citizens of Japan need only present a passport with at least 3 months’ validity (rather than 6 months’ validity) upon entry. Citizens of the United States can enter Taiwan on a passport with less than 6 months’ validity on the date of arrival by supplying a passport photo and paying a fee of NT$5,600. Especially in Taipei, younger people generally speak a basic conversational level of English.