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Where is Taiwan on the map?

Where is Taiwan? There is something you must know before you come to visit Taiwan. If you look at the map below, you will see Taiwan is a tiny little island next to China separated by the Taiwan Strait in between two countries.

Taiwan is located in Eastern Asia and under South Korea and Japan, above the Philippines.

What is the Population in Taiwan?

Total population in Taiwan : 23,334,001 （09. Jun. 2020）

• 2.4% Taiwanese indigenous peoples
• 70 – 72% Han Taiwanese
• 12 – 14% Hakka Taiwanese
• <1% immigration
• 13.5% Refugees from China after WWII

Capital of Taiwan – Taipei

Another you must know thing is Taiwan’s capital – Taipei City.

• Taipei’s space : 271.80 km
• Taipei’s population : 2,646,204

Besides capital city, there are 5 more main cities in Taiwan.

• Read more about : the second biggest city in Taiwan – Kaohsiung
• Read more about : The first capital and oldest city in Taiwan – Tainan

Is Taiwan in China?

As you can see below, on the map of Taiwan looks like an isolated sweet potato and Taiwanese sometimes call themselves as sweet potato children. All the cities are next to the ocean except for Nantou, but Nantou has Sun Moon Lake.

Taiwan is divided into 2 areas by the Central Mountains. the western part of Taiwan is urban and the eastern part is more natural.

The western area is dividied into 3 regions making up a total of 4 regions of the country. Northern Taiwan, Central Taiwan, and Southern Taiwan and Eastern Taiwan.

The ROC Flag

This is the flag of Republic of China looks like.

Before we talk about travel tips or politics, I would like to introduce Taiwan a little bit more. Lets first talk about must know key facts about the country Taiwan, such as the languages people speak, time, the population as well as the country code.

What languages do Taiwanese people speak?

This question is simple but also a little tricky. Taiwanese Mandarin is the official language but there are many more languages spoken in Taiwan You must know about many of them are much older than Taiwanese Mandarin.

Most of these languages are Indigenous languages and each tribe has their own language.

Some of these languages will become extinct in the near future as the small number of people who speak them are getting older.

For example, my grandparents do not really understand Taiwanese Mandarin and only know a few words. They speak Taiwanese which has its known unique history and food culture. Taiwan has been colonized by many countries over the years, including the Netherland, Spain, Japan and the Ming and Qing Dynasties (modern day China).

This has had a huge impact on the languages spoken in Taiwan and in fact, you can hear many of these external influences in Taiwan today.

What time zone is Taiwan in?

Since Taiwan is such a small country, it is in only one timezone in Taiwan. Taiwan is located in GMT+8, which is 12 hours ahead of New York and 2 hours behind Melbourne. Taiwan has not used daylight savings since 1979.

What is Taiwan’s country telephone code?

Taiwan country code is +886

There are many telecom companies in Taiwan that provide unlimited internet data at reasonable prices, therefore you do not need to worry about calling your family overseas over the internet.

Who is the Taiwanese president?

The current Taiwanese president is Tsai Ing-Wen, from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Taiwan is a democratic country and its presidential election is held every four years. The election year is the same as in the US, however the difference is in Taiwan every single ticket counts instead of the State Electoral College system used in the US.

Is Taiwan China? What is Taiwan’s history?

Most people call it Taiwan, some people call it Formosa (named by Portugal during the Discovering period) and in some cases, people call it the Republic of China.

In order to avoid confusion, the difference in name between Taiwan and China:

• Republic of China = Taiwan
• People’s Republic of China (PRC) = China

Taiwan and China are different countries.

I, as a Taiwanese prefer that you call me Taiwanese or Asian instead of Chinese.

A lot of People in Taiwan get offended, when you refer to them as Chinese, you must know this about Taiwan, before you come to visit.

I know this is a controversial topic and I don’t want to start a fight here. If you would like to know about this part more, check out these resources:

Nathan Rich is a british Youtuber and he often criticizes political between Taiwan and China.

More videos about Taiwan and China.

• Why China And Taiwan Hate Each Other by Now This World
• Is Taiwan a country… or part of China? by WonderWhy

Entry Visas to visit Taiwan

Before you visit Taiwan, you must know about your country is a part of visa-free in Taiwan.

30 days visa-free Countries :

Asien/Pacific :

Singapore, Malaysia, Nauru (3 countries)

Central/South American :

Beliz, Dominican Republic, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (5 countries)

90 Days visa-free Countries :

Asian/Pacific :

Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Tuvalu, Isreal (7 countries)

North America :

Canada, USA (2 countries)

Central/South American :

Chile, República de El Salvador, República de Guatemala, République d’Haïti, República de Honduras, República de Nicaragua, República del Paraguay (7 countries)

Europe :

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Makedonija, Monaco, Netherland, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Spinach, Slovenia, Slovensko, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Vatican City, (37 countries)

After the serious part, I am going to tell you some interesting travel part. You might want to know before visit Taiwan.

Currency Exchange in Taiwan

Money is used in Taiwan is New Taiwanese Dollar.

$1 USD ≈ $30ish NTD

$1 AUD ≈ $20ish NTD

How to exchange your currency to New Taiwan Dollar (NTD)

If you would like to exchange currency to New Taiwan dollar (NTD) there are some ways you can do it.

• Exchange in your own country (this depends on your country’s currency exchange availability).
• Exchange currency at a bank in Taiwan
• Currency Exchange counter at a Shopping Mall (limited to certain foreign currencies)
• Some Hotels provide currency exchange (depending on the hotel)
• ATM (you can do this with certain bank cards)

What is the best rate you can get when exchanging to Taiwanese dollars?

What is the best currency to use when exchanging money in Taiwan? I would recommend you to use USD/JPW/EUD/CNY currency, they usually have pretty good rate, especially USD.

Which power plug is used in Taiwan?

• 110V 60Hz。Type C or B (for some devices) But basically type C is very common one.

If you are not sure which is type C, see the picture below or purchase international travel adaptor. It is same type used in the USA. gernerally speaking, phone or laptop voltage range is pretty wide but you should double check before you use it in Taiwan. If your devise does not support 110V 60Hz, it is recommended to purchase a transformer or a local charging unit.

When is the best time to travel to Taiwan?

Taiwan is located in Subtropical and Tropical regions, temperatures are generally warm but it does get as low as 5 degrees Celcius (41°F). You may also see some snow in winter on mountains that are above 3,000 m (9,842 ft) For example : Hehuanshan, 3,422 m (11227 ft)

But on the mountain over 3,000 m (9,842 ft) usually will snow in the winter period and also although southern Taiwan is under the tropical climate, the region’s temp still can get low until 5°C (41°F).

• Average temperature in the North of Taiwan 13°C – 20°C (55.4°F – 68°F)in Winter, 25°C- 31°C (77°F – 87.8°F) in Summer.
• Average temperature in the South of Taiwan 15°C – 24°C (59°F – 75.2°F) in Winter, 26°C – 32°C (78.8°F – 89.6°F) in Summer.

So, when is the best month to visit Taiwan? I would say, year around.

You can decide for yourself, if you prefer chilly weather but not too cold, between late Feb to early May is the best time and you are able to see cherry blossoms in Alishan. If you are looking for a hot summer season, visit Taiwan in Jun to Nov. Between Nov and Feb there are usually many festivals going on in Taiwan, for example, you can celebrate New Year’s Eve in Taipei 101 or Kenting.

However, be aware, there are many typhoons during this period as well, you probably don’t want to encounter them, so plan your itinerary more flexible.

Taiwan’s nature disaster – Earthquakes and Typhoons

Earthquake

Taiwan is situated on the Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate and this is part of the reason why Taiwan’s nature is so beautiful.

Be aware of this, a place located between two plates will cause some problems, for example, earthquakes. Earthquakes are difficult to predict, it is hard to know when and where earthquakes will occur and how strong they will be. So unfortunately I am not able to tell you when and where earthquakes will happen, but neither can scientists. However, if you are interested in earthquakes you can check the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan (九二一地震教育園區) in Taichung.

• Address : No.192, Xinsheng Rd., Wufeng Dist., Taichung City 41363, Taiwan (臺中市霧峰區坑口里新生路192號)
• Admission fee : NTD $50

How to get there?

Public Bus routes :

1. U-bus Nr.50 will direct front of 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan. (slower)
2. Taichung Bus 107/201 to Kengkou Village/Guangfu New Village (光復新村) and walk 12 mins will arrive. (faster)

• Recommend: Use an Easy card or I-pass take a bus to get a discount.
• Recommend: Day pass for Taipei Easy card | Kaohsiung i-Pass | Easy card + sim card

Typhoons

Typhoons are a little more predictable than earthquakes. They come to visit Taiwan every year, during the summer time (June to September). Occasionally they will come in May or October but it does not happen very often, this is something you must know about Taiwan before book your ticket .

So Typhoon levels are based on wind speed.

• Mild Typhoon (roughly level 8-11) wind speed 17.2m to 32.6m
• Moderate intensity(roughly level 12-15)wind speed 32.7m to 50.9m
• Intense intensity (over or level 16) wind speed 51m

Depending on the severity level of the typhoon, some shops might close and public transport might stop operations as well.

Conclusion :

When a person travels to another country, it often happens that they make small mistakes because they misunderstand the culture or did not prepare in advance.

Taiwanese people are sensitive about its international status, it will be very helpful if you refer to Taiwan as a country instead of a province of China. I believe that one day Taiwan will be an independent country without a doubt. If you are willing to help, please share this article with anyone who cares about this too.

Travel tools

• Need A TAIWAN travel brochure, check out Lonely Planet
• Plan your Taiwan trip via KKday | Klook

*Both offer cheaper entry tickets to many attractions, such as museums and theme parks. You can even get discounts on sim cards, transportations and much much more.

When I look for flight tickets I usually go to:

Skyscanner is the biggest flight ticket search website

When I look for accommodation I usually go to:

• Agoda (Tip: if you book a non-refundable room, you usually get a very good deal).
• Booking.com (my favorite one, easy to manage bookings).
• Hotel.com (If you book more than 10 nights, you will get one night for free).

Read more about Travel Tips

• The Best 9 Places to visit in YiLan, Taiwan
• Where Are The Top 5 Popular Nature Destinations In Taiwan

Read more about Travel Tips

• What Is Virtual Tour And How To Effortlessly Do It

Anything you would like to know about Taiwan? share with us and share this post with anyone who interested in it.

Note : Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and with no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. The commission will be used to keep the site running. 

The post 15 Things You Should Know Before Travel To Taiwan appeared first on Base in Melb.

Taiwan is a small island country that located in Asia. You might have heard about it but do you know anything about it?

Before reading the post, please follow Base in Melb on Facebook and Instagram. You can see new post notifications and travel news from time to time. 

In fact, I am not surprised about this at all. Taiwan is an island country and it is three times smaller than New York State, check it out

Being a Taiwanese, I’d not seen more than 50 western foreigners in my life before I have been travelling around the world. My hometown is the second big city in Taiwan called Kaohsiung and located in the south of Taiwan. 

5 Reasons Why Travel To Taiwan

• Scenery
• Cuisine
• 3C Products
• Hot springs
• Religion

Taiwan has never been a popular destination to travel despite Taiwan having many spectacular natural sceneries. 

Here are some reasons below, I would like to share with you, Why Taiwan should be your next destination.

Travel Taiwan’s Scenery

If I tell you the cliff in Taiwan in the top 16 epic Cliff sides in the world. Are you a little interested now? 

Taiwan is a small island country divided in two by a large mountain range. Eastern side of Taiwan faces the Pacific Ocean and you can see the magnificent views when driving along the Su Hua highway. 

While driving on the highway, you will see two very different sceneries on each side; on the one side you can see the Pacific Ocean and on the other Qingshui Cliff and the Central mountain range in the background. 

Besides this beauty view, there are many more gorgeous views all over Taiwan.

Travelling by car to Maolin national park from Kaohsiung will take less than an hour. Travelling by car around Taiwan is very quick and you will see magnificent views along the way!

Travel to Taiwan with Cuisine

Not long ago, I read an article, it claiming that Taiwan’s food is boring. It shocked me at first however, I realized that the majority of food in Asia for me is quite spicy or salty; and I also realised that too many people might find Taiwanese food to be boring or tasteless. 

Nevertheless, everyone has their own taste when it comes to food! There are some foods that originally come from Taiwan that you might not expect and I would say Taiwanese food definitely is a highlight and that is why you should travel to Taiwan. You may have heard of Bubble tea for instance. 

Something you should try

The classical Bubble tea is (Fresh) Milk and bubble known as pearls (which are Tapioca balls) combined together, they make the drink even tastier with additional toppings. 

The bubble shops now are spread across many different counties, and of course some countries started inventing their own favors now. But you should travel to Taiwan and try the original one.

There is a street about 1km long near my parents’ home, and bubble tea shops probably occupy half of the street, Taiwan truly is the home of bubble tea!

3C Products

Some of you may have heard about companies like ASUS or Acer, you may not have known that these companies are from Taiwan. 

As I mentioned before, Taiwan is never a popular destination because Taiwan’s economy does not rely on tourism, but relies heavily on manufacturing instead. 

Taiwan produces a lot of high tech that you can see everywhere including ASUS, Acer and MSI and many more. You can buy the 3C products in Taiwan and it usually will be cheaper than others.

Here is my experience

Early this year, I went back to Taiwan to visit my parents and friends with my partner, and unfortunately, my phone’s battery had something wrong with it and needed replacing. I did not make an appointment, instead, I just went to a phone shop which is a licensed Apple reseller. 

They had nice service and they were willing to help me out and rushed to fix my phone asap. By the time, I left the shop and headed to see my friend, within 50 mins just as we were leaving the MRT and headed to Taipei 101, they called me to pick up my phone.

Boom, that is not gonna happen in Melbourne. Why not? Because my partner has had previous experience in authorized Apple stores and the service is never as good as the service I got in Taipei.

Hot spring

Visiting the a hot spring during the cold winter period is the best thing ever! If you are a fan of hot springs, Taiwan is a country you do not want to miss to travel around. 

In this small island, there are three hot spring areas that are very famous, Beitou Hot Spring, Zhiben and Green Island. 

Green Island’s Zhaori Hot Spring

The Zhaori hot spring in Green island is one of only three seawater hot springs in the world, the other two are in Japan and Italy. The Zhaori hot spring is next to the rocky beach spectacular Pacific Ocean view. 

Green island is a small island next to Taiwan which takes about 50-60 minutes to get to by ferry or a 15 minute flight. Green Island is so small it only takes about 30-40 minutes to explore by scooter, 3 hours by bicycle or 19km by walking.  

If you cannot afford to fly to Green Island, Beitou or Zhiben might be a good option. 

Beitou Hot Spring in Taipei

Beitou is located in New Taipei city and is suitable for the tourist short-term stay in Taiwan. From Taipei Main MRT station to Beitou station takes only 25 mins by Metro system.

The admission fee for Beitou Public Hot Spring costs only NTD $40 (USD $1.4 OR AUD $2). 

Of course if you prefer a private one, there are some hotels nearby,too. The price range NTD $400 to $2800 (USD $13.5 – $93.65 OR AUD $20 – $140) 

Religion

Religion in Taiwan is very diverse, however Taoism is the biggest one and some Christian, Buddhism and a very few Jewish or Muslim people. Of course Atheism is getting popular with the younger generation now. 

In one street, there are different temples or churches next to each other and nobody feels offended about that. 

I know some of you probably confused about the culture between China (Republic People of China) and Taiwan (Republic Of China).

Indeed, the majority Taiwanese’s ancestors came from the Ming dynasty or the Qing dynasty which the country was not PRC yet. 

They brought the religion of old china (or previous dynasty) to Taiwan. That is why Taoism is still the main religion in Taiwan.

After those reason above, I hope you have a little bit interested in Taiwan now. Taiwan’s travel/living cost is not as cheap as some southeast Asian countries. The price below is just a simple example. 

Costs

The cost of traveling in Taiwan is not as cheap as some of southeast Asian countries besides,  price in Taipei, it is always higher than other cities.

Accommodation Price in Tawan:

• Backpacker one bunk bed hostel is about NTD $450 – $800 per night (USD $15-26.74 OR AUD $22.66 – 40.69) (07.03.20 currency)
• Hotel start from NTD $1800 per night (USD $60 OR AUD $90). It all depends on the season, location and hotel level. 

Food Price in Taiwan:

• Food Street food in Taiwan is relatively cheaper than small shops or restaurants.
• Roughly price is between NTD $10 -100 and restaurants NTD $150 – 300 per dish.

Conclusion :

Everyone plans their trip for a different reason, it can be a food trip, a scenery trip and even a religious trip. People curious about what they can feel, explore and taste in Taiwan.

Taiwan is a country with people from different groups and backgrounds gathering together and living together. Since Taiwan has been colonised by the Dutch, Spanish and Japanese, things such as the food and language has been blended over the years by these different cultures.

Travel tools

• Need A TAIWAN travel brochure, check out Lonely Planet
• Plan your Taiwan trip via KKday | Klook*

*Both offer cheaper entry tickets to many attractions, such as museums and theme parks. You can even get discounts on sim cards, transportations and much much more.

When I look for flight tickets I usually go to:

Skyscanner is the biggest flight ticket search website

When I look for accommodation I usually go to:

• Agoda (Tip: if you book without a refund policy, you can usually get a very good deal). 
• Booking.com (my favorite website, easy to manage your bookings). 
• Hotel.com (If you need to book more than 10 nights, you will get one night for free).

Read more about Travel Tips

• What Is Virtual Tour And How To Effortlessly Take One

Anything you would like to know about Taiwan? share with us and share this post with anyone who interested in it.

Note : Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and with no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. The commission will be used to keep the site running. 

The post Travel Taiwan Guide | A Taiwanese girl telling you why appeared first on Base in Melb.