Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is an island state off the southeast coast of mainland China. The ROC government relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War, and the island has since grown into a prosperous, high-tech democracy. Its political status is disputed — the People's Republic of China claims it as a province — but it functions as a self-governing state with its own military, currency and elections. Taiwan is the world's leading producer of advanced semiconductors and is known for its night markets, dramatic mountain scenery and vibrant civil society.
Population and area are rounded.
The “Blue Sky, White Sun and a Wholly Red Earth” flag was adopted by the Republic of China in 1928 and has flown over Taiwan since 1945. The blue sky and white sun were designed by Lu Haodong for the revolutionary movement in 1895; the sun's twelve rays stand for the twelve months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours. Blue, white and red are linked to Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People. At the Olympics Taiwan competes as Chinese Taipei under a different flag.
Red field with a blue canton bearing a white sun of twelve rays — the "Blue Sky, White Sun".
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, produces the majority of the world's most advanced semiconductors; Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010.
Every flag that has flown over Taiwan, from today back through time.
The Republic of China adopted the "Blue Sky, White Sun and a Wholly Red Earth" as its national flag in 1928. It has flown over Taiwan since the island was handed to the Republic of China at the end of the Second World War in 1945, and the government moved there in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War.
After its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki of 1895. The island was a Japanese colony for fifty years, until Japan's surrender in 1945.
Local officials declared the Republic of Formosa in May 1895 to resist the handover to Japan, under a blue flag with a yellow tiger. Japanese forces took the island and the republic collapsed that October.
Taiwan was made a province of the Qing Empire in 1887. The rectangular Yellow Dragon Flag, a blue dragon chasing a red pearl, became the Qing national flag in 1889 and flew until the island was ceded to Japan.
Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Taiwan.
The 'Blue Ground Yellow Tiger Flag' of a republic that lasted from May to October 1895, declared on Taiwan to resist the Japanese takeover after the First Sino-Japanese War.
30 other national flags use the same main colours as Taiwan's.
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