25th October: Taiwan Retrocession Day

Taiwan Retrocession Day is an annual observance and unofficial holiday in Taiwan to commemorate the end of 50 years of Japanese rule of the island and its handover to the Republic of China on October 25, 1945. Here are ten things you might not know about Taiwan.

1. The country is commonly known by the name “Taiwan” but its official name is the Republic of China. Not to be confused with the People's Republic of China.
2. The island used to be called "Formosa" (meaning "beautiful"), a name given to it by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
3. The shape of the main island of Taiwan is similar to a sweet potato or tobacco leaf, so Taiwanese people call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato."
4. Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) at 3,952 metres (12,966 ft);Taiwan is the world's fourth-highest island.
5. In Taiwan, the bin lorries play music, like Ice cream vans in the UK, to tell people to put their bins out.
6. Baseball is Taiwan's national sport.
7. The country has a national butterfly – the Papilio Maraho. Taiwan exports about 10 million Butterflies every year and is sometimes called the “Butterfly Kingdom.”
8. The total area of the country is 36,193 km2 (13,974 sq mi) - smaller than Switzerland, but bigger than Belgium.
9. The capital is Taipei, which is only the fourth largest city. Its population is 2.7 million people. The largest city is New Taipei, the second is Kaohsiung and third is Taichung.
10. Mandarin is the official language of the island.