Your best bet for halal food is restaurants or stores serving the Southeast Asian community. There are many halal certification bodies in Taiwan, but the Chinese Muslim Association certifies most halal stores; Muslim visitors can contact them for more information. In addition, the Taiwanese government provides a detailed list where one can find halal food and accommodations.
Water Bodies
The most widely spoken native language is Taiwanese Hokkien (also known as Taiwanese), a Southern Min dialect, particularly in the southern and central regions. Hakka, another Chinese language, is spoken by the Hakka people, primarily in the western part of the island. Taiwan is part of a larger archipelago that includes several smaller islands and islets. These include the Diaoyu Islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by both Taiwan and Japan, and the Orchid Island (Lanyu) and Green Island, located off Taiwan’s southeastern coast.
Words in native languages
Otherwise, your card will be blocked with “incomplete journey” (for all bus companies), and you will have to settle this issue with the responsible bus company. 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. Be insistent and with the help of the tourist information center tell them that you cannot go back to fix the problem, or that you tried and they did not solve the issue even though they told you so. Make sure that it is really unlocked (with a different bus company) and do not just trust them – it seems some cannot operate their machines properly.
- Martial law, declared on Taiwan in May 1949,206 continued to be in effect until 1987,206207 and was used to suppress political opposition.
- Police stations are marked with a red light above the door and display a sign with the word “Police” clearly printed in English.
- If landing at other airports, a temporary entry permit will be issued, and holders must apply for a visa on arrival in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- That said, contemporary Taiwanese society is largely secular in daily life, and religion in general does not play a significant role in people’s work or political affiliations.
- Make sure that it is really unlocked (with a different bus company) and do not just trust them – it seems some cannot operate their machines properly.
- The Taiwanese disease control authority is the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
In contrast to the mountainous regions, Taiwan’s western plains, especially in the central and southern parts of the island, are home to the majority of the population and are fertile agricultural areas. The plains are characterized by rolling hills and lowlands, where the majority of the island’s agriculture, including rice, sugarcane, and vegetables, takes place. The eastern side of the island is dominated by coastal areas and the Pacific Ocean, where dramatic cliffs meet the ocean. If you want an Internet connection to your smartphone, you can purchase a prepaid 4G unlimited data sim card from Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, or Far EasTone at a cost of NT$300 for 3 days, or NT$500 for 7 days (other periods are available as well).
Taiwanese calendar
They are not allowed on freeways even if they are capable of going faster than 100 km/h (62 mph) unless used for certain police purposes, but that just means you have to take the scenic route. This is not an extreme risk, although there have been incidents where women have been attacked. To be more safe, women can have the hotel or restaurant phone a cab for them (ensuring a licensed driver), have a companion write down the license number of the driver (clearly displayed on the dashboard), or keep a cell phone handy. Do not get in if the driver doesn’t have a license with picture clearly displayed in the cab. Taxis are also a flexible although relatively expensive way to travel to nearby cities.
Drivers are usually happy to help, but may not speak English or any other foreign language. For visitors, it may be helpful to have your hotel or accommodation host suggest some routes for you and circle your destination on a map, then show it to the bus driver to make sure you’re on the right bus. Announcements are in English, but hopefully the driver will remember to tell you when to get off in case you miss it.
Embassies and foreign missions
If they get too close to you, picking up a stone or having a big stick is usually a sufficient deterrent. Many indigenous communities have dogs freely running around their communities. While smoking marijuana is illegal, the cannabis product cannabidiol (CBD) is legal provided you have a doctor’s prescription, and it contains no more queenwin casino than 10 ppm (0.001%) tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component that gives you the “high”. Foreign victims of a major crime in Taiwan are also advised to report the matter to their government’s representative office in Taipei. Like anywhere else in the world, women should be cautious when taking taxis alone late at night. Although they are generally safe, it’s a good idea to arrange to have a friend call you when you get home and to be seen making the arrangements for this by the cab driver.
Participation in international events and organizations
Many motorcycle riders also have a tendency to zip through any space, no matter how tiny. Also be aware that motorcycles often travel through areas typically considered pedestrian-only spaces, like the night-markets. Most Taiwanese people enjoy their breakfast in breakfast bars (早餐店), which are almost everywhere. They can provide various foods for an enjoyable breakfast – from traditional shaobing youtiao with soy milk to American hamburgers with cola.
While drinking beer and enjoying the laid back environment, you will be afforded an opportunity to catch dinner with locals. Almost all double as restaurants with tables and ovens available for use, allowing you to cook your catch on-site and order additional dishes as needed. Some people think of Taiwan as a grimy, densely populated industrial island full of hard disk factories, and you may well maintain this perception if you only stick to the densely populated West Coast. However, for those who take time to venture to the more sparsely populated East Coast will quickly find that Taiwan is actually home to some stunning landscapes. The Taroko Gorge (太魯閣) near Hualien in particular is very impressive, and should not be missed, with a side trip to the rugged shores at Shihtiping (石梯坪) as a worthwhile detour.
The post-1949 Chinese immigrants come from every province and include many non-Han residents. Japanese, Hongkongers and Southeast Asians enjoy taking short trips to Taiwan to enjoy its neighborly hospitality. Taiwan is home to some well-known international companies such as Acer, MSI, Asus, HTC, TSMC and Giant Bicycles, whose technologies are some of the most advanced in the world. However, Taiwan is under de facto self-administration (the ROC), and to the traveller is effectively a separate country.
Most earthquakes are barely noticeable, though the effect may be slightly amplified for those in higher buildings. 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. Police departments in most jurisdictions have a Foreign Affairs Police unit staffed by English-speaking officers.
If you forget to tap the second time, you will only be charged a small initial fee instead of the whole journey, but unless you are at the end of your vacation to Taiwan or possess a second card, you should avoid having your card blocked. That said, most bus drivers and railway staff pay close attention to the tapping, so it is hard to miss. Indigenous Austronesian or “Formosan” culture has greatly suffered under multiple different waves of colonial rule. It is having a resurgence today, and efforts are being made to revive the culture through the introduction of the Formosan languages into the school curriculum. However, many aspects of it have been lost forever, which is evident in how the majority of the Formosan languages are extinct or moribund.
- A major hazard following heavy rainfall in the mountains is falling rocks (土石流) caused by the softening of the earth and there are occasional reports of people being killed or injured by these.
- Taiwan’s official languages are four varieties of Chinese — Mandarin, Taiwanese (a dialect of Minnan), Hakka, and Matsu dialect — as well as the indigenous Austronesian languages.
- Today, Taiwan is generally regarded as a modern, developed economy, and is the world’s largest producer of semiconductor chips.
- She did note, however, that she would be careful about commenting on specific scenarios from now on.
- Taiwan’s main newspapers are the Chinese-language Liberty Times (自由時報), China Times (中國時報) and United Daily News (聯合報).
- For decades, this ambiguity has kept China guessing – a form of deterrence – while leaving room for economic ties to flourish.
Economic overview
In the 2004 Olympics, Chen Shih-hsin and Chu Mu-yen won gold medals in the women’s flyweight event and the men’s flyweight event, respectively. Subsequent taekwondo competitors have strengthened Taiwan’s taekwondo culture. Most health providers operate in the private sector and form a competitive market on the health delivery side. However, many healthcare providers took advantage of the system by offering unnecessary services.
Two island groups controlled by the ROC government, Matsu and Quemoy, lie just off the coast of China’s Fujian (Fukien) province. In the East China Sea, the ROC claims the group of islands it calls Diaoyutai, which also are claimed by Japan as Senkaku and by the People’s Republic of China as Diaoyu. Ancestors of Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale Han Chinese immigration began under Dutch colonial rule and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning, the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history. The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895.
Where it is not available, there exist related WiFis that offer an iTaiwan login option, or there are other independent but free options like .1.Free Wi-Fi that require clicking an advertisement to get online. At some free WiFi spots, like in railway stations, there is a power and USB plug to charge your electronic devices. Although there are some correlations, it is highly unwise to assume anything about a particular person’s political beliefs based on what you think you know about their background.