• Bangladesh!

    Bangladesh: Traditional houses. Go Now!

    Bangladesh
    This low-lying country has historic ties to India and Pakistan, but today maintains a wholly unique culture. Explore Bangladesh!

  • Indonesia!

    Indonesia: Lombok. Go Now!

    Indonesia
    This archipelago nation is culturally diverse from big cities to isolated islands. Begin Your Journey!

  • Jordan!

    Jordan: Petra. Go Now!

    Jordan
    Tucked away in this Middle Eastern country, the famed city of Petra (pictured) links the past to the present culture. Explore Jordan!

  • Mongolia!

    Mongolia: Desert. Go Now!

    Mongolia
    This vast country has a culture that spans past and present... a nomadic life shifting to a modern & sedentary society. Begin Your Journey!

  • Kyrgyzstan!

    Kyrgyzstan: Tian Shan Mountains. Go Now!

    Kyrgyzstan
    The mountains, including the Tian Shan Mountains (pictured), give Kyrgyzstan a unique culture, partially formed from this isolation from the mountains. Go Now!

Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Taiwan

Ethnicity

Nearly everyone in Taiwan is wholly or primarily Han Chinese, although many refer to their ethnicity in numerous ways, including "Chinese" as well as "Taiwanese." No matter how an individual identifies, it says little about his or her ethnic makeup as many people in Taiwan are 100% Han Chinese, while many others have traces of the local, indigenous people or other Chinese ethnicities in them. Today there are few indigenous people left as they only make up about 2% of the population; these people's closest relatives are the Malays and Polynesians.

Language

Mandarin Chinese is the only official language in Taiwan, although the dialect spoken on the island isn't quite the same as the dialect of Mandarin spoken in mainland China. The most commonly spoken dialect of Mandarin is Taiwanese (also known as Min or Taiwanese Hokkien). Taiwanese Hokkien is very similar to the dialect spoken in the region of mainland China closest to Taiwan, but Taiwanese Hokkien is becoming more common due to their film and television industries. Nearly 70% of the people speak this dialect natively.

Religion

Over 90% of the people in Taiwan are Buddhist, Taoist, or a combination of these. Of the remaining 7% about half are Christian. Buddhism is a religion or philosophy that encourages people to strive for enlightenment. Adherents believe that each being is reborn until enlightenment is reached, at which time they escape the cycle of birth and death. To accomplish this, every being must speak, act, and live in a positive manner; this is magnified with the force of karma, which dictates an individual's later life and/or their rebirth.

This page was last updated: May, 2014