View source for Taiwan Province

{{Short description|Administrative division of Taiwan}}
{{About|the administrative division of the Republic of China|the nominal province of the People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|other uses}}
{{distinguish|Formosa Province|Administrative divisions of Taiwan}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = Taiwan
|official_name          = 
|native_name            = {{lang|zh-Hant-TW|臺灣省}}
| translit_lang1                  = Name
| translit_lang1_type             = {{nobold|Chinese}}
| translit_lang1_info             = {{lang|zh| 臺灣省}} ({{Transliteration|zh|Táiwān Shěng}})
| translit_lang1_type1            = {{nobold|Abbreviation}}
| translit_lang1_info1            = TW / {{lang|zh-hans|{{linktext|臺}}}} (pinyin: {{Transliteration|zh|Tái{{noitalic|; Hokkien: }}Tâi{{noitalic|; Hakka: }}Thòi}})
| translit_lang1_type2            = {{nobold|[[Hokkien]] [[Pe̍h-ōe-jī|POJ]]}}
| translit_lang1_info2            = ''Tâi-oân-séng''
| translit_lang1_type3            = {{nobold|[[Taiwanese Hakka|Hakka]] [[Pha̍k-fa-sṳ|PFS]]}}
| translit_lang1_info3            = ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén''
|other_name             = 
|settlement_type        = [[Administrative divisions of Taiwan|Province]]
|nickname               = 
|motto                  = 
|image_skyline          = {{Multiple image
| border                = infobox
| total_width           = 280
| image_style           = border:1
| perrow                = 1/2/2
| image1 = TRA Hsinchu Station.jpg
| image2 = Hinoki Village wooden wall by Chiayi Forestry District Office 20160326.jpg
| image3 = 基隆 大武崙砲台.jpg
| image4 = 八卦山大佛風景區 (cropped).jpg
| image5 = 北港朝天宮.JPG
| image6 = Eluanbi Lighthouse 02.jpg
| image7 = Penghu Great Bridge.jpg
 }}
|imagesize              = 
|image_caption          = 
|image_flag             = Taiwan Province Flag.svg
|flag_size              = 120px
|image_seal             = Taiwan Province Government emblem.svg
|seal_type              = Seal
|seal_size              = 100px
|image_blank_emblem     = 
|blank_emblem_type      = 
|blank_emblem_size      = 
|image_map              = Taiwan Province in Taiwan.svg
|mapsize                = 275px
|map_caption            = Map depicting subdivisions nominally part of the province (red)
|image_map1             = 
|mapsize1               = 
|map_caption1           = 
|coordinates            = {{Coord|23.8|N|121.0|E|region:TW_type:adm1st_dim:500000|display=it}}
|subdivision_type       = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name       = {{ROC}}
|seat_type              = Provincial capital
|seat                   = [[Zhongxing New Village]] (1956-2018) <br>[[Taipei]] (1945–1956)
| seat1_type                      = Largest city
| seat1                           = [[Hsinchu]]
| parts_type                      = Divisions
| parts_style                     = para
| p1                              = 11 [[counties of Taiwan|counties]]
| p2                              = 3 [[provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]]
|established_title      = Established from [[Fuchien Province, Republic of China|Fujian]]
|established_date       = 1887
|established_title2     = [[Treaty of Shimonoseki|Annexed by Japan]]
|established_date2      = 17 April 1895
|established_title3     = [[Retrocession of Taiwan|Placed under the control of the ROC]]
|established_date3      = 25 October 1945
|established_title4     = Streamlined
|established_date4      = 21 December 1998
|extinct_title          = Governmental functions removed
|extinct_date           = 1 July 2018<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ettoday.net/news/20180628/1201124.htm |script-title=zh:賴清德拍板！省政府7月1日解散、省級機關預算將歸零 |website=ettoday.net |language=zh-tw |date=28 June 2018}}</ref>
|government_type        = [[Administrative divisions of Taiwan#History|Province]] (nominal)
|governing_body         = [[Taiwan Provincial Government]] (1945–2018, now ''de jure''){{efn|Dissolved in July 2018, [[National Development Council (Taiwan)|National Development Council]] as the superseding agency.}}
|area_magnitude         = 
|area_total_km2         = 25,110.0037
|area_note              = 
|population_as_of       = 2020
|population_note        = 
|population_total       = 7,060,473
|population_density_km2 = auto
|population_metro       = 
|population_demonym     = Taiwanese
|timezone               = [[Time in Taiwan|NST]]
|utc_offset             = +08:00
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|title=Taiwan
|collapse=no
|pic=Taiwan (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap="Taiwan" in [[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional]] (top) and [[Simplified Chinese characters|Simplified]] (bottom) Chinese characters
|picupright=0.5
|t={{linktext|臺灣}} {{small|or}} {{linktext|台灣}} |s={{linktext|台湾}}
|p=Táiwān |bpmf=ㄊㄞˊ&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ㄨㄢ |w=Tʻai²-wan¹ |tp=Táiwan |mi={{IPAc-cmn|t|ai|2|.|wan|1}} |gr=Tair'uan | mps=Táiwān |zh-dungan=Тэван|psp=Taiwan 
|hsn=dwɛ<sup>13</sup> ua<sup>44</sup>
|poj=Tâi-oân |tl=Tâi-uân |phfs=Thòi-vàn ''or''<br />Thòi-vân |buc=Dài-uăng |j=Toi4waan1 |y=Tòihwāan |ci={{IPAc-yue|t|oi|4|.|w|aan|1}} |wuu=The<sup>平</sup>-uae<sup>平</sup><br />{{IPA|wuu|d̥e uɛ|}}
<!--|hsn2=tan<sup>44</sup> ɣo<sup>13</sup> miɛn<sup>13</sup> kwa<sup>13</sup>-->
|altname=Abbreviation
|t2={{linktext|臺}} {{small|or}} {{linktext|台}}
|s2={{linktext|台}}
|p2=Tái 
|bpmf2=ㄊㄞˊ 
|w2=Tʻai² 
|tp2=Tái 
|mi2={{IPAc-cmn|t|ai|2}} 
|gr2=Tair 
|mps2=Tái
|hsn2=dwɛ<sup>13</sup>
|poj2=Tâi |tl2=Tâi 
|phfs2=Thòi 
|buc2=Dài 
|j2=Toi4 |y2=Tòih |ci2={{IPAc-yue|t|oi|4}} 
|wuu2=The<sup>平</sup><br />{{IPA|wuu|d̥e|}}
|altname3=Taiwan Province
|t3={{linktext|臺灣|省}} {{small|or}} {{linktext|台灣|省}}
|s3={{linktext|台湾|省}}
|bpmf3=ㄊㄞˊ&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ㄨㄢ&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ㄕㄥˇ 
|w3=Tʻai²-wan¹ Shêng³ 
|p3=Táiwān Shěng 
|tp3=Táiwan Shěng 
|mi3={{IPAc-cmn|t|ai|2|.|wan|1|-|sh|eng|3}}
|mps3=Táiwān Shěng 
|gr3=Tair'uan Sheeng 
|poj3=Tâi-oân-séng 
|tl3=Tâi-uân-síng
|phfs3=Thòi-vàn-sén ''or''<br />Thòi-vân-sén
|buc3=Dài-uăng sēng
|j3=Toi4waan1 Saang2 |y3=Tòihwāan Sáang |ci3={{IPAc-yue|t|oi|4|.|w|aan|1|-|s|aang|2}}
|showflag=ppojphfs
}}

'''Taiwan Province''' ({{lang-zh|t=臺灣省 |p=Táiwān Shěng |poj=Tâi-oân-séng}}; [[Pha̍k-fa-sṳ|PFS]]: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a ''[[de jure]]'' [[administrative divisions of Taiwan|administrative division]] of the [[Taiwan|Republic of China (Taiwan)]]. Provinces remain a titular division as a part of the [[Constitution of the Republic of China]], but are no longer considered to have any administrative function practically.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.president.gov.tw/Page/106|title=Local governments|website=Office of the President Republic of China (Taiwan)|access-date=30 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="TWP">{{cite web|url=https://garymarks.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13018/2021/03/Taiwan_combined.pdf|title=Taiwan combined|author= Sarah Shair-Rosenfield|website=The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|date= November 2020|access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref>

Taiwan Province covers approximately 69% of the [[geography of Taiwan|island of Taiwan]], and comprises around 31% of [[Demographics of Taiwan|the total population]].  The province initially covered the entire island of Taiwan (Formosa), [[Penghu]] (the Pescadores), [[Orchid Island]], [[Green Island, Taiwan|Green Island]], [[Xiaoliuqiu|Xiaoliuqiu Island]], and their [[List of islands of Taiwan|surrounding islands]]. Between 1967 and 2014, six [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipalities]] ([[Kaohsiung]], [[New Taipei City|New Taipei]], [[Taichung]], [[Tainan]], [[Taipei]] and [[Taoyuan, Taiwan|Taoyuan]]) were split off from the province, all in the most populous regions.

Taiwan was initially made a [[Taiwan Prefecture|prefecture]] of [[Fujian|Fujian Province]] by the [[Qing dynasty]] of China after its conquest of the [[Kingdom of Tungning]] in 1683. Following the [[Keelung campaign|French offensive in northern Taiwan]] during the [[Sino-French War]], the island's strategic position in maritime security and defence was re-evaluated and given prominence by the Qing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=James W. |authorlink=James W. Davidson |title=The Island of Formosa, Past and Present: History, People, Resources, and Commercial Prospects: Tea, Camphor, Sugar, Gold, Coal, Sulphur, Economical Plants, and Other Productions |year=1903 |publisher=Macmillan & Co. |url=https://archive.org/details/islandofformosap00davi |location=London and New York |ol=6931635M}}</ref> Under the auspices of [[Liu Mingchuan|Liu Ming-chuan]], a plan was commenced to develop Taiwan into a stand-alone division. In 1887, Taiwan was designated as a distinct [[Administration of territory in dynastic China#Qing dynasty (1644–1912)|province]] (namely "Fujian-Taiwan Province"; {{lang-zh|t= [[:zh:福建臺灣省|福建臺灣省]]}}), with Liu as the first governor, but the island was then [[Treaty of Shimonoseki|ceded]] to the [[Empire of Japan]] in 1895, following China's defeat in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]]. After the [[surrender of Japan]] in [[World War II]], the province was re-established on Taiwan by the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) government in September 1945, and it became the last stronghold of the KMT government after their defeat in the [[Chinese Civil War]]. The provincial capital of [[Taipei]] has correspondingly become the [[provisional capital]] of the [[Government of the Republic of China|central government]] since 1949.

During the constitutional reform initiated in 1996, the Taiwanese government decided to downsize the provincial structure to streamline overlapping personnel and administrative resources between the provincial and central governments, and cut excessive public spending.<ref>{{citation| chapter = The rise and fall of Sanminzhuyi Utopia | pages = 136–138 | author = Bi-yu Chang | title = Place, Identity, and National Imagination in Post-war Taiwan | publisher = Routledge | date = 24 March 2015 | isbn = 9781317658122 | chapter-url = {{Google books|hgaUBwAAQBAJ|page=138|plainurl=yes}} | postscript = .}}</ref> The provinces ceased to be self-governing bodies in December 1998, with their administrative functions transferred to the [[Executive Yuan]]'s subsidiary [[National Development Council (Taiwan)|National Development Council]], as well as second-tier local governments such as [[county (Taiwan)|counties]]. In July 2018, all provincial governmental organs were formally abolished, with their budget and personnel removed.<ref name="TWP"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2018/06/29/2003695750|title=Provincial-level agencies to be defunded next year|author= Sherry Hsiao|website=Taipei Times|date= 29 June 2018|access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref>

==History==
{{further|History of Taiwan}}

===Qing Empire===
In 1683, [[Zheng Keshuang]] (third ruler of the [[Kingdom of Tungning]] and a grandson of [[Koxinga]]), surrendered to the [[Qing Empire]] following a naval engagement with Admiral [[Shi Lang]]. The Qing then ruled the Taiwanese archipelago (including [[Penghu]]) as [[Taiwan Prefecture]] of [[Fujian Province]]. In 1875, [[Taipeh Prefecture]] was separated from Taiwan Prefecture. In 1885, work commenced under the auspices of [[Liu Mingchuan|Liu Ming-chuan]] to develop Taiwan into a province. In 1887, the island was designated as a province (officially "Fujian-Taiwan Province"; Chinese: [[:zh:福建臺灣省|福建臺灣省]]), with Liu as the first governor.<ref>{{harvp|Davidson|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/islandofformosap00davi/page/244 244]}} "During the French war, Liu Ming-chuan had been placed in sole command, responsible only to the central authorities. Under his superintendence, Formosa had been carried safely through the war, and it was now apparent that the exigencies of the times required that the island should be made an independent province, and that officials of high rank and undoubted ability should be henceforth placed in charge of it. Therefore, in 1887, the island was declared by Imperial decree an independent province, and the Imperial Commissioner Liu Ming-chuan was appointed the first governor."</ref> The province was also reorganized into four prefectures, eleven districts, and three sub-prefectures.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=244|ps=: "A thorough reorganization and redivisioning of the island was now necessitated. In former days, Formosa comprised one complete prefecture, four districts, and three sub-prefectures. Now the island became a province with four prefectures (Taipeh, Taiwan, [[Tainan]], and [[Taitung Prefecture|Taitung]]), eleven districts, and three sub-prefectures."}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Sketches from Formosa |year=1915 |last=Campbell |first=William |author-link=William Campbell (missionary) |publisher=Marshall Brothers |location=London |chapter=Chapter XLIV: A Retrospect and a Forecast |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/sketchesfromtaiw00camprich#page/278/mode/2up |ol=7051071M |pages=278–9}}</ref> The provincial capital, or "Taiwan-fu", was intended to be moved from the south (modern-day [[Tainan]]) to the more central area of ''Toatun'' (modern-day [[Taichung]]) in the revamped Taiwan Prefecture.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|pp=244–5|ps=: "As a result of these changes and additions, the seat of government (which had been formerly at the old town of Taiwan-fu in the south, which city had been in turn the capital of the Dutch, Koxinga, and the Chinese,) was now removed temporarily to the new city of [[Taipei|Taipeh]], which had been lately in course of construction...In connection with this, it is necessary to go further and explain that it was the intention of the government to build a new capital city in the centre of the island near [[Changhua|Changwha]]. Accordingly, the new city was laid out and the construction of official yamens commenced. The name of the new city became Taiwan-fu, or the capital city of Taiwan (Formosa), and it was also to be the seat of a new prefecture called [[Taiwan Prefecture|Taiwan [Prefecture]]]." }} As the new central Taiwan-fu was still under construction, the capital was temporarily moved north to Taipeh (modern-day Taipei), which eventually was designated the provincial capital.
{|class=wikitable
|+Divisions of Taiwan (Formosa) as a province<ref>adapted from {{harvp|Davidson|1903|p=244}}</ref>
!Circuit!!Prefectures!!Districts!!Sub-Prefectures
|-
|rowspan=12|Taiwan
|rowspan=3|[[Taipeh Prefecture|Taipeh]]
|Tamsui || Kelung
|-
|Gilan ||
|-
|Hsinchu ||
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Taiwan Prefecture|Taiwan]]
|Taiwan ({{lang|zh-Hant|[[:zh:臺灣縣 (1887年-1895年)|臺灣縣]]}}) ||
|-
|Changwha || Puli
|-
|Yunlin ||
|-
|Miaoli ||
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Tainan Prefecture (Qing dynasty)|Tainan]]
|Anping || Penghu
|-
|Kagi ||
|-
|Fengshan ||
|-
|Hengchun ||
|-
|[[Taitung Prefecture|Taitung]]||colspan=2|
|}

===Empire of Japan===
In 1895, the entire Taiwan Province, including Penghu, was [[cession|ceded]] to [[Japan]] following the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] through the [[Treaty of Shimonoseki]]. [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Under Japanese rule]], the province was abolished in favour of [[Political divisions of Taiwan (1895-1945)|Japanese-style divisions]]. 

After the [[surrender of Japan]] in 1945, Taiwan was [[Retrocession Day|handed over]] to the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (ROC).

===Republic of China===
[[File:Republic of China edcp location map (disputed territories) Taiwan.svg|thumb|Map of Taiwan Province within the ''de jure'' territory of the ROC.]]
[[File:Taiwan Province License Plate (0146).JPG|thumb|Prior to 1 January 2007 all vehicles registered in Taiwan Province carried the label "Taiwan Province" ({{lang|zh-tw|台灣省}}) on their [[Vehicle registration plates of Taiwan|license plates]].]]

The ROC government immediately established the [[Taiwan Provincial Government]] under first Chief Executive and government-general [[Chen Yi (Kuomintang)|Chen Yi]] in September 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hrc.ntu.edu.tw/attachments/9709/japan.pdf |script-title=zh:「去日本化」「再中國化」：戰後台灣文化重建(1945–1947) |quote=Chapter 1. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722235726/http://www.hrc.ntu.edu.tw/attachments/9709/japan.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=麥田出版社 |last1=Huang |first1=Yingzhe (黃英哲) |date=19 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.shaw.ca/leksu/mainp9e.htm|title=The Feb. 28 Incident|website=members.shaw.ca|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610023541/http://members.shaw.ca/leksu/mainp9e.htm|archive-date=10 June 2004}}</ref> Chen was extremely unpopular and his rule led to an uprising: the [[February 28 Incident]] of 1947. Chen was recalled in May 1947 and the government-general position was abolished.

In 1949, [[Chinese Communist Party]] forces defeated the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) in the [[Chinese Civil War]], and the Republic of China government moved to Taipei. The provincial administration remained in place under the claim that the ROC was still the government of all of China even though the opposition argued that it overlapped inefficiently with the national government.

The seat of the provincial government was moved from [[Taipei]] to [[Zhongxing New Village]] in 1956. Historically, Taiwan Province covers the entire island of Taiwan and all its associated islands. The city of Taipei was split off to become a province-level [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipality]] in 1967, and the city of Kaohsiung was split off in 1979 to become another special municipality. In December 2010, [[Kaohsiung County]] left the province and merged with the original Kaohsiung City to become an expanded Kaohsiung City, [[Taipei County]] became the special municipality named [[New Taipei City]]. The cities and counties of [[Taichung]] and [[Tainan]] were also merged, respectively, and elevated to special municipality. On 25 December 2014, [[Taoyuan, Taiwan|Taoyuan County]] was upgraded into a [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipality]] and split off from Taiwan Province.

Until 1992, the governor of Taiwan province was appointed by the ROC central government. The office was often a stepping stone to higher office.

In 1992, the post of the governor of the province was opened to election. The then-opposition [[Democratic Progressive Party]] (DPP) agreed to retain the province with an elected governor in the hopes of creating a "[[Boris Yeltsin|Yeltsin]] effect" in which a popular local leader could overwhelm the national government. These hopes proved unfulfilled as then-Kuomintang member [[James Soong]] was elected governor of Taiwan province, defeating the DPP candidate [[Chen Ding-nan]].

In 1997, as the result of an agreement between the KMT and the DPP, the powers of the provincial government were curtailed by constitutional amendments. The post of provincial governor was abolished. In addition, the provincial council was also replaced by the [[Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council]]. Although the stated purpose was administrative efficiency, Soong and his supporters claim that it was actually intended to impede [[James Soong]]'s political life, though it did not have this effect.

The provincial administration was downscaled in 1998, most of its power handed to the central government. The [[County (Taiwan)|counties]] and [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|provincial cities]] under the province became the primary administrative divisions of the country.

==Government==
{{Main|Taiwan Provincial Government|Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council}}

The position of the Chairperson of the Provincial Government, appointed by the [[Government of the Republic of China|central government]], is retained to comply with the [[Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China|Constitution]].

The major operations of the provincial government, such as managing [[highways in Taiwan|provincial highways]] and the [[Bank of Taiwan]], have been transferred to the [[Executive Yuan]] since 1998. In July 2018, all remaining duties were transferred to the [[National Development Council (Taiwan)|National Development Council]] and other ministries of the Executive Yuan.<ref name="tpg">{{cite web|url=http://www.tpg.gov.tw/|title=Taiwan Provincial Government Official Website|access-date=17 July 2018|archive-date=10 April 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030410213719/http://www.tpg.gov.tw/|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{failed verification |date=September 2020}}

The Taiwan Provincial Government was located in [[Zhongxing New Village]], [[Nantou City]], [[Nantou County]] between 1957 and 2018. 
{|
|[[File:Taiwan the Province Government Building.JPG|300px|thumb|The [[Taiwan Provincial Government]] building between 1957 and 2018. Currently the Office of the [[Zhongxing New Village]] Revitalization Project, [[National Development Council (Taiwan)|National Development Council]]]]
|[[File:Statues of Chiang Kai-shek in front of Taiwan Provincial Council Building 20101112.jpg|200px|thumb|The [[Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council]] building between 1958 and 2018. Currently a heritage site managed by the [[Taichung]] [[Taichung City Government|City Government]]]]
|}

==Divisions==
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Taiwan|List of administrative divisions of Taiwan}}

=== History of divisions ===
{{See also|Political divisions of Taiwan (1895–1945)}}

In October 1945, The [[Government of the Republic of China]] reformed the eight(8) [[prefectures of Japan|Japanese prefectures]] under the [[Government-General of Taiwan]] into 8 [[counties of Taiwan|counties]] and 9 [[provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]].

{|class=wikitable
!rowspan=2|Year!!rowspan=2|Date!!colspan=3|Division No.!!rowspan=2 width=700|Notes
|-
!Counties!!Cities!!Bureaus
|-
|1945||25 October||8||9||
|
* [[Counties of Taiwan|Counties]]: Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Penghu, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, and Taitung.
* [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|Cities]]: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, and Taipei.
: (with 2 county-controlled cities: Hualien and Yilan)
|-
|1949||26 August||8||9||1||Ts'ao-shan Administrative Bureau established from Taipei County
|-
|rowspan=2|1950||1 April||8||9||1||Ts'ao-shan Administrative Bureau renamed to [[Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau]]
|-
|16 August||16||5||1
|
* [[Counties of Taiwan|Counties]]: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, 
: Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin
* [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|Cities]]: Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan, and Taipei.
: (Chiayi, Changhua, Hsinchu, and Pingtung downgraded to [[county-administered city|county-administered cities]])
* Bureau: [[Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau]]
|-
|1967||1 July||16||4||1||[[Taipei]] became the first Taiwanese [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipality]]
|-
|1968||1 July||16||4|| ||[[Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau]] merged into [[Taipei]]
|-
|1973||1 July||16||4||1||Li-shan Administrative Bureau established from Taichung County
|-
|1979||1 July||16||3||1||[[Kaohsiung]] became the second Taiwanese [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipality]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1981||1 March||16||3|| ||Li-shan Administrative Bureau merged back to Taichung County
|-
|25 December||16||3|| ||All [[county seat]]s (originally [[Township (Taiwan)|urban townships]]) upgraded to [[county-administered city|county-administered cities]].
|-
|1982||1 July||16||5|| ||Upgrade [[Chiayi]] and [[Hsinchu]] to [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|provincial cities]] (approved on 23 April 1981)
|-
|1998||21 December||16||5|| ||Provincial government streamlined, all [[County (Taiwan)|counties]] and [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]] are directly led by the [[Executive Yuan]]
|-
|2010||25 December||12||3|| ||Upgrade [[Kaohsiung]], [[New Taipei]], [[Taichung]], [[Tainan]] to [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipalities]],<br>which covers 4 [[County (Taiwan)|counties]] (Kaohsiung, Taipei, Taichung, Tainan) and 2 [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]] (Taichung and Tainan).
|-
|2014||25 December||11||3|| ||Upgrade [[Taoyuan, Taiwan|Taoyuan]] to a [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipality]].
|-
|2018||1 July||11||3|| ||Provincial government defunct, all [[County (Taiwan)|counties]] and [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]] are directly led by the [[Executive Yuan]]
|}

=== Current divisions ===
Taiwan Province is nominally divided into 11 [[counties of Taiwan|counties]] {{Color box|#e3edc3|border=darkgray}} and 3 [[provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]] {{Color box|#ceb2cd|border=darkgray}}. All divisions are directly administered by the [[Government of the Republic of China|central government]] in practice.

{|class=wikitable
!Map!!No.!!colspan=2|Name!![[Taiwanese Mandarin|Mandarin]]<br>([[Pinyin]])!![[Taiwanese Hokkien|Taiwanese]]<br>([[Pe̍h-ōe-jī]])!![[Taiwanese Hakka|Hakka]]<br>([[Pha̍k-fa-sṳ]])
|-
|rowspan=15 align=left|'''<div style="position: relative;">[[File:Subdivision types of the Republic of China (2014).svg|350px]]{{Image label|x=0.390|y=0.490|text=[[Changhua County|1]]}}{{Image label|x=0.380|y=0.645|text=[[Chiayi City|2]]}}{{Image label|x=0.435|y=0.665|text=[[Chiayi County|3]]}}{{Image label|x=0.535|y=0.205|text=[[Hsinchu City|4]]}}{{Image label|x=0.605|y=0.250|text=[[Hsinchu County|5]]}}{{Image label|x=0.670|y=0.575|text=[[Hualien County|6]]}}{{Image label|x=0.765|y=0.100|text=[[Keelung City|7]]}}{{Image label|x=0.525|y=0.315|text=[[Miaoli County|8]]}}{{Image label|x=0.535|y=0.535|text=[[Nantou County|9]]}}{{Image label|x=0.100|y=0.615|text=[[Penghu County|10]]}}{{Image label|x=0.425|y=0.945|text=[[Pingtung County|11]]}}{{Image label|x=0.550|y=0.850|text=[[Taitung County|12]]}}{{Image label|x=0.735|y=0.290|text=[[Yilan County, Taiwan|13]]}}{{Image label|x=0.355|y=0.575|text=[[Yunlin County|14]]}}</div>'''
|1||[[Changhua County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|彰化縣}}}}||Zhānghuà xiàn||Chiong-hoà koān||Chông-fa yen
|-
|2||[[Chiayi]] City||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|嘉義市}}}}||Jiāyì shì||Ka-gī chhī||Kâ-ngi sṳ
|-
|3||[[Chiayi County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|嘉義縣}}}}||Jiāyì xiàn||Ka-gī koān||Kâ-ngi yen
|-
|4||[[Hsinchu]] City||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|新竹市}}}}||Xīnzhú shì||Sin-tek chhī||Sîn-tsuk sṳ
|-
|5||[[Hsinchu County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|新竹縣}}}}||Xīnzhú xiàn||Sin-tek koān||Sîn-tsuk yen
|-
|6||[[Hualien County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|花蓮縣}}}}||Huālián xiàn||Hoa-liân koān||Fâ-lièn yen
|-
|7||[[Keelung]] City||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|基隆市}}}}||Jīlóng shì||Ke-lâng chhī||Kî-lùng sṳ
|-
|8||[[Miaoli County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|苗栗縣}}}}||Miáolì xiàn||Biâu-le̍k koān||Mèu-li̍t yen
|-
|9||[[Nantou County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|南投縣}}}}||Nántóu xiàn||Lâm-tâu koān||Nàm-thèu yen
|-
|10||[[Penghu County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|澎湖縣}}}}||Pénghú xiàn||Phêⁿ-ô͘ koān||Phàng-fù yen
|-
|11||[[Pingtung County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|屏東縣}}}}||Píngdōng xiàn||Pîn-tong koān||Phìn-tûng yen
|-
|12||[[Taitung County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|臺東縣}}}}||Táidōng xiàn||Tâi-tang koān||Thòi-tûng yen
|-
|13||[[Yilan County, Taiwan|Yilan County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|宜蘭縣}}}}||Yílán xiàn||Gî-lân koān||Ngì-làn yen 
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|14||[[Yunlin County]]||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|雲林縣}}}}||Yúnlín xiàn||Hûn-lîm koān||Yùn-lìm yen
|}

Note that the [[special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipalities]] of [[Kaohsiung]], [[New Taipei]], [[Taichung]], [[Tainan]], [[Taipei]], and [[Taoyuan, Taiwan|Taoyuan]] are both nominally under and directly administered by the [[Government of the Republic of China|central government]]. They are not parts of any province.

== Sister states/provinces ==
Taiwan Province was [[sister city|twinned]] with 42 [[U.S. state]]s:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://subtpg.tpg.gov.tw/web-life/sister/intro.asp?id=01 |title=Taiwan Provincial Administration Information Hall |access-date=4 December 2018 |archive-date=10 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410230129/http://subtpg.tpg.gov.tw/web-life/sister/intro.asp?id=01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{|
|valign=top|
* {{flag|Indiana}} (1979)
* {{flag|Utah}} (1980)
* {{flag|Oklahoma}} (1980)
* {{flag|Arizona}} (1980)
* {{flag|Missouri}} (1980)
* {{flag|Tennessee}} (1980)
* {{flag|West Virginia}} (1980)
* {{flag|Virginia}} (1981)
* {{flag|South Carolina}} (1981)
* {{flag|Kentucky}} (1982)
* {{flag|Colorado}} (1983)
* {{flag|Mississippi}} (1983)
* {{flag|Nebraska}} (1983)
* {{flag|Arkansas}} (1983)
|valign=top|
* {{flag|Alabama}} (1983)
* {{flag|California}} (1984)
* {{flag|Idaho}} (1984)
* {{flag|Minnesota}} (1984)
* {{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}} (1984)
* {{flag|Wyoming}} (1984)
* {{flag|South Dakota}} (1984)
* {{flag|Louisiana}} (1985)
* {{flag|Ohio}} (1985)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odod.state.oh.us/itd/SisterStates.htm|title=Welcome to the Ohio Department of Development<!-- Bot generated title -->|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617232722/http://www.odod.state.oh.us/itd/SisterStates.htm|archive-date=17 June 2009}}</ref>
* {{flag|New Mexico}} (1985)
* {{flag|Montana}} (1985)
* {{flag|Nevada}} (1985)
* {{flag|North Dakota}} (1986)
* {{flag|Wisconsin}} (1986)
|valign=top|
* {{flag|Oregon}} (1986)
* {{flag|Texas}} (1988)
* {{flag|Alaska}} (1988)
* {{flag|New Jersey}} (1989)
* {{flag|Iowa}} (1989)
* {{flag|Kansas}} (1989)
* {{flag|North Carolina}} (1991)
* {{flag|Massachusetts}} (1992)
* {{flag|Florida}} (1992)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://internationalaffairs.flgov.com/pdf/sister.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=29 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029102559/http://internationalaffairs.flgov.com/pdf/sister.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2008 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Illinois}} (1992)
* {{flag|Hawaii}} (1993)
* {{flag|Connecticut}} (1999)
* {{flag|Vermont}} (1999)
* {{flag|Delaware}} (2000)
|}

== Territorial disputes ==
{{Main|Senkaku Islands|Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Two Chinas}}

The [[China|People's Republic of China]] (PRC) regards itself as the "[[succession of states|successor state]]" of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (ROC), which the PRC claims no longer legitimately exists, following [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|establishment of the PRC]] on [[Mainland China]]. The PRC asserts itself to be the [[One China|sole legitimate government of China]], and claims Taiwan as its [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|23rd province]], even though the PRC itself has never had control of Taiwan or other ROC-held territories. The ROC [[political status of Taiwan|disputes this position]], maintaining that it still legitimately exists and that the PRC has not succeeded it.

The PRC claims the entirety of the [[geography of Taiwan|island of Taiwan]] and its nearby islands and islets, including the [[Penghu]], as parts of its Taiwan Province, corresponding to the ROC's Taiwan Province before the special municipalities were split off. The PRC claims that Taiwan is a part of China, that the PRC [[succession of states|succeeded]] the ROC as the sole legitimate authority in all of [[Greater China|China]] upon its founding in 1949, and that therefore Taiwan is a part of the PRC.

The [[Senkaku Islands]], which are currently administered by [[Japan]], are disputed by both the ROC and the PRC, which claim them as the Tiaoyutai/Diaoyu Islands. The ROC government claims them as part of [[Toucheng|Toucheng Township]], [[Yilan County, Taiwan|Yilan County]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Taiwan}}

* [[Chinese Taipei]]
* [[Fuchien Province, Republic of China]]
* [[History of the Republic of China]]
* [[Political status of Taiwan]]
* [[Politics of the Republic of China]]
* "[[Taiwan, China]]" – A political term used by the [[China|People's Republic of China]]
* [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Bush, R. & O'Hanlon, M. (2007). ''A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America''. Wiley. {{ISBN|0-471-98677-1}}
* Bush, R. (2006). ''Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait''. Brookings Institution Press. {{ISBN|0-8157-1290-1}}
* Carpenter, T. (2006). ''America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan''. Palgrave Macmillan. {{ISBN|1-4039-6841-1}}
* Cole, B. (2006). ''Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects''. Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-36581-3}}
* Copper, J. (2006). ''Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan''. Praeger Security International General Interest. {{ISBN|0-275-98888-0}}
* Federation of American Scientists et al. (2006). [http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/Book2006.pdf Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning]
* Gill, B. (2007). ''Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy''. Brookings Institution Press. {{ISBN|0-8157-3146-9}}
* Shirk, S. (2007). ''China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-530609-0}}
* Tsang, S. (2006). ''If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics''. Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-40785-0}}
* Tucker, N.B. (2005). ''Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis''. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|0-231-13564-5}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Taiwan}}
* [http://www.tpg.gov.tw/ Taiwan Provincial Government official website]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030410213719/http://www.tpg.gov.tw/ |date=10 April 2003 }}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051124184313/http://www.moi.gov.tw/outline/CivilAffairs.asp Local government structures] by the Department of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Interior, ROC (archived)

{{Administrative divisions of Taiwan navbar}}
{{Suspended ROC provinces}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Taiwan Province| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Provinces of the Republic of China (1912–1949)]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in China]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in Taiwan]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1945]]