New Taiwan: Ilha Formosa
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The Website for Taiwan's History, Present, and Future
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Major events since the end of World War II

Oct. 1945:
Chiang-Kai-shek's troops occupy Taiwan
Feb. 1947:
"February 28th Incident"
May 1949:
Martial law declared
Apr. 1952:
San Francisco Peace treaty
Feb. 1972:
Shanghai Communiqué
Dec. 1979:
Kaohsiung Incident
Sep. 1986:
DPP founded
July 1987:
Martial Law lifted
Dec. 1992:
First democratic legislative elections
Mar. 1996:
First presidential elections
Mar. 2000:
DPP's Chen Shui-bian wins presidency
Mar. 2004:
President Chen Shui-bian re-elected

For news and events in recent years:
Overview 2009,
Overview 2008,
Overview 2007,
Overview 2006,
Overview 2005,
Overview 2004,
Overview 2003,
Overview 2002,
Overview 2001,
Overview 2000,
Overview 1999,
Overview 1998,
Overview 1997,
or the Overview 1995 - 1996

Back to: Taiwan, Ilha Formosa home page

Taiwan's 400 years of history

On the following pages we will take you on a walk through the history of Taiwan. Originally Taiwan was settled by people of Malay-Polynesian descent, who settled in the low-lying coastal plains. They were the ancestors of the present-day aborigine groups.

Overview of important milestones:

Taiwan's modern history goes back to around the 1550's, when the first Western ship -- from Portugal -- passed by the island, and named it "Ilha Formosa" (meaning "Beautiful island"). The person who (literally) put it on the map was Jan Huygen van Linschoten, a Dutch navigator, who published a book in 1596, showing it on a map of East and Southeast Asia. That became its name for the next four centuries.

Go directly to some major events: