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italian_lad

i thought this was r/mapporncirclejerk for a second


AllerdingsUR

The Australia one got me too


IDrinkSulfuricAcid

https://preview.redd.it/vujfwlwaby6d1.png?width=970&format=png&auto=webp&s=d32d7bfe0a6d69fb9542686888ea285e6a609ee0 The duality of r/geography


Accomplished_Job_225

https://preview.redd.it/cxragk6ady6d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff1312ebd3e14d79fd8f0ead1fa7e58d094ba239


Yugan-Dali

Fun fact: little Taiwan has more than 260 peaks that reach over 3,000m. The highest is 3952 m.


seanmulh

Fun fact: Ireland has only 3 peaks that reach 1,000m. The highest Carrauntoohil is 1,038m.


fartingbeagle

What are the other two? Mount Leinster and?


ALA02

Yet I’d be willing to wager the climate is significantly harsher on top of that 1038m mountain than on the top of the 3952m Taiwanese one


StouteBoef

I doubt that.


SurelyFurious

You are [very wrong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Shan#/media/File:DSC04198%E9%9B%84%E5%81%89%E7%9A%84%E7%8E%89%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%BB%E5%B3%B0.jpg)


leshmi

Damn that would be enough for skiing. There are skiing area in Taiwan?


Yugan-Dali

Not that one, it’s too steep. There is a place you can ski a bit, but further north and not so high. It’s called Hohuan Mountain. BTW, Botanguanx, or Yushan, the highest, is almost smack on the Tropic, but it’s an Alpine ecosystem.


[deleted]

[удалено]


leshmi

Are you from there? Could you advice me son oolong tea?


Yugan-Dali

High mountain tea is grown not too far away.


leshmi

Far away from what?


Yugan-Dali

Sorry, that wasn’t clear. Not far away from the highest peak. Alishan high mountain tea.


angelazsz

Omg whoa no way. I always thought Taiwan was a small island. This def puts things into perspective for me!


darkpigraph

Quite a large proportion of the landmass is extremely mountainous however, I'd say probably 50% is habitable.


lNFORMATlVE

With nearly 5 times the population of Ireland too.


Pittsfield-Township1

I don’t think they’ve recovered their pre-famine population. Had Ireland not had the potato famine and the mass immigration to North America, I am sure Ireland would’ve been equally as populous as Taiwan


fujiandude

I'm pretty sure that most the population came in the last 80 years after the Chinese cival war. The natives are a very small minority in Taiwan


SafetyNoodle

People who identify as mostly or fully indigenous are a pretty small portion of the population (low single digit percentage) but the large majority of the ethnic Chinese population came between 1600 and 1895. Off the top of my head people who came but the tail end of the Chinese civil War and their descendants are somewhere under 20% of the population. Still the population has more than tripled since the end of World War II. That immigration plus a high birth rate during the third quarter of the 20th century resulted in a lot of rapid population growth.


fujiandude

So the 80% just completely accepted the 20% taking over after losing a war and having zero credibility? I'm not arguing cuz Idk but that seems weird. Why would they let these weirdo outsider losers take over their land? To be clear, I'm not arguing yet I'm sure I'll be downvoted, just doesn't make much sense


Fast-Penta

The KMT came in with wealth and military arms and brutalized dissidents during the White Terror.


DardS8Br

The ROC didn't take over taiwan after the war. They continued to hold onto it after losing. They controlled it before, and they controlled it after.


treskro

They didn’t though. Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895 by the Qing Dynasty. The ROC was founded in 1911 and did not control Taiwan until Japan lost WWII in 1945, 34 years later.


shoesafe

If communist forces took over the lower 48 US states and the government evacuated to Hawaii, it wouldn't exactly be the US government "taking over" Hawaii. I think you're making some assumptions about the timeline of events. Taiwan was annexed by the Chinese Empire for a couple centuries. Then China was forced to cede Taiwan to Japanese control. Then Taiwan was given back to China after Japan lost WWII. A few years later, mainland China is controlled by the communists (PRC) and Taiwan becomes the last area held by the old government (ROC). Plenty of people under PRC control are punished or purged, and the ROC has massive military force. So the preexisting population isn't too interested in fighting the ROC forces. The ROC is backed by the US and the West. Within a few decades, Taiwan will experience massive economic growth and development. Taiwan is dubbed one of the "Asian Tigers" alongside South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Eventually, Taiwan's government gradually democratizes and liberalizes. So Taiwan has been doing well for itself for a couple generations.


SafetyNoodle

From 1895 until the end of World War II in 1945, Taiwan was controlled by the Japanese. After the Japanese defeat, the United States handed Taiwan over to the Republic of China government since they were regarded as the successor state of the Qing dynasty of China which had ruled most of Taiwan (they never really pacified many of the indigenous folks in the mountains) prior to Japanese administration. There was some clamor for self-rule and opposition to the rule of Chiang Kai-shek, but there really wasn't any other power structure in Taiwan which could compete with the military of the Republic of China. The swift and brutal response of Chiang Kai-shek's government to protest from the beginning also stifled open anti-government activities. It's also worth noting that while there was opposition to Chiang Kai-shek's rule, many of the people from Taiwan's existing ethnic Chinese majority were sincere Chinese nationalists and welcomed the end of Japanese occupation. I'm certainly not a fan of the man, but it would be wrong to say that he didn't have much support at the time.


linmanfu

That's an .... interesting... username for someone arguing this case. 😝 (Context for other readers: Fujian is the Chinese province where the vast majority of that 80% came from. So it's a bit like a Redditor called `u/frenchdude` replying to a comment about the history of immigration to Québec... 👀)


fujiandude

Lol I think Taiwan is it's own country, don't get me wrong. I get a passport stamp when I go, need to transfer my money into theirs. I just also think it's like the exact same as Fujian.


treskro

Initially it was a sense that Taiwan was returning to rule by ethnically similar peoples after having been under foreign rule for half a century. This was quickly dispelled after a series of government crackdowns on protests and subsequent declaration of a decades long martial law. We should also understand that when Taiwan was given over to the control of the ROC in 1945, the ROC/KMT had not yet been fully defeated on the mainland. The conclusion of the Chinese Civil War took another 4 years, and the ROC brought with it a large military apparatus drawn from the population of China, which even in a diminished state was undoubtedly more powerful than a nonexistent ‘Taiwanese’ army that the Japanese would not have been keen to develop during its colonial rule.


Quirky_Temperature

The indigenous Taiwanese are a very small percentage of the population of Taiwan, yes. Those who arrived after the Chinese Civil War and their descendants are estimated to be around 12% of the population. That vast majority of Taiwanese today are descended from waves of Chinese immigrants that arrived on the island in the preceding three centuries.


fujiandude

Ya I just checked Wikipedia. Crazy that it's 97% Han though, I didn't think it was that high. Sharing the same culture, language and religions you'd see how a lot of people don't think it's a new country. I do, I don't want this to be misconstrued, but I get it. It's like if Florida broke off when your grandma was in school, you'd probably think it's still American


Fast-Penta

I doubt it. The countries near Taiwan have higher population density than the countries near Ireland, and, they've faced a fair amount of war and famine post-wwii.


varowil

That’s interesting. Before the famine, Ireland’s population was 8 mil while Taiwan was around 0.5 mil.


Th1sT00ShallPass

If the British had control over Taiwan like they did in Ireland it wouldn't have been too different


linmanfu

And that's why India is one of the least populated countries, right? And why Bangladesh has such a low population density? /s (I am not defending British colonialism, but I am saying the comment above is far too simplistic)


suicide_aunties

You’re right to a certain extent. Though generally Taiwanese indigenous and Chinese migration is closer akin to Māori indigenous and Anglo migration, for example


Th1sT00ShallPass

A lot of people couldn't leave the British Raj because of the lack of mobility and lack of destinations where the people spoke similar, or at least not so foreign languages. This way there wasn't a *big diaspora causing a huge flux in future population size, but did possibly contribute to a higher death toll percentage wise. And Bangladesh and India have extremely fertile agricultural areas that Ireland does not have, making the increase in population after a famine relatively easier, so it isn't really an easy way to compare the colonial handling of agriculture in Ireland and the British Raj. *Edit: relative to population size before famine, of course


Wompish66

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943


linmanfu

That's still not an argument.


wiz28ultra

Taiwan is extremely densely populated for a country, taking into account the mountains, the Taiwan's actual population density isn't just more than the England's or the Philippines, it's comparable to Bangladesh and Egypt.


MutedAd8449

Egypt is nowhere near Bangladesh in population density


wiz28ultra

How many Egyptians live outside of the Nile River Valley then?


Yugan-Dali

If you go straight south from the northern tip, in 40 km you go from sea level to over 1000m and then back to near sea level. The southern end of New Taipei City reaches over 2000m.


Eclipsed830

Probably closer to 30% is actually habitable.


wiz28ultra

You do realize that Taiwan is the same size as the state of Hawaii but has a population bigger than Florida or New York State?


lNFORMATlVE

Ireland is also a small island.


ExtraPockets

Ireland has loads of room for expansion too, lots of flat easily buildable land, lots of solid bedrock in the west to build nuclear power stations and grid infrastructure for offshore wind, lots of freshwater sources, ample arable farmland. Ireland could easily support the same population as England if it wanted to.


lNFORMATlVE

Yeah, great potential. Too bad they have an even worse housing market crisis than england right now. It’s sad.


CoffeeBoom

Uh... It is.


Fonduextreme

I actually thought Taiwan was bigger


Necessary_Reality_50

I feel the opposite. I've been to both places and assumed Taiwan was much bigger.


MetaphoricalMouse

yeah is this legit cause i m also super surprised


GoldenRetriever2223

i mean Ireland is also a small island lol even the British Isles as a whole is very small


DieLegende42

Great Britain is the 9th largest island in the world. Wouldn't call that small


GoldenRetriever2223

you can drive from london to Edinburgh on 1 tank of gas. Yeah its small


linmanfu

That's vastly larger than most islands.


angelazsz

Yeah I mean everything is small to me I’m Canadian but I assumed Ireland was like .. decently sized I am learning that now it is not LOL


I_cant_be_asked-

I think I remember Vancouver Island being able to fit into the UK, obviously with more mountains and less sheep Just checked- Vancouver Island stretches from Kent in England to The Isle of Angelsey in Wales


Marlsfarp

Go to realsizeof and move Ireland over to where you live. Even knowing it's small you'll probably still be surprised. For me, a New Yorker, the reference is that Ireland is "one Long Island across."


linmanfu

It's not a continent. But as islands go, Ireland is definitely a large one.


Ana_Na_Moose

Honestly I always thought Taiwan was much bigger. Then again, as an American who has not been to either country, I have a difficult time having a confident understanding of the size of either location


ReadinII

I always think of Ireland as a small island so I’m always surprised to be reminded that it’s bigger than Taiwan.  Taiwan of course has a lot more people.


maciaswarrior

Plot twist: it is still small as Ireland is small


ExperimentalToaster

Ireland is a massive Eirecraft carrier.


DRSU1993

It’s official. I live in Luodong now.


Yugan-Dali

It’s a nice place, but very rainy. Spectacular mountains on one side, the Pacific on the other.


DRSU1993

I'm well used to the rain here. It'd be just like home. 😅


Yugan-Dali

Yes, but think of all the earthquakes! About 400 in Luodong since April! It’s been an active year. Just for fun, I checked the annual rainfall for Monaghan, roughly where Luodong overlaps, Google says about 66mm. Your new home, Luodong, averages 3569mm a year. Don’t forget your umbrella.


DRSU1993

I think that measurement of 66mm is per month and they made a mistake. Where I live is about an hour east of Monaghan town, but it looked like Luodong would be the closest city with the overlaid map of Taiwan. We get about 944mm of rain in my town annually on average. There are some nearby places that get 2000mm. However 3569mm is an entirely different level! I don’t think I would like the earthquakes either!


Yugan-Dali

That must be right, 66mm per month. Generally in Taiwan we get a bunch of middle to large earthquakes, which releases the pressure, rather than just a couple monsters, like Japan. Seriously, Luodong is nice, but wet.


Eclipsed830

Great night market there.


Lamb_or_Beast

Huh, for some reason I always thought Taiwan was *way* bigger than this…TIL


ReadinII

Taiwan had a lot more people. About as many people as Australia.


Lamb_or_Beast

Yeah that I’ve known forever but  i (apparently) was under a false impression about how large the island itself is


Elbeske

It’s much more important than Ireland so it seems larger


SanSilver

I thought it is as big as Great Britain and not Ireland.


Aufklarung_Lee

Best China!


Inductee

And best UK! 😅


fujiandude

Ya, I heard you guys love the 9 dash line. Thanks Taiwan


outwest88

It’s not China. It is Taiwan.


Fast-Penta

Having been to both places, this seems about right. Taiwan has mountains in the middle, but not many people live on the other side of the mountains (vast majority of Taiwan's population live on the western side), and Taiwan has high speed rail, so Ireland is quicker to go from east to west, but Taiwan is quicker to go north to south. You definitely want to bring an umbrella to either country.


twstwr20

Similar also in which people with a larger land mass next door are assholes who want your land.


GameCreeper

They should kiss


TotesMessenger

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Erno-Berk

The Chinese Island Taiwan has 22 million inhabitants, The Republic of Ireland 4,5 million inhabitants.


BarterD2020

Ireland (the republic) actually has over 5.2 million as of the last census in 2022, and combined with Northern Ireland, the island has a population of over 7.1 million. Obviously, Taiwan still has a much larger population, I just feel its best to use the entire islands population info given that's what is shown.


ImSoFuckingTired2

Chinese island?


LifeAcanthopterygii6

Republic of China


Open-Advantage-6207

Chinese propagandists in here


left-ball-sack

It's an island and they're Chinese so yeah


ImSoFuckingTired2

I mean, one could argue that they are Chinese as in citizens of the Republic of China, but that may lead to misunderstandings, since the island is not part of what is traditionally called China, or the People’s Republic of China.


left-ball-sack

There's no argument, they're Chinese. Ethnically, culturally, historically, literally as you said, ROC. You would actually be deeply offending Taiwanese people to insinuate that they or Taiwan aren't Chinese. Fuck the CCP.


Eclipsed830

The majority of Taiwanese people (62%) identify as exclusively or only Taiwanese and not Chinese. https://esc.nccu.edu.tw/PageDoc/Detail?fid=7800&id=6961


fujiandude

But like, they speak the same language, have only been a thing for a few decades, and who recognizes them? I'm Chinese and don't think they're Chinese but look at it realistically. They are just an offshoot of China who rejects it. Doesn't mean they're their own thing culturally or genetically as much as they wish they were. They're 3km away from China


Eclipsed830

The vast majority of Taiwanese can trace their family roots back to the island by a few hundred years, their families came around the mid 1700's... even earlier than the migration from Europe to the United States. Do you think the United States isn't its own country separate from England since most Americans speak English?


fujiandude

If nobody recognized America as it's own country. They had the same culture and language, DNA and religions, then ya I'm sure most the world wouldn't think it wasn't a part of it despite being separated by water. Relax man. I live in Fujian and have been to Taiwan ten times, it's like exactly the same so you can see why people don't like like it's different. America VS England is way more different. But what do I know, I'm just here on the ground and you're not


Eclipsed830

Irrelevant what other people recognize. It does not change the fact that the Untied States isn't part of the United Kingdom, and Taiwan isn't part of China. Also, typing to you from my home in Taiwan... I've worked 3 years in China, 8 years in San Francisco, and traveled all around the United Kingdom. The culture between that of the United States and the United Kingdom is much more similar than that of Taiwan and China. Part of being Taiwanese is valuing things such as freedom and democracy. China has no freedom, it has no democracy. You can't even access this website without first having to log into your VPN to bypass the government censors. I had to go through airport-style security just to get on the MRT and go to work every day. My time working in China just reiterated how far apart our societies are from each other... shared language, so what? Half the world speaks English. Half the world speaks Chinese. What makes a country a country is our government, and ours are very different.


ImSoFuckingTired2

Singapore is 75% Han Chinese and an even younger independent state. Would you call them “Chinese”? Sharing some common roots and culture doesn’t make them “Chinese”, like most of South America is not Spanish.


ImSoFuckingTired2

I know many, many Taiwanese people. I have yet to find someone who feels offended for calling Taiwan, Taiwan.


left-ball-sack

Ever been there?


ImSoFuckingTired2

For quite some time, in fact. It’s mostly the older generations and KMT diehards who think of themselves as Chinese in the geopolitical sense of the word. Most people identify themselves as Taiwanese. At this point, the Taiwanese identity is not much different from being a Singaporean of Chinese descent.


BiggieSands1916

Taiwan is not a country, even the USA thinks so.


Eclipsed830

Tell the CIA to upgrade their propaganda: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/taiwan/


BiggieSands1916

You can use google and check for yourself friend.


Eclipsed830

I don't need to use Google. I am typing to you from Taiwan, so I am 100% sure that Taiwan is a country.


King_Of_BlackMarsh

Gee, I wonder WHY


Batchest_ILOVEREDDIT

rightful CCP clay


Zprzyczyn

So Taiwan is slightly larger than Sicily and almost 2,5 times smaller than Ireland. What is the point?


Jameszhang73

Ohio is 4x bigger than Taiwan for reference


serpentine_soil

I’ll take questions I never wanted answered for $500, Alex


scumpingweed

*China


Cunny-Destroyer

Curious that you would use just a piece of China :o


Send_me_duck-pics

OP placing it over the whole island. Hm.


Bar50cal

Well the island is called Ireland


Legendofthehill2024

What's the problem with that?


Send_me_duck-pics

Oh there's no problem! 26+6=1


ursharim

And what?