TAIPEI — The Taiwan Strait separates the island of Taiwan from the coast of Fujian province. At its narrowest it is about 130 kilometres wide. It is also one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes: almost half of the world’s container ships passed through it in 2022, according to an analysis of ship-tracking data by Bloomberg.
Some of the islands Taiwan governs lie far closer to the mainland: Kinmen sits a few kilometres off the city of Xiamen.
48%of the world’s container ships passed through the strait in 2022, according to a Bloomberg analysis of ship-tracking data
- 1949The Nationalist government retreats to Taiwan.
- 1971The United Nations seat of China passes to the People’s Republic.
- 1996Taiwan holds its first direct presidential election.
- 2024Lai Ching-te is elected president.
Taiwan’s population is about 23.4 million, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
