Taiwan

"For a relatively small island, Taiwan has achieved a degree of prosperity disproportionate to its size. In just four decades, it made the leap from being a poor agricultural society to being one of Asia's most dynamic industrial economies. Taiwan's economic success and its problematic political standing in the international arena have often overshadowed the island's natural beauty as well as its multifaceted culture. Nevertheless, while the island's natural landscape presents stunning and dramatic geographical vistas-jagged mountains in the central region contrast with the flat wide plains in the coastal regions-it is the people of Taiwan who bear within them the essence of the island's nature. These are the very people whose heritage and traditions have spanned the centuries and who, despite political difficulties, face the future with confidence and conviction"-- Provided by publisher.