Interesting facts

1. **Global Tech Hub:** Taiwan is home to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), which produces over 60% of the world's semiconductors and over 90% of the most advanced chips. 2. **Tallest Building:** Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 and features a massive tuned mass damper visible to the public, protecting it from earthquakes and typhoons. 3. **Bubble Tea Birthplace:** The globally beloved beverage, boba or bubble tea, was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. 4. **Musical Garbage Trucks:** Garbage trucks in Taiwan announce their arrival by playing classical music, usually Beethoven's "Für Elise" or Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska's "A Maiden's Prayer." 5. **Convenience Store Capital:** Taiwan has one of the highest densities of convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart) in the world, where you can pay bills, buy train tickets, and pick up parcels. 6. **Marriage Equality:** In 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. 7. **Highest Peak:** Yushan (Jade Mountain) is the highest mountain in Taiwan and Northeast Asia, peaking at 3,952 meters (12,966 ft). 8. **Cultural Treasure:** The National Palace Museum in Taipei holds one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks in the world, originally evacuated from the Forbidden City. 9. **Ilha Formosa:** Portuguese sailors passing by in the 16th century named the island "Ilha Formosa," meaning "Beautiful Island." 10. **Universal Healthcare:** Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) is world-renowned for its high accessibility, low costs, and comprehensive coverage, utilizing a highly efficient smart-card system. 11. **Scooter Waterfall:** There are over 14 million registered motor scooters in Taiwan, creating a unique urban landscape, particularly the famous "scooter waterfall" off the Taipei Bridge during rush hour. 12. **Night Market Culture:** Taiwan has hundreds of vibrant night markets, which are the epicenter of local social life and street food cuisine. 13. **Indigenous Heritage:** Taiwan has 16 officially recognized indigenous tribes, whose Formosan languages are considered the ancestral root of the vast Austronesian language family. 14. **Orchid Kingdom:** Taiwan is one of the world's largest exporters of orchids, cultivating highly prized varieties through advanced agricultural technology. 15. **The EasyCard:** The ubiquitous EasyCard can be used not only for public transit across the island but also to rent bikes, buy groceries, and pay for hospital visits. 16. **Seismic Activity:** Because it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Taiwan experiences frequent earthquakes, recording hundreds of sensible tremors a year. 17. **Betel Nut Beauties:** A unique, though declining, cultural phenomenon where young women in glass booths sell betel nuts to passing truck drivers and motorists. 18. **Hot Spring Haven:** Thanks to its geothermal activity, Taiwan has one of the highest concentrations of natural hot springs in the world, ranging from sulfur springs in Beitou to mud springs in Guanziling. 19. **High-Speed Rail:** The Taiwan High Speed Rail runs along the west coast, connecting Taipei to Kaohsiung in about 90 minutes at speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph). 20. **Vibrant Democracy:** Taiwan consistently ranks as one of the most robust democracies in Asia according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index.