I knew it was mountainous because I'd booked to go on a bushwalking holiday there. But it wasn't until I saw this 3D map that it sunk in just how mountainous it is.
Most of Taiwan is high mountains. There's a coastal strip down the west where the big cities are, and a few tiny flat spots up and down the east. It's half the area of Tasmania, yet it has almost the same population as Australia.
What I also hadn't quite expected was what a clean, comfortable, modern place it is. It's prosperous and very well organised. People are well educated, friendly and helpful. There's no litter, and environmental awareness seems to be high. It's easy to get around. There are motorways and tunnels everywhere through mountains. There are high speed trains, the lot. This is not a third-world country!
It also has a robust, fully functional democracy, presidential elections due in January 2020. I'm sure there are massive foreign interference campaigns going on as we speak.
If I didn't know that China was listening in, I'd say this is what China could be like if it was working properly.
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