Tauland: Difference between revisions
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Edited intro, terminology, and geography sections to rephrase and add new lore (language, info, etc)
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{{Infobox country|conventional_long_name=Republic of Tauland|native_name=<small> ''Republiek van Taulandt''|capital=[[New Hague]]|largest_city=[[Zeelandia]]|official_languages=
| {{nowrap|65% Taulanders}}
| 21% Chinese
| 4% Ljoetsjoeans
| 10% others
}}|demonym=Taulander|established_event1=Establishment of the Dutch Formosa Colony|established_date1=1624|established_event2=Elevation to Dominion|established_date2=1816|established_event3=Independence from the Netherlands|established_date3=1891}}
'''Tauland''' ([[Dutch language|Dutch]]: ''Taulandt'' or ''Tauland'', [[Standard Chinese|Chinese]]:
In the early 17th century, Dutch attempts to colonize the island of Formosa were successful, creating a rapidly-expanding colony that would last for almost two centuries. In 1816, the Formosa Colony became the Dominion of Tauland following the tumultuous [[Augustine Wars|Augustine period]]. Eventually, in 1891, Tauland gained complete sovereignty from the Netherlands, becoming the first Asiatic ex-colony to achieve independence.
==
The name Tauland, emerging in 1739, comes from the now-extinct indigenous Formosan language Siraja. ''Ta'u'', as recorded in the 17th century, means 'human' or 'man'. This was then added to the Dutch suffix ''-land'' to create the name Tauland, literally meaning 'place of the humans'. In Chinese characters, the ''Tau-'' is often rendered with the character 桃 ('peach blossom'). Thus, the name of the country has often been mistakenly said to mean the 'land of the peach blossoms'. Another common misconception, particularly among Europeans, is that ''Tau-'' comes from the Cross of Tau, a Christian symbol resembling the Greek letter 𝜏 (Greek: ταυ, ''tau'').
Older names still used include ''Taywan'' (臺灣), which was recorded as the Chinese name for the island since at least 1635. ''Formosa'', literally 'beautiful' in Latin and first applied by Portuguese and Spanish sailors, is still used to refer to the island in certain languages and in poetic or literary contexts.
== Geography ==
The main island, known variously as Formosa, Taywan, or Tauland proper, makes up approximately 96% of the Republic's land area, measuring around 3.58 million hectares. Smaller islands include the Pescadores in the west, the Loetsjoe archipelago of the northeast, and the southernmost territory of the Paracel Islands.
The country mostly lays on and near the Tropic of Cancer, giving it a largely marine, humid subtropical climate with small tropical pockets in the very south. The highest parts of the country, along the Tauland Range (Dutch: ''Taulandt Bergen''; Chinese: 大山, ''Tàa Sāan'', lit. 'Big Mountains'), the primary mountain range of the country, have a colder polar climate. Running across the entire body of Tauland proper, the Range's most recognizable features include Mount Jade as well as its diverse flora & fauna.
== History ==
{{Main|History of Tauland}}
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