Could Taiwan be the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage? So ask global headlines this week, as it emerged in a CNN interview that a formal proposal is to be put to a parliamentary committee this year.
The island nation is already considered one of the most progressive in Asia for LGBTI rights: it is legal to have gay sex and change your gender there, and a law blocking discrimination in the workplace is in place.
Last month, we featured 16 artful shots from gay mag Elska of hot, hip Taiwanese nationals, and now, we’re returning to the dynamic region for this this rundown of quick-fire facts…
1 An island located 180km of the coast of mainland China, Taiwan covers a landmass of 36,193 km2
2 The capital, Taipei, is home to 2.7 million people
3 The country’s second largest municipality is Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung, home to 1.5m people
4 The third is Taichung, home to just over a million people
5 The country, known for its technological advancement, has an estimated Internet penetration rate of 80% (BBC)
6 What’s more, Taipei has a free, city-wide Internet connection
7 Taiwan has nine national parks, including Taroko, famed for its dramatic gorge [pictured]
8 The life expectancy for people in Taiwan is 76.2 years for men and 82.7 years for women
9 Taiwan is officially called the Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China still do not see it as an independent country
10 President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president, has been outspoken in her support of LGBTI rights
11 In 2015, 80,000 people attended Taiwan Pride, making it the year’s largest Pride in Asia
Images: Wiki, Flickr, Mark Kao, Toomore Chiang, Pixabay