ISO 3166-2:TW is the entry for Taiwan in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. Due to the political status of Taiwan in the United Nations, the ISO 3166-1 full name is Taiwan, Province of China.
Contents
The definition of ISO 3166-2:TW includes the divisions located on Taiwan (Formosa), Penghu (the Pescadores), Kinmen, Matsu and their subsidiary islands. Politically, these areas are governed by the government of the Republic of China which resides in Taipei.
Currently ISO 3166-2:TW lists 13 counties, 3 cities, and 6 special municipalities. Although constitutionally the counties and cities are part of the provinces (Taiwan and Fukien). The provincial government was largely streamlined in 1998, these 22 subdivisions are regarded as the principal subdivisions of Taiwan.
Format
- Cities: Romanized as shih (市) and formerly called "municipalities" in ISO 3166-2. The divisions carry City (市) in their official names.
- Counties: Romanized as hsien (縣) and formerly called "districts" in ISO 3166-2. The divisions carry County (縣) in their official names.
- Special municipalities: Romanized as chih-hsia-shih (直轄市). The divisions also carry City (市) in their official names.
Current codes
Subdivision names are listed as in the ISO 3166-2 standard published by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (ISO 3166/MA).
Changes
The following changes to the entry have been announced in newsletters by the ISO 3166/MA since the first publication of ISO 3166-2 in 1998: