Name	Taiwan
Image name	Taiwan NASA Terra MODIS 23791.jpg
Image caption	Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east, with gently sloping plains in the west. The Penghu Islands are west of Taiwan.
Image size	200px
Locator map
Country	(commonly known as Taiwan)
Location	Pacific Ocean, off the coast of mainland China
Coordinates
Area km2	36008
Rank	38th
Highest mount	Yushan (Jade Mountain)
Elevation m	3952
country capital	Taipei City
country largest city	New Taipei City
country largest city population	3,900,199
Demonym	Taiwanese
Population	23,061,689
Population as of	April 2011, the population in Kinmen and Matsu Islands are not included
Density km2	668
Ethnic groups	98% Han  70% Hoklo  14% Hakka  14% Waishengren''' 2% Taiwanese aborigines }}

Pic	Taiwan_Chinese.png
Picsize	200px
Collapse	yes
C	臺灣 or 台灣
S	台湾
J	Toi4 Waan1
P	Táiwān
W	T'ai²-wan¹
Bpmf	ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ
Poj	Tâi-oân
H	Thòi-vàn
Buc	Dài-uăng
Gr	Tairuan
Wuu
Altname
T2	福爾摩沙
S2	福尔摩沙
P2	fúěrmóshā
Bpmf2	ㄈㄨˊ ㄦˇ ㄇㄛˊ ㄕㄚ
J2	fuk1ji5mo1saa1
L2	beautiful island }}

Taiwan ( ), also known, especially in the past, as Formosa (from , "Beautiful Island"), is an island of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China (ROC) following the Chinese Civil War in 1950. The island of Taiwan has the largest population and therefore, the name "Taiwan" has also become the ''pars pro toto'' common name for the ROC itself.

Separated from the Asian continent by the wide Taiwan Strait, the main island of the group is long and wide. To the northeast are the main islands of Japan and the East China Sea, and the southern end of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan is directly to the east; the Batanes Islands of the Philippines lie to its south across the Bashi Channel. The mountainous island spans the Tropic of Cancer and is covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. Other minor islands and islets of the group include the Penghu Islands (Pescadores), Green Island, and Orchid Island, as well as the Diaoyutai Islands (Senkaku islands), which have been controlled by Japan since the 1970s.

Taiwan was ceded to the Empire of Japan by the Qing Empire in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. In 1945 Taiwan was freed from Japan as a result of World War II. Four years later the ROC lost mainland China in the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China and resettled its government to Taiwan. Taiwan composes the vast majority of the ROC's territory since 1950, and this is one of multiple reasons that the ROC is commonly known as "Taiwan". The political status of Taiwan is disputed because it is claimed by the People's Republic of China, which was established in 1949 by the communists on mainland China and considers itself the successor state to the ROC. In fact, since PRC's establishment, it never controlled any of the territories the ROC government currently governs. Japan had originally acquired Taiwan from the Qing Empire in 1895 under Article 2 of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. At the end of World War II, Japan renounced all claims to sovereignty over its former colonial possessions, including Taiwan and Penghu (Pescadores), but did not specify to whom Taiwan and Penghu should be assigned. This fact and subsequent handling of Taiwan's sovereignty by the Allies of World War II led to the complex and unresolved issues of the legal and political status of Taiwan.

Taiwan's rapid economic growth in the decades after World War II has transformed it into an industrialized developed country and one of the Four Asian Tigers. This economic rise is known as the Taiwan Miracle. It is categorized as an advanced economy by the IMF and as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Its advanced technology industry plays a key role in the global economy. Taiwanese companies manufacture a large portion of the world's consumer electronics, although most of them are now made in their factories in mainland China.

Etymology

There are various names of Taiwan in use today, derived from explorers or rulers by each particular period. The former name "Formosa" means "beautiful" in Portuguese and was given to Taiwan by the Portuguese explorers when they sailed past in the 16th century. In the early 17th century, when the Dutch East India Company came to build a commercial post at Fort Zeelandia (today's Tainan City), they allegedly adopted the name of an aboriginal tribe transliterated as "Tayouan" or "Teyowan" in their records.

History

Prehistory and early settlements

Evidence of human settlement in Taiwan dates back 30,000 years, although the first inhabitants of Taiwan may have been genetically distinct from any groups currently on the island. About 4,000 years ago, ancestors of current Taiwanese aborigines settled in Taiwan. These aborigines are genetically related to Austronesian peoples, with a mitochondrial DNA contribution from a Polynesian maternal ancestor, and linguists classify their languages as Austronesian. It is thought likely that Polynesian ancestry may be traceable throughout Taiwan.

Disputed records from ancient China indicate that the Han Chinese might have known of the existence of the main island of Taiwan since the Three Kingdoms period (third century, A.D. 230), having assigned offshore islands in the vicinity names like Greater Liuqiu and Lesser Liuqiu (etymologically, but perhaps not semantically, identical to Ryūkyū in Japanese), though none of these names has been definitively matched to the main island of Taiwan. Han Chinese began settling in the Penghu islands in the 1200s, but Taiwan's hostile tribes and its lack of the trade resources valued in that era rendered it unattractive to all but "occasional adventurers or fishermen engaging in barter" until the 16th century.

Around 1540, Taiwan's main settlement was the Kingdom of Middag, a kingdom or supra-tribal alliance located in the central western plains; a monarchy of which the capital was Middag. The city still exists today, and is now known as Dadu. The origins of the name Middag are not documented, but based on its etymology may be attributed to an early Dutch settlement of the island (the name Middag still occurs as a family name in the Netherlands).

During the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor of Qing later in that century, the population in the traditional Middag territories rose to oppose heavy labor imposed by the Qing authorities, and was brutally quelled by Qing troops and collaborative tribes in 1732, a year after the initial uprising. After this turmoil came to an end, a supra-tribal leadership apparently ceased to exist in the island's central-western plains. In the aftermath of this, the descendants of Middag either fused into the majority "Chinese" population through intermarriage or migrated to present-day Puli, a basin township surrounded by high mountains in central Taiwan.

European settlement

In 1544, with the Kingdom of Middag just being founded, a Portuguese ship sighted the main island of Taiwan and named it ''Ilha Formosa'', which means "Beautiful Island".

In 1624, the Dutch established a commercial base on Taiwan and began to import workers from Fujian and Penghu (Pescadores) as laborers, many of whom settled. The Dutch made Taiwan a colony with its colonial capital at Tayoan City (present day Anping, Tainan). Both ''Tayoan'' and the island name ''Taiwan'' derive from a word in Sirayan, one of the Formosan languages.

The Dutch military presence was concentrated at a stronghold called Castle Zeelandia. The Dutch colonists also started to hunt the native Formosan Sika deer (''Cervus nippon taioanus'') that inhabited Taiwan, contributing to the eventual extinction of the subspecies on the island. However, the subspecies was kept alive in captivity and subsequent reintroduction of the subspecies into the wild has been successful. Furthermore, this contributed to the subsequent identification of native tribes.

In 1626, the Spanish landed on and occupied northern Taiwan (Keelong and Tanshui) as a base to extend its commercial trading. This colonial period lasted 16 years until 1642.

Kingdom of Tungning

Chinese naval and troop forces of Southern Fujian defeated the Dutch in 1662, subsequently expelling the Dutch government and military from the island. They were led by Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong). Following the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Koxinga retreated to Taiwan as a self-styled Ming loyalist and established the Kingdom of Tungning (1662–1683). Koxinga established his capital at Tainan and he and his heirs, Zheng Jing, who ruled from 1662 to 1682, and Zheng Keshuang, who served less than a year, continued to launch raids on the south-east coast of mainland China well into the Qing Dynasty, attempting to recapture mainland China.

Qing Dynasty rule

In 1683, following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang of Southern Fujian, the Qing formally annexed Taiwan, placing it under the jurisdiction of Fujian province. The Qing imperial government tried to reduce piracy and vagrancy in the area, issuing a series of edicts to manage immigration and respect aboriginal land rights. Immigrants mostly from Southern Fujian continued to enter Taiwan. The border between taxpaying lands and "savage" lands shifted eastward, with some aborigines 'Sinicizing' while others retreated into the mountains. During this time, there were a number of conflicts between Chinese from different regions of Southern Fujian, and between Southern Fujian Chinese and aborigines.

Northern Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were the scene of an important subsidiary campaign in the Sino-French War (August 1884 to April 1885). The French occupied Keelung from 1 October 1884 to 22 June 1885 and the Penghu Islands from 31 March to 22 July 1885. A French attempt to capture Tamsui was defeated at the Battle of Tamsui (8 October 1884). Several battles were fought around Keelung between October 1884 and March 1885 between Liu Ming-ch'uan's Army of Northern Taiwan and Colonel Jacques Duchesne's Formosa Expeditionary Corps. The Keelung Campaign, despite some notable French tactical victories, ended in a stalemate. The Pescadores Campaign was a French victory, but had no long-term consequences. The French evacuated both Keelung and the Penghu archipelago at the end of the war.

In 1885, the Qing upgraded Taiwan's status from prefecture of Fujian to full province, the twentieth in the empire, with its capital at Taipei. This was accompanied by a modernization drive that included building Taiwan's first railroad and starting a postal service.

Empire of Japan rule

Japan had sought to control Taiwan since 1592, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi began extending Japanese influence overseas. In 1609, the Tokugawa Shogunate sent Arima Harunobu on an exploratory mission. In 1616, Murayama Toan led an unsuccessful invasion of the island.

In 1871, an Okinawan vessel shipwrecked on the southern tip of Taiwan and the crew of fifty-four was beheaded by the Paiwan aborigines. The Ryūkyū Kingdom kept a tributary relationship with Great Qing Empire at the same time was subordinate to Satsuma Domain of Japan. When Japan sought compensation from Qing China, it was first rejected because Qing considered the incident an internal affair since Taiwan was a prefecture of Fujian Province of Qing and the Ryūkyū Kingdom was a tributary of Qing. When Japanese foreign minister Soejima Taneomi asked the compensation again claiming four of the victims were Japanese citizens from Okayama prefecture of Japan, Qing officials rejected the demand on the grounds that the "wild" and "unsubjugated" aboriginals () were outside its jurisdiction. Such aboriginals were treated extremely harshly; American consul J.W. Davidson described how the Chinese in Taiwan ate and traded in their aboriginal victims' flesh. The open renunciation of sovereignty led to a Japanese invasion of Taiwan. In 1874, an expeditionary force of three thousand troops was sent to the island. There were about thirty Taiwanese and 543 Japanese casualties (twelve in battle and 531 by endemic diseases for the Japanese side).

The Qing Dynasty was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and Taiwan and Penghu were ceded in full sovereignty to the Empire of Japan. Inhabitants wishing to remain Qing subjects were given a two-year grace period to sell their property and move to mainland China. Very few Taiwanese saw this as feasible.

On 25 May 1895, a group of pro-Qing high officials proclaimed the Republic of Formosa to resist impending Japanese rule. Japanese forces entered the capital at Tainan and quelled this resistance on 21 October 1895.

The Japanese rulers were instrumental in the industrialization of the island; they extended the railroads and other transportation networks, built an extensive sanitation system and revised the public school system. During this period, both rice and sugarcane production greatly increased. By 1939, Taiwan was the seventh greatest sugar producer in the world. Still, the Taiwanese and Aborigines were classified as second- and third-class citizens. Large-scale violence continued in the first decade of rule. Japan launched over 160 battles to destroy Taiwan's aboriginal tribes during its 51-year rule of the island ...' Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project to bind the island more firmly to the Japanese Empire and people were taught to see themselves as Japanese. During World War II, tens of thousands of Taiwanese served in the Japanese military. For example, former ROC President Lee Teng-hui's elder brother served in the Japanese navy and died while on duty in the Philippines in February 1945.

The Imperial Japanese Navy operated heavily out of Taiwan. The "South Strike Group" was based out of the Taihoku Imperial University in Taiwan. Many of the Japanese forces participating in the Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa were based in Taiwan. Important Japanese military bases and industrial centers throughout Taiwan, like Kaohsiung, were targets of heavy American bombing.

Taiwan under Empire of Japan rule ended after it lost World War II and signed the Instrument of Surrender of Japan on 14 August 1945. But the Japanese rule had long lasting effects on Taiwan. Education became compulsory for school age children. Significant parts of Taiwanese infrastructure were started under the Japanese rule. The current Presidential Building was also built during that time. In 1938 there were 309,000 Japanese settlers in Taiwan. After World War II, most of the Japanese were repatriated to Japan.

Republic of China rule

Kuomintang Martial Law Era

The Cairo Conference from 22 to 26 November 1943 in Cairo, Egypt was held to address the Allied position against Japan during World War II, and to make decisions about postwar Asia. One of the three main clauses of the Cairo Declaration was that "all the territories Japan has stolen from China, including Manchuria, Taiwan and the Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China'. However, many challenged that the document was merely a statement of intent for possible reference used for those who would draft the post-war peace treaty and that it was a press release without force of law to transfer sovereignty from Taiwan to the Republic of China. The general counter-argument for this claim is that while the Cairo Declaration itself was a non-binding declaration, it was given legal effect by the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, however such a counter-argument finds no basis in international law.

On 25 October 1945, the US Navy ferried ROC troops to Taiwan in order to accept the formal surrender of Japanese military forces in Taipei (then called Taihoku). General Rikichi Andō, governor-general of Taiwan and commander-in-chief of all Japanese forces on the island, signed the instrument of surrender and handed it over to General Chen Yi of the ROC military to complete the official turnover. Chen Yi proclaimed that day to be "Retrocession Day of Taiwan," a proclamation which was not recognized by the Allies. The ROC administration of Taiwan under Chen Yi was strained by social and political instabilities, which were compounded by economic woes, such as hyperinflation. Furthermore, cultural and linguistic conflicts between Taiwanese and the mainland Chinese quickly led to the loss of popular support for the new government. This culminated in a series of severe clashes between the ROC occupiers and the Taiwanese, in turn leading to the 228 incident (an estimated 20,000-30,000 civilians were executed by the ROC Army) and the reign of White Terror. During the White Terror, a period of the longest martial law in the world, over 38 years, was imposed and many, many thousands of Taiwanese were arrested, tortured, imprisoned and executed for their real or perceived opposition to the Kuomintang Party. Since these people were mainly from the intellectual and social elite an entire generation of political and social leaders was decimated. It was not until 2008 that a public apology was made for those actions. No form of restitution or compensation has ever been made (as of 2010).

In 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, the ROC government, led by President Chiang Kai-shek, retreated from Nanjing (then romanised as "Nanking") to Taipei, Taiwan's largest city. The ROC continued to claim sovereignty over all "China", which the ROC defines to include mainland China, Taiwan, Outer Mongolia and other areas. The only remaining portions of territory besides Taiwan under ROC control are the Kinmen, Matsu Islands, and two major islands of Dongsha Islands and Nansha Islands. In mainland China, the victorious Communists established the PRC, claiming to be the sole and only China (which they claimed included Taiwan) and the ROC no longer existed. However, since PRC's establishment, it never controlled any of the territories the ROC government currently governs.

Some 2 million people, consisting mainly of soldiers, Kuomintang party (KMT, Chinese Nationalist Party) members and most importantly the intellectual and business elites, were evacuated from mainland China and arrived in Taiwan around that time. In addition, as part of its escape from Communists in mainland China, the ROC government relocated to Taipei with many national treasures including gold reserves and foreign currency reserves. From this period through the 1980s, Taiwan was governed in a state of Martial Law. Little to no distinction was made between the government and the Nationalist party, with public property, government property, and party property being largely interchangeable. Government workers and party members were mostly indistinguishable, with many government workers required to become KMT members, and party workers paid salaries and promised retirement benefits along the lines of government employees. In addition, the creation of other parties was outlawed, and many political opponents were persecuted and incarcerated.

The ROC remained a ''de facto'' one-party state under martial law under the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion", from 1948 to 1987, when the ROC Presidents Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui gradually liberalized and democratized the system. With the advent of democratization, the issue of the political status of Taiwan has resurfaced as a controversial issue (previously, discussion of anything other than unification under the ROC was taboo).

As the Chinese Civil War continued without truce, the ROC built up military fortifications throughout Taiwan. Within this effort, former KMT soldiers built the now famous Central Cross-Island Highway through the Taroko Gorge in the 1950s. The two sides would continue to engage in sporadic military clashes with seldom publicized details well into the 1960s on the nearby islands with an unknown number of night raids. During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in September 1958, Taiwan's landscape saw Nike-Hercules missile batteries added, with the formation of the 1st Missile Battalion Chinese Army that would not be deactivated until 1997. Newer generations of missile batteries have since replaced the Nike Hercules systems throughout the island.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwan began to develop into a prosperous, industrialized developed country with a strong and dynamic economy, becoming one of the Four Asian Tigers while maintaining martial law and under the KMT monopoly. Because of the Cold War, most Western nations and the United Nations regarded the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China until the 1970s, when most nations began switching recognition to the PRC (see United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758).

Post-Martial Law

Chiang Kai-shek's eventual successor, his son Chiang Ching-kuo, began to liberalize the ROC's political system in mid-1980s. In 1984, the younger Chiang selected Lee Teng-hui, an ethnically Taiwanese and U.S.-educated technocrat, to be his vice president. In 1986, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was formed and inaugurated as the first opposition party in Taiwan to counter the KMT. A year later Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law.

After the death of Chiang Ching-Kuo in January 1988, Dr. Lee Teng-hui succeed as President and became the first ethnically Taiwanese president of the ROC. Lee continued to democratize the government and decrease the concentration of government authority in the hands of mainland Chinese. Under Lee, Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint in contrast to earlier KMT policies which had promoted a Chinese identity. Lee's reforms included printing banknotes from the Central Bank rather than the Provincial Bank of Taiwan, and streamlining the Taiwan Provincial Government with most of its functions transferred to the Executive Yuan. Under Lee, the original members of the Legislative Yuan and National Assembly, elected in 1947 to represent mainland Chinese constituencies and having taken the seats without re-election for more than four decades, were forced to resign in 1991. The previously nominal representation in the Legislative Yuan was brought to an end, to reflect the reality that the ROC government had no jurisdiction over mainland China, and vice versa. Restrictions on the use of Taiwanese Hokkien in the broadcast media and in schools were lifted as well. During later years of Lee's administration, he was involved in corruption controversies relating to government release of land and weapons purchase, although no legal proceedings commenced.

In the 1990s, the ROC continued its democratic reforms, as President Lee Teng-hui was elected by the first popular vote held in the ROC during the 1996 Presidential election. In 2000, Chen Shui-bian of the DPP, was elected as the first non-KMT President and was re-elected to serve his second and last term since 2004. Polarized politics has emerged in Taiwan with the formation of the Pan-Blue Coalition of parties led by the KMT, favoring eventual Chinese reunification, and the Pan-Green Coalition of parties led by the DPP, favoring an eventual and official declaration of Taiwan independence.

On 30 September 2007, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party approved a resolution asserting separate identity from China and called for the enactment of a new constitution for a "''normal country''". It also called for general use of "''Taiwan''" as the island's name, without abolishing its formal name, the Republic of China. The Chen administration also pushed for referendums on national defense and UN entry in the 2004 and 2008 elections, which failed due to voter turnout below the required legal threshold of 50% of all registered voters. The Chen administration was dogged by public concerns over reduced economic growth, legislative gridlock due to a pan-blue, opposition controlled Legislative Yuan, and corruption involving the First Family as well as government officials.

The KMT increased its majority in the Legislative Yuan in the January 2008 legislative elections, while its nominee Ma Ying-jeou went on to win the presidency in March of the same year, campaigning on a platform of increased economic growth, and better ties with the PRC under a policy of "mutual nondenial". Ma took office on 20 May 2008. Part of the rationale for campaigning for closer economic ties with the PRC stem from the strong economic growth China attained since joining the World Trade Organization. However, some analysts say that despite the election of Ma Ying-jeou, the diplomatic and military tensions with the PRC have not been reduced.

Geography

The island of Taiwan lies some 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of China, across the Taiwan Strait, and has an area of . If included the Penghu Islands which is now a nominal county under the Taiwan Province, administered by the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's area is . The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling Chianan Plains in the west that are also home to most of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's highest point is Yu Shan at 3,952 meters, and there are five other peaks over 3,500 meters. This makes it the world's fourth-highest island. Taroko National Park, located on the mountainous eastern side of the island, has good examples of mountainous terrain, gorges and erosion caused by a swiftly flowing river.

The shape of the main island of Taiwan is similar to a sweet potato seen in a south-to-north direction, and therefore, Taiwanese, especially the Min-nan division, often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato." There are also other interpretations of the island shape, one of which is a whale in the ocean (the Pacific Ocean) if viewed in a west-to-east direction, which is a common orientation in ancient maps, plotted either by Western explorers or the Great Qing.

Geology

The island of Taiwan lies in a complex tectonic area between the Yangtze Plate to the west and north, the Okinawa Plate on the north-east, and the Philippine Mobile Belt on the east and south. The upper part of the crust on the island is primarily made up of a series of terranes, mostly old island arcs which have been forced together by the collision of the forerunners of the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. These have been further uplifted as a result of the detachment of a portion of the Eurasian Plate as it was subducted beneath remnants of the Philippine Sea Plate, a process which left the crust under Taiwan more buoyant.

The east and south of Taiwan are a complex system of belts formed by, and part of the zone of, active collision between the North Luzon Trough portion of the Luzon Volcanic Arc and South China, where accreted portions of the Luzon Arc and Luzon forearc form the eastern Coastal Range and parallel inland Longitudinal Valley of Taiwan respectively.

The major seismic faults in Taiwan correspond to the various suture zones between the various terranes. These have produced major quakes throughout the history of the island. On 21 September 1999, a 7.3 quake known as the "921 earthquake" occurred. The seismic hazard map for Taiwan by the USGS shows 9/10 of the island as the highest rating (most hazardous).

On 4 March 2010 at about 01:20 UTC, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit southern Taiwan.

Climate

Taiwan lies on the Tropic of Cancer. Its southern tip lies about 10 miles further north than Oahu, Hawaii and roughly 25 miles further north than Cancun, Mexico. Its climate is marine tropical. The northern part of the island has a rainy season that lasts from January through late March during the northeast monsoon, and experiences ''meiyu'' in May. The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. The middle and southern parts of the island do not have an extended monsoon season during the winter months. Natural hazards such as typhoons and earthquakes are common in the region.

Taiwan is a center of bird endemism; see Endemic birds of Taiwan for further information.

Environment and pollution

With its high population density and many factories, some areas in Taiwan suffer from heavy pollution. Most notable are the southern suburbs of Taipei and the western stretch from Tainan to Lin Yuan, south of Kaohsiung. In the past, Taipei suffered from extensive vehicle and factory air pollution, but with mandatory use of unleaded petrol and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the air quality of Taiwan has improved dramatically. Motor scooters, especially older or cheaper two-stroke versions, which are ubiquitous in Taiwan, also contribute disproportionately to urban air pollution.

Natural resources

Because of the intensive exploitation throughout Taiwan's pre-modern and modern history, the island's mineral resources (e.g. coal, gold, marble), as well as wild animal reserves (e.g. deer), have been virtually exhausted. Moreover, much of its forestry resources, especially firs were harvested during Japanese rule for the construction of shrines and have only recovered slightly since then. To this day, forests do not contribute to significant timber production mainly because of concerns about production costs and environmental regulations.

Camphor extraction and sugarcane refining played an important role in Taiwan's exportation from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. The importance of the above industries subsequently declined not because of the exhaustion of related natural resources but mainly of the decline of international market demands.

Nowadays, few natural resources with significant economic value are retained in Taiwan, which are essentially agriculture-associated. Domestic agriculture (rice being the dominant kind of crop) and fisheries retain importance to a certain degree, but they have been greatly challenged by foreign imports since Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. Consequently, upon the decline of subsistent importance, Taiwan's agriculture now relies heavily on the marketing and exportation of certain kinds of specialty fruits, such as banana, guava, lychee, wax apple, and high-mountain tea.

Energy resources

Taiwan has significant coal deposits and some insignificant petroleum and natural gas deposits. Electrical power generation is nearly 55% coal-based, 18% nuclear power, 17% natural gas, 5% oil, and 5% from renewable energy sources. Nearly all oil and gas for transportation and power needs must be imported, making Taiwan particularly sensitive to fluctuations in energy prices. Because of this, Taiwan's Executive Yuan is pushing for 10% of energy generation to come from renewable energy by 2010, double from the current figure of approximately 5%. In fact, several wind farms built by American and German companies have come online or will in the near future. Taiwan is rich in wind energy resources, with wind farms both onshore and offshore, though limited land area favors offshore wind resources. Solar energy is also a potential resource to some extent. By promoting renewable energy, Taiwan's government hopes to also aid the nascent renewable energy manufacturing industry, and develop it into an export market.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Taiwan's population was estimated in 2011 at 23.2 million, most of whom are on the island of Taiwan. About 98% of the population is of Han Chinese ethnicity. Of these, 86% are descendants of early Han Chinese immigrants known as the "''benshengren''" () in Chinese. This group is often referred to "native Taiwanese" in English while the Taiwanese aborigines are also considered as "native Taiwanese" frequently. The ''benshengren'' group contains two subgroups: the Hoklo people (70% of the total population), whose ancestors migrated from the coastal Southern Fujian (Min-nan) region in the southeast of mainland China starting in the 17th century; and the Hakka (15% of the total population), whose ancestors originally migrated south to Guangdong, its surrounding areas and Taiwan. Some of the benshengren do not often speak Mandarin, but instead use their mother tongues such as Taiwanese or Hakka.

12% of population are known as ''waishengren'' (), composed of people who (or whose ancestors) emigrated from mainland China after the Chinese Civil War with the KMT government. Most Waishengren speak primarily Mandarin.

The other 2% of Taiwan's population, numbering about 458,000, are listed as the Taiwanese aborigines, divided into 13 major groups: Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Rukai, Puyuma, Tsou, Saisiyat, Tao (Yami), Thao, Kavalan, Truku and Sakizaya.

For sociologists, these ethnic classifications are a social construct, the contestation and compromise between political forces. Sociology scholar Wang Fu-chang writes in his book that Minnanren (Hoklo people), Hakka, Waishengren and indigenous peoples are social categories that have developed over the last fifty years.

Languages

Mandarin is officially recognized by the Republic of China as the national language and is spoken by the vast majority of residents. About 70% of the people in Taiwan belong to the Hoklo ethnic group and speak both Taiwanese (a variant of Min Nan), as their mother tongue, and Mandarin. Mandarin has been the primary language of instruction in schools since the Japanese were forced out in the 1940s. The Hakka ethnic group, comprising around 15% of the population, use the Hakka language. Taiwan's aboriginal minority groups mostly speak their own native languages, although most also speak Mandarin. The aboriginal languages do not belong to the Chinese or Sino-Tibetan language family, but rather to the Austronesian language family.

Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio, non-Mandarin languages or dialects have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan, particularly since the 1990s after restrictions on their use were lifted. A large proportion of the population can speak Taiwanese, and many others have some degree of understanding. People educated during the period of Japanese rule (1895–1945) were taught using Japanese as the medium of instruction. A declining number of persons in the older generations only speak the Japanese they learned in school and the Taiwanese they spoke at home and understand little or no Mandarin.

Religion

The Constitution of the Republic of China protects people's freedom of religion and the practices of belief. Over 93% of Taiwanese are adherents of a combination of the polytheistic ancient Chinese religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism; 4.5% are adherents of Christianity, which includes Protestants, Catholics, and other, non-denominational, Christian groups; and less than 2.5% are adherents of other religions, such as Islam. Taiwanese aborigines comprise a notable subgroup among professing Christians: "...over 64 percent identify as Christian... Church buildings are the most obvious markers of Aboriginal villages, distinguishing them from Taiwanese or Hakka villages."

Confucianism is a philosophy that deals with secular moral ethics, and serves as the foundation of both Chinese and Taiwanese culture. The majority of Taiwanese people usually combine the secular moral teachings of Confucianism with whatever religions they are affiliated with.

One especially important goddess for Taiwanese people is Matsu, who symbolizes the seafaring spirit of Taiwan's ancestors from Fujian and Guangdong.

As of 2009, there are 14,993 temples in Taiwan, approximately one place of worship per 1,500 residents. 9,202 of those temples were dedicated to Taoism. In 2008, Taiwan had 3,262 Churches, an increase of 145.

Culture

The cultures of Taiwan are a hybrid blend of various sources, incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture, attributable to the historical and ancestry origin of the majority of its current residents, Japanese culture, traditional Confucianist beliefs, and increasingly Western values.

After their move to Taiwan, the Kuomintang imposed an official interpretation of traditional Chinese culture over Taiwanese cultures. The government launched a program promoting Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, folk art, and Chinese opera.

Since the Taiwan localization movement of the 1990s, Taiwan's cultural identity has enjoyed greater expression. Identity politics, along with the over one hundred years of political separation from mainland China, has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including cuisine and music.

The status of Taiwanese culture is debated. It is disputed whether Taiwanese culture is a regional form of Chinese culture or a distinct culture. Speaking Taiwanese as a symbol of the localization movement has become an emblem of Taiwanese identity.

One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the National Palace Museum, which houses more than 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting and porcelain, and is considered one of the greatest collection of Chinese art and objects in the world. The KMT moved this collection from the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1949 when it fled to Taiwan. The collection, estimated to be one-tenth of China's cultural treasures, is so extensive that only 1% is on display at any time. The PRC had said that the collection was stolen and that it legitimately belongs in China, but Taiwan has long defended its collection as a necessary act to protect the pieces from destruction, especially during the Cultural Revolution. Relations regarding this treasure have warmed recently as each side has agreed to lend relics to the other; Beijing Palace Museum Curator Zheng Xinmiao said that artifacts in both Chinese and Taiwanese museums are "China's cultural heritage jointly owned by people across the Taiwan Strait."

Popular sports in Taiwan include basketball and baseball. Taiwan is also a major Asian country for Korfball. In 2008, Taiwan hosted the World Youth Korfball Championship and took the silver medal. In 2009, Taiwan's korfball team won a bronze medal at the World Game.

International Community Radio Taipei is the most listened to International Radio Media in Taiwan.

Karaoke, drawn from contemporary Japanese culture, is extremely popular in Taiwan, where it is known as KTV. KTV businesses operate in a hotel-like style, renting out small rooms and ballrooms varying on the number of guests in a group. Many KTV establishments partner with restaurants and buffets to form all-encompassing elaborate evening affairs for families, friends, or businessmen. Tour buses that travel around Taiwan have several TV's, equipped not for watching movies, but primarily for singing Karaoke. The entertainment counterpart of a KTV is an MTV, being found much less frequently out of the city. There, movies out on DVD can be selected and played in a private theater room. However MTV, more so than KTV, has a growing reputation for being a place that young couples will go to be alone and intimate.

Taiwan has a high density of 24-hour convenience stores, which, in addition to the usual services, provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies such as collection of parking fees, utility bills, traffic violation fines, and credit card payments. They also provide a service for mailing packages.

Taiwanese culture has also influenced other cultures. Bubble tea and milk tea are available in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Europe and North America. Taiwan television shows are popular in Singapore, Malaysia and other Asian countries. Taiwanese films have won various international awards at film festivals around the world. Ang Lee, a Taiwanese director, has directed critically acclaimed films such as: ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''; ''Eat Drink Man Woman''; ''Sense and Sensibility''; ''Brokeback Mountain''; and ''Lust, Caution''. Other famous Taiwanese directors include Tsai Ming-Liang, Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien.

Higher education

Taiwan has several major public universities, including: National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Tsing Hua University, National Chengchi University, National Cheng Kung University, National Yang Ming University, National Taipei University, National Central University, National Sun Yat-sen University, National Chung Cheng University, National Chung Hsing University, Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Taipei University of Technology, and National Kaohsiung Normal University.

The more notable private universities in Taiwan include: Soo Chow University, Fu Jen Catholic University, Chang Gung University, Tamkang University, Tunghai University, Yuan Ze University, Tzu Chi University, Ming Chuan University, Chinese Culture University, and Shih Hsin University.

Sports

Baseball is Taiwan's national sport and it is a popular spectator sport. One of the most famous Taiwanese baseball pitchers is Chien-Ming Wang, who is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Other notable players playing in the United States include Chin-hui Tsao who played for the Colorado Rockies (2003–2005) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2007), Hong-Chih Kuo, Fu-Te Ni, and Chin-lung Hu. The Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan was established in 1989, and eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003. , the CPBL has four teams with average attendance of approximately 3,000 per game.

Besides baseball, taekwondo has become a rather mature and successful sport in recent years. In the 2004 Olympics, Mu Yen Chu and Shih Hsin Chen proudly won the first two gold medals in men's flyweight event and women's flyweight event, respectively. Ever since the 2004 Olympics, Taiwan's taekwondo potential has become extremely prominent. Subsequent taekwondo competitors such as Shu Chun Yang successfully consolidated Taiwan's taekwondo culture.

In 2009, Taiwan hosted two international sporting events on the island. The World Games 2009 were held in Kaohsiung City between 16 July and 26 July 2009. Taipei City hosted the 21st Summer Deaflympics in September of the same year.

Economy

Taiwan's quick industrialization and rapid growth during the latter half of the 20th century has been called the "Taiwan Miracle" (台灣奇蹟) or "Taiwan Economic Miracle". As Taiwan has developed alongside Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong, they are collectively known as the "Four Asian Dragons" (or "Four Asian Tigers").

Japanese rule prior to and during World War II brought changes in the public and private sectors, most notably in the area of public works, which enabled rapid communications and facilitated transport throughout much of the island. The Japanese also improved public education and made it compulsory for all Taiwanese citizens.

When the KMT government fled to Taiwan it brought millions of taels of gold and the foreign currency reserve of mainland China to the island, which, according to the KMT stabilized prices and reduced hyperinflation. Perhaps more importantly, as part of its retreat to Taiwan, the KMT brought the intellectual and business elites from mainland China. The KMT government instituted many laws and land reforms that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. The government also implemented a policy of import-substitution, attempting to produce imported goods domestically. Much of this was made possible through US economic aid, subsidizing the higher cost of domestic production.

In 1962, Taiwan had a per-capita gross national product (GNP) of $170, placing its economy on a par with those of Zaire and Congo. By 2008 per-capita GNP, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), had risen to $33,000, contributing to a Human Development Index equivalent to that of other developed countries. Taiwan's HDI in 2007 is 0,943 (25th, very high), and stands at 0,868 in 2010 (18e, very high), according to the UN's new calculating method ("Inequality-adjusted HDI").

Today Taiwan has a dynamic, capitalist, export-driven economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade. Some large government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Real annual growth in GDP has averaged about eight percent during the past three decades. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's fifth largest as of 31 December 2007.

Taiwan’s total trade in 2010 reached an all-time high of US$526.04 billion, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Finance. Both exports and imports for the year reached record levels, totaling US$274.64 billion and US$251.4 billion, respectively.

Agriculture constitutes only two percent of the GDP, down from 35 percent in 1952. Since the 1980s traditional labor-intensive industries have steadily been moved offshore and with capital and technology-intensive industries replacing them. High-technology industrial parks have sprung up in every region in Taiwan. Taiwan has become a major foreign investor in mainland China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. As of the end of 2003, it is estimated that some 50,000 Taiwanese businesses and 1,000,000 businesspeople and their dependents are established in the PRC.

Because of its conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial strengths, Taiwan suffered little compared with many of its neighbors from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Unlike its neighbors South Korea and Japan, the Taiwanese economy is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses rather than large business groups. The global economic downturn, however, combined with increasing bad debts in the banking system, pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001, the first whole year of negative growth since 1947. Due to the relocation of many manufacturing and labor-intensive industries to mainland China, unemployment also reached a level not seen since the 1973 oil crisis. This became a major issue in the 2004 presidential election. Growth averaged more than 4% in the 2002–2006 period and the unemployment rate fell below 4%. Since the global financial crisis starting with United States in 2007, the unemployment rate has risen to over 5.9% and Economic Growth fallen to -2.9%. However, Taiwan managed to move out of the crisis in very good shape. In 2010, economic growth topped 10%, the highest rate in almost 30 years; international trade jumped more than 39% to US$526.04 billion; and the job market has turned a rosy picture with most businesses set to recruit. As a result, IMF estimated Taiwan's 2010 GDP-PPP per capita at over US$34700, surpassing that of Finland, France and Japan all at once.

Leading technologies of Taiwan include:

Bicycle manufacturing, ex: Giant Bicycles, Merida

Biotechnology

Nanotechnology

Communication & Network, ex: D-Link

Laptops and other computers and displays, ex: Acer, Asus, MSI

Shipping, ex: Evergreen

Semiconductor device fabrication, TSMC, UMC

Smartphones, ex: HTC

TFT-LCD, ex: Chimei InnoLux Corporation, AU Optronics

Photovoltaic industry

Political status

See also

List of airlines of Taiwan

List of companies of Taiwan

List of Taiwanese counties and cities by population

References

Further reading

Bush, R. & O'Hanlon, M. (2007). ''A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America''. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-98677-1

Bush, R. (2006). ''Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait''. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0-8157-1290-1

Carpenter, T. (2006). ''America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan''. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6841-1

Cole, B. (2006). ''Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects''. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-36581-3

Copper, J. (2006). ''Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan''. Praeger Security International General Interest. ISBN 0-275-98888-0

Copper, J. (2000). ''Historical Dictionary of Taiwan (Republic of China)''. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3665-3

Federation of American Scientists et al. (2006). Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning

Gill, B. (2007). ''Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy''. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0-8157-3146-9

Knapp, R. (1980). ''China's Island Frontier: Studies in the Historical Geography of Taiwan''. University of Hawai`i Press. ISBN 0-8248-0705-7

Rubinstein, M. (2006). ''Taiwan: A New History''. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 0-7656-1495-2

Shirk, S. (2007). ''China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise''. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-530609-0

Tsang, S. (2006). ''If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics''. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-40785-0

Tucker, N.B. (2005). ''Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis''. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13564-5

External links

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

Taiwan (Republic of China - Taiwan, Chinese Taipei) at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

Satellite view of Taiwan at WikiMapia

Forumosa – Taiwan's largest online community in English

Taiwan Today - Taiwan-focused news articles in English

Category:Disputed islands Category:Islands of Asia Category:Islands of the Pacific Ocean Category:Territorial disputes of the People's Republic of China Category:Territorial disputes of the Republic of China

ar:تايوان (جزيرة) as:টাইৱান ast:Taiwán az:Tayvan bn:তাইওয়ান zh-min-nan:Tâi-oân bcl:Taiwan bo:ཐའེ་ཝན། br:Enez Taiwan bg:Тайван ca:Taiwan ceb:Taiwan cs:Tchaj-wan (ostrov) cy:Taiwan da:Taiwan (ø) de:Taiwan dv:ޓައިވާން dsb:Taiwan dz:ཏའི་ཝཱན་ et:Taiwani saar es:Isla de Taiwán eo:Tajvano fa:تایوان (جزیره) fr:Taïwan fy:Taiwan ga:An Téaváin gd:Tai-Bhàn (eilean) gl:Illa de Taiwán gan:臺灣 gu:ચીની ગણતંત્ર hak:Thòi-vân xal:Тайван арл ko:타이완 hi:ताइवान hsb:Taiwan bpy:তাইৱান id:Taiwan ia:Taiwan is:Taívan it:Isola di Taiwan he:טאיוואן (אי) sw:Taiwan la:Formosa lv:Taivāna (sala) hu:Tajvan (sziget) mr:तैवान (बेट) ms:Pulau Taiwan cdo:Dài-uăng mn:Тайвань арал my:ထိုင်ဝမ် nl:Taiwan ja:台湾 no:Taiwan nn:Taiwan pcd:Taïwan tpi:Taiwan pl:Tajwan (wyspa) pt:Ilha Formosa crh:Çin Cumhuriyeti ro:Taiwan qu:Taywan ru:Тайвань sah:Тайбаан sm:Tailani sco:Taiwan simple:Taiwan sk:Taiwan (ostrov) sl:Tajvan (otok) so:Taywan sr:Тајван sh:Tajvan fi:Taiwan sv:Taiwan (ö) tl:Taiwan ta:தாய்வான் tt:Тайвань te:తైవాన్ th:เกาะไต้หวัน tr:Tayvan uk:Тайвань ur:تائیوان ug:تەيۋەن za:Daizvanh vec:Taiwan (ixoła) vi:Đài Loan zh-classical:臺灣 war:Taiwan wo:Taaywaan wuu:台湾 yi:טייוואן zh-yue:臺灣 zea:Taiwan zh:台灣

name	Amr Diab عمرو دياب
background	solo_singer
birth name	Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab
astrological sign	Libra.
alias	Father of Mediterranean music, The Plateau (الهضبة)
birth date	October 11, 1961
origin	Port Said, Egypt
instrument	Vocal, Guitar
genre	Mediterranean
occupation	Singer, composer, actor
years active	1983–present
label	Rotana
official webstite| website	Official Website/
nationality	Egyptian
nickname	The Empror The King
father	Abdul Basset Diab
spouse	Sherine Rida (1989–1992) Zinah Ashour }}

Amr Abdol-Basset Abdol-Azeez Diab (}}; born October 11, 1961) is an Egyptian singer and composer of geel music; the contemporary face of Egyptian el-geel pop music, according to ''World Music''. Diab is the best-selling Arab recording artist of all time, according to ''Let's Go Egypt''. He was awarded the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist four times: 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2009. He has also sold over 50 million albums worldwide. He is currently the top singer in the Arab world, and considered a living legend by many of his fans in the Arab world.

Amr Diab is known as the Father of Mediterranean Music. He has created his own style which is often termed "Mediterranean Music" or "Mediterranean Sound", a blend of Western and Egyptian rhythms.

In ''The Mediterranean in Music'', David Cooper and Kevin Dawe referred to his music as "the new breed of Mediterranean music".

According to author Michael Frishkopf, Amr Diab has produced a new concept of Mediterranean music, especially in his international hit, "Nour El Ain".

In his analysis of ''The Very Best of Amr Diab'' album, Victor W. Valdivia of Allmusic said: "His music melded traditional Arabic sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instruments. The mesh was dubbed Mediterranean music, and The Very Best of Amr Diab displays Diab's superb skill in creating it."

According to the BBC, Diab "has ruled the Arab music world, especially Egypt and the Middle East, since the mid '80s, continually breaking sales records".

Musical career

In 1983, Diab released his first studio album, ''Ya Tareeq''. Diab released three more albums between 1984 and 1987. 1988's "Mayaal" garnered huge success all around the Middle East. It was produced, arranged and remixed by German musicians, Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg and Jörg Evers, with various releases. More success followed in the following years including the albums ''Shawakkna'', ''Matkhafesh'', and ''We Yloumouni''.

Amr Diab quickly developed fame for his new style of "Pan-Mediterranean" Arabic music, fusing touches of flamenco and raï with western pop with traditional Arabic rhythms. B1992, he became the first Arabic artist to start making high-tech music videos.

"Habibi" from Diab's 1996 album, ''Nour El Ain'' became a hit worldwide, and was remixed by many of the world's top DJs at the time. A special CD named ''Habibi: The Remix Album'' was released later with all of these remixes. Since then, Diab has remained at the top of the Arabic music scene, expanding reach to all parts of the Mediterranean with his 1999 release, ''Amarain'', that featured duets with Algeria's king of rai Khaled in a song called "Qalbi" and Greece's Angela Dimitriou in "Ana Bahibak Aktar" and "Eleos". "Tamally Maak" from Diab's 2000 album became a huge success. ''Leily Nahari'', Diab's first album with Rotana Records, was released in 2004. Diab's album ''El Leila De'' was released in the summer of 2007 and topped the Arabic music charts for 22 weeks. Diab received a World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist for the album. In 2008, Diab renewed his contract with Rotana for five more years. In 2009, Diab released a new album ''Wayah''. 233255/23. Omar soudan

Influences and contributions

Diab revolutionized Egyptian show business in several respects, and some of his biographers have referred to him as rebellious, because he challenged everything in Middle Eastern show business, from hairstyle and appearance to music style, presentation, and the financial scale of his projects.

Diab’s blending of Western rhythms with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music styles created a new music style, referred to as Mediterranean music. His song “Tamalli Ma’ak”/“Always With You,” wherein he introduced classical guitar, is a good example of the genre.

The world's perspective

Diab is one of the most popular and acclaimed Arab pop singers of the modern age. In 1997 he won three awards at the Annual Arabic Festival; one for Best Video, for Best Song, and for Best Artist of the Year. The following year Diab received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of ''Nour El Ain'' and also received a World Music Award in Monaco.

Albums

''Nour El Ain''

In 1996, ''Nour El Ain'' (Light of The Eye – Sight) was released, becoming a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world. The song was composed by Nasser el-Mizdawi, lyrics were written by Ahmed Sheta and it was arranged by Hameed Elshaery. The title track, and its English version "Habibi", was an international phenomenon, becoming a massive crossover hit in countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka (performed by Sangeeth Wickremasinghe) and Malaysia (Malay version sung by Datuk Sharifah Aini). The song was copied and remade with Malayalam lyrics, a south Indian language, in the Malayalam movie Chandralekha. In a style reminiscent of the Aldo (musician) Franco-Arabic style, the song was remixed by several top European arrangers and has become a big pull on the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El Phan for the song "Nour El Ain", was one of the most lavish and expensive productions in the field of Egyptian song, and set a new standard for his contemporaries to aspire to. This album sold 3 million copies. In 1997, Amr Diab won three Awards at the Annual Arabic Festival (for Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year). In the following year, he received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of ''Nour El Ain'', and received a World Music Award in Monaco on 6 May 1998, under the patronage of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and attended by Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Steven Seagal and others. This award was the first of its kind for an Egyptian artist, emphasizing that his appeal is not just confined to the Middle East unlike the majority of his contemporaries.

''Awedooni''

His follow-up studio album entitled ''Awedooni'' (they made me used to...) was released in July 1998, and as with ''Nour El Ain'' (the light of the eye) it was produced with Hamid El Shaery and recorded in Cairo, Egypt. The first video from the album, the title track "Awedooni" (they made me used to...), was shot by the river Nile in Egypt and directed by Tareq Al Aryan. Like its predecessor, this album was a huge success for Amr and reinforced his popularity in the Arab world and abroad.

''Amarain'' "Two Moons" in english

Diab released his July 1999 new studio album ''Amarain'' (two moons), which is hailed as the best work of his career to date. Amr is working on eagerly anticipated duets with the France-based international Rai superstar, Khaled of "Didi" fame, and with the Greek singer, Angela Dimitrou, whose crossover smash "Marguerites" was a huge hit across the Middle East in 1998. The title track "Amarain" was the first video to be broadcast.

''Tamally Ma'ak''

In 2000, Diab revolutionized Arab music when he issued ''Tamally Ma'ak'' (I'm Always With You). The song was composed by Sherif Tag, a modern Egyptian Composer. He introduced the Spanish guitar in his song "Tamally Ma'ak" and in other songs. The clip of this song was made in the Czech Republic with much success. The album contained songs like "El Allem Alla" (Only God Knows), "Ba'terf" (I Confess) which where composed by Amr Mostafa the best middle-eastern composer, "Sa'ban Alaea" (It Makes Me Feel Sorry) and "We Heya Amla Eih" (And How Was She?). The song "Tamally Ma'ak" was even copied in the hit Bollywood song "Kaho Na Kaho" from the film ''Murder'' and also "I'm Calling U" by the group, Outlandish.

''Aktar Wahed''

''Aktar Wahed'' was released on August 1, 2001. The album's name is short for one of the songs, "Aktar Wahed Beyhebbak" (One loves you the most). It contains 10 tracks and received the World Music Award for the best-selling album in the Middle East for 2001.

''Allem Albi''

In February 2003, Diab released ''Allem Alby'' (Teach My Heart). The album's release date was arranged to be with the debut broadcast of Alam El Phan's (Allem Alby's production company, owned by Mohsen Gaber) music channel "Mazzika".

The album was a great success, with the release of the video "Ana Ayesh" (I'm Alive) which was directed by Stuart Gosling. The video was intensely broadcast on Mazzika. The album contains other songs, like the R&B;-influenced hit, "Allem Albi". Others that tend to be more distinctively Arabic-sounding are songs like "Kolohom" (All of Them), "Law Ash'any" (If You Adore Me), and "Alli El Wadaa'" (Goodbye To Me).

''Leily Nahary''

In late summer 2004, Diab's first album with Rotana was released, titled ''Leily Nahary'' (My Nights, My Days). The album's cover was from the promotional photo shoot of Pepsi. The video "Leily Nahari" directed by Cameron Casey provided aid to give Diab his space in the record-exclusive music channels. It was criticized because of its similarity to his previously unreleased video for "El Alem Allah" from the album ''Tamally Ma'ak''. This album sold over 1.5 million copies.

''Kammel Kalamak''

Diab's album ''Kammel Kalamak'', released on December 14, 2005, was the follow-up to ''Leily Nahary''. The album cost a reported $4 million to record, and was Rotana's biggest album of 2005. The love ballad "We Malo" was released as the single of the album, ''Kammel Kalamak''. The music video was shot in London and was released on a late notice after the release of the album. Rumors surfaced in late 2005 and early 2006 stated that Amr is considering terminating his contract with Rotana due to the poor promotion of his latest album, ''Kammel Kalamak''.

''El Leila De'' (Tonight)

The album ''El Leila De'' was originally set to be released after Ramadan 2006. However, it was pushed back several times due to Diab's repeated changes in the musical producers he was dealing with. Diab attributes the changes to the producer's lack of new and strong styles. In early 2006, Music Arranger Fahd was supposed to work on this album; however, later that year Tarek Madkour joined Amr Diab, and they started together to work on it. On March 25, 2007, Madkour's official website announced that Amr Diab and Madkour had decided jointly to skip the collaboration on the album due to the lack of time and conflicting working schedules. Fahd and a new producer called Hasan Al Shafei are elected to produce the music in the album, which is supposed to hit the markets in July 2007. The title of the album was changed from ''Khaleek Ma'aya'' to ''El Leila De''. After the release Amr, shot a new Pepsi advertisement in Europe. On June 21, 2007, two of the biggest sites (AmrDiabWorld.com & AmrDiab.info) for Amr Diab announced that the album, now entitled ''El Lilady'', would hit the market on July 7, 2007. The album would contain 10 tracks; AL Shafei and Fahd shared the production Al Shaei 7 songs & Fahd 3 Songs. Before releasing his album, Diab traveled to Portugal to shoot the new Pepsi ad choosing "Inta El Ghaly" song from his upcoming album ''El Leila De'' as the ad music. Amr then traveled to the USA to film the music video for his upcoming album.

The album master copy was given to Rotana, Amr Diab's CD production company, on the last week of June to meet the July 7, 2007 release date he had planned earlier. Rotana, however, has delayed the release of the new CD for a couple of days for unknown reasons. The album has also been leaked. The album was officially released on July 11, 2007. The album has already become a huge hit in Egypt and all over the Middle East. The album sold over 1,000,000 copies in only 5 days of release. The video clip has been slated for a July 27 release. The song that Diab chose to film was "N'eoul Eih", which is in the new style of House Music mixed with oriental Arabic music. The video clip was filmed in Santa Monica and Malibu, and also near Hollywood.

On July 27, Rotana News announced that ''El Leila De'' had sold over 5 million copies in less than two weeks in the Middle East, which gives the album a good chance to surpass Kammel Kalamak's 3 million copies only. On October 30, 2007, the management of the World Music Awards announced that Amr Diab was to receive an award for best selling artist in the Middle East for this album. Amr Diab received the award in the festival that was held in Monaco, Monte-Carlo, on the November 4, 2007.

''Wayah'' (With Her) (2009)

the world music award of for the best-selling album in the Middle East 2009 ''Wayah'' (With Her) was released for sale on the internet on June 27; however, the album was leaked online and was downloaded illegally amid complaints of slow download speed on the official site. Diab's fans initiated a massive boycott of the sites with the illegal copies and by July 3, 2009 ''Wayah'' had sold more than 1.5 million copies in the first week. Later on Amr Diab's administration announced that the album has become the highest-selling album in Diab's career. This album sold 3 million copies.

On October 18, 2009 Amr Diab won four 2009 African Music Awards in the following categories: best artist, best album, best vocalist and best song for "Wayah" and Amr Diab has been nominated by the Big Apple Music Awards

''Aslaha Betefre''' (2010)

Amr Diab has released a mini album for the first time in his career history, produced by Rotana, in July 2010. The mini album contains 1 song with 3 arrangements (Original song + Club Mix + Karaoke).

''Banadeek Ta'ala'' (2011)

Amr Diab is expected to release "Banadeek Ta'ala" late September 2011. The album contains 12 songs that include: Banadeek Ta'ala, Heya Hayaty, Aloomak Leh, Aref Habibi, Maly Enaya, Yaret Sennek, Ghaly Alaya, and Tagreba o Addet. The album is arranged by Adil Hakki and is produced by Rotana.

Music videos

Diab is one of the first singers to popularise music videos in the Arab World, and the first Egyptian singer to appear in music videos. With the exception of his very early releases, all of his albums have had at least one song shot as a music video. Diab has collaborated with a variety of music video directors in the Middle East, including Tarek El-Erian and Sherif Sabri.

The most anticipated video clip of 2007, ''N'eoul Eih'', was released on August 14 that year on Rotana TV. It was broadcast minutes later on Egyptian television on "El Beit Betak". The video was a great success.

August 6, 2009 witnessed the release of Amr Diab's latest video clip for his smash hit Wayah. Working alongside Cameron Casey and [Leily Nahari] for a second time, Amr Diab presented a fresh video clip which was filmed mostly on Green Screen and in Amr Diab's personal villa in Cairo, Egypt. The biggest surprise was the appearance of Amr Diab's children alongside his niece, who represented the younger generation of children who are still inspired by the music of Amr Diab.

Diab also filmed "Ba2dem Alby" which is set to be released on Valentine's Day.

''El Helm/The Dream''

''The Dream'' or ''El Helm'' is a biographical TV production produced by Amr Afefy that gives viewers the story of Amr Diab's life. The show consists of 12 episodes and began airing on December 24, 2008. ''El Helm'' is narrated by actor Ezzat Abou Ouf and includes interviews with Diab and people he worked with throughout the span of his career. The show, which aired on Rotana TV, saw great success and was preceded by one of the biggest advertising campaigns in the history of Middle Eastern music.

Film career

Diab's fame in the music industry has led him to experiment with other forms of media, such as film. Amr played himself in his first film, ''El Afareet'', which was released in 1989. The film also starred Madiha Kamel. His second film ''Ice Cream in Gleam'' (''Ays Krim fi Glym''), the 1992 movie in which Diab starred, was chosen as one of the best five Egyptian musical films by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The film was also featured in the UCLA Film and Television Archive's new program "Music on the Nile: Fifty Years of Egyptian Musical Films" at James Bridges Theater, UCLA, April 6, 8 and 10. David Chute of the Los Angeles Weekly termed the film "observant" and "a big leap". His third movie was released in 1993, and was named ''Deahk We La'ab'' (''Laughter and Fun''). The film premiered in the Egyptian Film Festival in 1993. Amr played alongside international Egyptian movie star Omar Sharif (''Lawrence of Arabia'', ''Doctor Zhivago'') and Yousra in the movie. Overall, Diab did not experience the same level of success in film that he had with his music career. Since 1993, Diab has focused on his singing career.

Egyptian Uprising

Amr Diab did not participate in the protests of early 2011 (he left the country with his family). However, he composed and sang a memorial song, "Masr A'let"., then he participated in a campaign "Masry Begad" ("Real Egyptian"), a social national program aimed at serving and rebuilding Egyptian society. His online radio station Diab FM will present talks and discussions about what Diab FM team can offer to our community as well as applying it practically by being present in different sites across Egypt with a new project each week.

Endorsements

Amr Diab has taken part in an internationally known Pepsi commercial featuring four other pop musicians: Beyoncé Knowles, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears. In the US version, Enrique Iglesias takes the role of Caesar. But in the pan Arab version, the four American singers were retained but the male figure was replaced with Diab. This was not the first Pepsi commercial Diab has done; he also filmed commercials featuring his songs "Ana Aktar Wahed" (I'm the most), "Allem Alby" (teach my heart) and "Khad Alby Ma'aa" (She took my heart with her). Diab also appeared in a commercial alongside Jennifer Lopez, singing The Troggs hit "Wild Thing". In 2009 Pepsi decided not to renew his contract. In 2010 he was the star of "Hayat" bottled water campaign.

Local record labels

Diab's earliest albums were released by Delta Sound. In 1996 Diab moved to Alam Al Phan were he released his greatest hits. In between 2003 and 2004, and after a long successful career with Alam El Phan, Diab officially announced the termination of his contract with Mohsen Gaber (owner of Alam El Phan) and move to Rotana Records.

International record labels

Over 18 international companies have produced studio albums, compilations and exclusive music for Amr Diab across the globe.

Ariola - Germany

Hot Records - Germany

EMI Music - Greece

EMI Music - Arabia

EMI Music - Turkey

EMI Music - Canada [Hemisphere]

EMI Music - Europe

EMI Music - International

World Music Network - USA

George V Records - France

Putumayo World Music - USA

Wagram Music - France

Virgin - International

Nascent - UK

Milano 2000 - Italy

Reverb Music - UK

Toast Records - Italy

Warner Bros. - France

Collaboration with international musicians

Various international musicians have collaborated with Amr Diab:

Stuart Crichton (The founder of Progressive House)

Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg - Germany

Jorg Evers - Germany

Shazz (Didier Delesalle) - France

Klubbheads (Koen Groeneveld and Addy van der Zwan) - Dutch

Phunk Phorce (Leon and Matthew Roberts) - UK

Rhythm Masters (Robert Bruce Chetcuti and Steve McGuinness) - UK

Pete Beachill - UK

Simon Gardner - UK

Andy Greenwood - UK

Kevan Gallagher - UK

Jon Bishop - UK

Juan Cerro - Spain

Angela Dimitriou - Greece

Amr Diab in movies

Amr Diab's songs have appeared in several films, including: "Wala Ala Baloh" in ''Divine Intervention'' (2002) "Awedouni" in ''The Dancer Upstairs'' (2002) "El Alem Alah" and "Nour El Ain" in ''O Clone'' (2001) "Nafs El Makan" in ''Double Whammy'' (2001)

"Tamally Ma'ak" and "Nour El Ain" in the French movie, ''Coco'' (2009)

"Nour El Ain" in ''Malcolm in the Middle'' TV series (Season 4, Episode 4, Episode name: Stupid Girl), released on 9 January 2000 (USA)

Further reading

''Mediterranean Mosaic'' by Goffredo Plastino

''Egypt'' by Virginia Maxwell, Mary Fitzpatrick, Siona Jenkins, Anthony Sattin

''World Music'' by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo, Orla Duane, Vanessa Dowell

''Teens in Egypt'' by Barbara A. Somervill

''Syria & Lebanon'' by Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys, Damien Simonis

''World Music'' by Richard Nidel

''The Mediterranean in Music'' by David Cooper, Kevin Dawe

''The Middle East'' by Library Information and Research Service

''Let's Go Egypt'' by Let's Go, Inc., Joey Shabot, Dave Newman, Elizabeth Ogburn, Charlotte Houghteling

Discography

Studio Albums

1983: ''Ya Taree'' (يا طريق - O Road)

1984: ''Ghanny Men Albak'' (غنّي من قلبك - Sing From Your Heart)

1985: ''We Mneen Ageeb Nas'' (ومنين أجيب ناس - To Whom I Complain?)

1986: ''Hala Hala'' (هلا هلا - Welcome, Welcome)

1987: ''Khalseen'' (خالصين - We're Even)

1988: ''Mayyal'' (ميّال - In Love)

1989: ''Shawaana'' (شوقنا - Missing You)

1990: ''Matkhafeesh'' (متخافيش - Don't Worry)

1991: ''Habiby'' (حبيبي - My Love)

1992: ''Ayamna'' (أيامنا - Our Days)

1992: ''Ice Cream Fi Gleam'' (أيس كريم في جليم - Ice Cream In Gleam)

1993: ''Ya Omrena'' (يا عمرنا - Our Life)

1994: ''W Ylomoony'' (و يلوموني - And They Blame Me)

1994: ''Zekrayat'' (ذكريات - Memories)

1995: ''Ragaeen'' (راجعين - We'll Be Back)

1996: ''Nour El-Ain'' (نور العين - Light Of The Eye)

1998: ''Awedoony'' (عوّدوني - They Got Me Used To)

1999: ''Amarein'' (قمرين - Two Moons)

2000: ''Tamally Maak'' (تملي معاك - Always With You)

2001: ''Aktar Wahed'' (أكتر واحد - The Most One)

2003: ''Allem Alby'' (علم قلبي - Teach My Heart)

2004: ''Leily Nahary'' (ليلي نهاري - My Night, My Day)

2005: ''Kammel Kalamak'' (كمّل كلامك - Keep Talking)

2007: ''El Leila De'' (الليلا دي - This Night)

2009: ''Wayah'' (ويّاه - With Her)

2010: ''aslaha Betfre''' (اصلها بتفرق - She Differs)

;Compilations

1999: ''The Best of Amr Diab''

2004: ''Amr Diab Greatest Hits (1986–1995)''

2005: ''Amr Diab Greatest Hits (1996–2003)''

Singles

2010: "Aslaha Btefre'" (أصلها بتفرق - Because she makes a difference)

References

External links

http://www.amrdiab.net/ - Official Website

http://amrdiabworld.com/ - Official Online Store

http://DiabFM.com/ - Official Online Radio

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Egyptian actors Category:Egyptian singers Category:People from Port Said Category:World Music Awards winners

ar:عمرو دياب bg:Амър Диаб cs:Amr Dijáb de:Amr Diab es:Amr Diab eo:Amr Diab fa:عمرو دیاب fr:Amr Diab id:Amr Diab hu:Amr Dijáb ml:അമ്ര് ദിയാബ് arz:عمرو دياب ms:Amr Diab nl:Amr Diab ja:アムル・ディアブ pl:Amr Diab pt:Amr Diab ru:Амр Диаб fi:Amr Diab sv:Amr Diab tr:Amr Diab uk:Амр Діаб zh:阿穆尔·迪亚布

Name	Babbu Maan
Background	solo_singer
Born	March 18, 1976
Origin	Khant, Fatehgarh Sahib Punjab
Record label	Point Zero Production
Genre	Punjabi, Bhangra, Romantic, Hindi Pop Punjabi Rap
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, Actor, Producer
Years active	1998–present
Website	}}

Babbu Maan (born Tejinder Singh Maan on Mar 18) is a Punjabi singer-songwriter, actor, and producer. Born in the village of Khant Maanpur in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab, India. Babbu Maan has been very fond of playing music since his childhood, singing on stage for the first time during a school function in his village school at the age of seven. He would see everything through the eyes of a musician, even turning cooking pans into musical instruments as he created rhythmic sounds. He learned how to write lyrics, while at school (Punjab University, Chandigarh) when he was about 16. After college, he started singing and composing music. He is one of the few singers who writes his own lyrics for all of his songs. He sang for Mavi music recording studio and recorded his first album when he was only 23.

Babbu Maan is the only Punjabi singer who sings his own lyrics in his own great music. Babbu Maan is famous for his distinctive music and lyrics, at present he is one of the great Punjabi singers who has given a new trend to Bhangra Music. His sad songs are urbane with the synchronized Punjabi music, as that no one else could create. Now he is entrenched Punjabi pop singer, composer, lyricist, playback singer and actor as well.

Career

Babbu Maan debuted in 1998 with his album Sajjan Rumal De Giya. Unhappy with the album he went back to the drawing board and re-wrote many of the songs, many of which were re-released in his following albums. Tu Meri Miss India, his second album was released in 1999 was a smash hit.

His third album Saaun Di Jhadi released in 2001 was a highly successful album; It sold over ten million copies in India alone and many more overseas. In 2003 Maan was selected as actor and Music Director for the movie Hawayein in which he worked alongside his favourite singer, Sukhwinder Singh. The movie was highly successful. It was followed by his album, Ohi Chann Ohi Rataan. This album also fared well, in both critical acclaim and sales. Pyass was he's next album.

In 2006 Maan started on his first playback movie called Rabb Ne Banayien Jodeian, with its songs scoring another success for Maan. Mera Gham was a highly successful Hindi album. It focused more on slow romantic and sad songs with a few up-beat songs. The song "Ek Raat/One Night Stand" shocked many listeners, but nevertheless, the song has a very catchy beat.

Maan starred in a New Year's special called Aao Saare Nachiye which was also highly successful. Part 1 was released in 2008 and Part 2 in 2009. Maan's Film Hashar... A love Story, was the biggest film success yet in his career; the songs were also a hit. Recently Babbu released a religious album,Singh Better Than King. A song from this album "Ik Baba Nanak Si" was banned by the government. This was followed by a tv survey in which 80% of people supported Babbu Maan, 6% people supported the censorship of the song and 14% people did not participate. Nevertheless, it was successful album and it sold more than 25 million copies in (INDIA). On March 25, 2010, Maan came out with his new Film Ekam - Son of Soil. The film faired well at the box office.

Discography

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2007	''Mera Gham''	Point Zero
2005	''Pyass''	T-Series
2004	''Ohi Chann Ohi Rataan''	T-Series
2001	''Saaun Di Jhadi''	T-Series
1999	''Tu Meri Miss India''	Catrack
1998	''Sajjan Rumal De Giya''	Catrack

Religious

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2009	''Singh Better Than King''	Point Zero

Soundtrack

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2010	''Ekam: Son of Soil''	Point Zero
2008	''Hashar: A Love Story...''	Eros
2006	''Rabb Ne Banaiyan Jodiean''	T-Series
2003	''Hawayein''	T-Series

Compilation

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2011	''Aao Saare Nachiye Vol. 4''	Point Zero
2010	''Aao Saare Nachiye Vol. 2''	Point Zero
2009	''Aao Saare Nachiye''	Point Zero

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Character
2011	''Hero Hiter in Love''
2010	''Crook''	Playback singer
2010	''Ekam: Son of Soil''	Ekam
2009	''Vaada Raha...I Promise''	Playback singer
2008	''Hashar: A Love Story...''	Maninder
2006	''Rabb Ne Banaiyan Jodiean''	Jelly
2003	''Hawayein''	Kanpuria

References

External links

BabbuMaanOnline.com Babbu Mann's official website

Cine Punjab - Information

mannfilms.com/ekam Ekam: Son of Soil official website

pointzeroentertainers.com Point Zero official website

mannfilms.com Mann Films official website

Hashar a Love Story official website

Listen Babbu Mann Songs

http://www.herohitlerinlove.com/

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Panjab University alumni Category:Punjabi-language singers

hi:बब्बू मान te:బబ్బూ మన్

Brad Neely is a comic book artist from Fort Smith, Arkansas who now resides in Los Angeles, California. Neely attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work includes the comic series "Creased Comics" and the spoof of Harry Potter ''Wizard People, Dear Reader''. The latter consists of an alternate soundtrack of narration in the style of a book on tape, which viewers can play over the muted movie. Neely is highlighted in the documentary, We Are Wizards.

Neely is the creator of the cartoon ''Cox & Combes' Washington'', though he unwittingly sold the rights to the Cox & Combes characters and the song for $250 due to some fine print at the film festival for which it was produced. Aside from occasional one-off videos, he also has three series: ''I Am Baby Cakes'', ''The Professor Brothers'', and ''China, Illinois'', all of which take place in the fictional location of China, Illinois. ''Baby Cakes'' shorts are typically in the style of diary entries narrated in the first person by Mark "Baby" Cakes, a socially inept, yet wise about life, 30-year-old playboy man-baby. ''The Professor Brothers'' follows the professional and personal misadventures of Frank and Steve Smith, two brothers who are professors at a local community college whose mascot is a panda bear (in reference to the animal being native to China). ''China, Illinois'' interweaves the two other stories, as Baby Cakes falls in love with Frank's recently dead girlfriend after finding her diary, and the two men attempt to come to terms with their emotional pain upon learning of her death.

One of his upcoming projects was a comedy novel about the American Civil War, but when asked about it at an event at the Alamo Draft House in Austin, Texas, Neely said, "I realized about 500 pages in that it wasn't that funny," and said that he is no longer planning on releasing the book. He has also produced ''America Now'', a 12-part series of 30-second musical shorts for Adult Swim, which is now available on the station's website.

Brad Neely was a consultant on the animated series ''South Park'' for the second half of season eleven.

''China, Illinois''

On May 5, 2008, Super Deluxe began releasing a four-part mini-series by Neely entitled ''China, Illinois''. The site published an installment once a week, culminating on May 25 with a broadcast of the entire series (as one 11-minute episode) on Adult Swim. The show is the first original Brad Neely work to be shown on television.

On May 23, 2011, Adult Swim announced that "China, IL" would be one of the new full-length premiers for the fall line-up with Neely having creative and executive producer credits.

References

External links

Creased Comics Home Page

* Creased Comics Archive

Neely's official Youtube channel

Wizard People, Dear Reader

Article by The Daily Texan

Neely interviewed by Bostonist

Neely profiled at NewTeeVee Station

Neely interviewed by Metabunker.dk

Category:American comic strip cartoonists Category:American comics artists Category:American webcomic authors Category:American cartoonists Category:Alternative cartoonists Category:People from Fort Smith, Arkansas Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni

fr:Brad Neely

background	solo_singer
name	Lil' Mo
birth date	November 03, 1978
years active	1998–present
label	The Inc. (2000-2002) Elektra (2001-2004) Cash Money (2004-2006) G.M.G (2007-present)
associated acts	Fabolous
website	http://www.twitter.com/THELILMOSHOW }}

Cynthia Loving (born November 3, 1978), also known by her stage name Lil' Mo, is an American R&B; singer, Washington, D.C. radio personality, songwriter & record producer. She is best known for collaborating with artists such as Ja Rule, Angie Martinez, Sacario, Missy Elliott, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Fabolous, and for her hit single "Superwoman Pt. II".

Early life

Born into a military family, Loving was raised primarily on Long Island, but moved about regularly as her family followed her father's military assignments. Along with her parents, Bishop Jacob and First-Lady Cynthia Loving Sr., she lived in Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and Fayetteville, North Carolina before settling in Baltimore, Maryland. Dreams of becoming a famous singer began early and she always remained focused on this goal, performing in talent competitions wherever her family would settle.

Music career

Beginnings

Signed with Elektra Records Loving entered the music industry as a protégé of then-labelmate Missy Elliott. Her debut single was entitled "5 Minutes" from the ''Why Do Fools Fall In Love'' soundtrack, co-written by Kelly Price. She appeared on tracks for Elliott's ''Da Real World'' in 1999. "Hot Boyz" became Loving's breakout appearance. She was featured in the music video for the song's remix alongside guest rappers Nas and Eve, and Elliott subsequently became a trusted adviser and friend. She was featured on rapper Jay-Z's song "Parking Lot Pimpin'" from the 2000 ''The Dynasty: Roc La Familia'' album. Not very well known, she was the female voice on the 2001 hit "Wifey" by Next. She has performed with and written songs for many artists including Blackstreet, Next, Bow Wow, Keith Sweat, Canela Cox, 3LW, Nicole Wray, Mocha and ODB.

Loving's next big exposure came in early 2001, when she was featured on Ja Rule's single "Put It On Me" alongside Ja Rule's Murder Inc. Records labelmate Vita. The single was a hit on both urban and pop radio, and reached number eight on the US pop charts, and more collaborations by Ja Rule and Lil' Mo followed, including "I Cry", which repurposed The O'Jays' 1978 hit "Cry Together". In the Summer of 2002 Loving collaborated with label mates Angie Martinez & Sacario on "If I Could Go".

''Based On A True Story'' (1999 - 2002)

In 2001, Lil' Mo released her debut album ''Based On A True Story'', on Elektra Records, and had a successful single of her own, "Superwoman (Part II)". The "Part II" remix, featuring hip-hop newcomer Fabolous, was an up-tempo, hip-hop flavored record, using an instrumental track producer DJ Clue had originally intended for M.O.P. reached #9 on the R&B; charts. The video was also a huge hit on MTV2 and BET. The album's second single, "Gangsta", contained a sample of Snoop Dogg's "Gin And Juice", was less successful reaching #57 on the R&B; charts.

After a falling out with Ja Rule and Irv Gotti, caused by Loving's accusations that they now favored using new Murder Inc. artist Ashanti for collaborations instead of her, she ended all associations with Murder Inc. in 2002. Since, Ja Rule has taken some shots at former friend, Loving, calling her a "bitch", and crediting himself as the reason why she had any hits. She refused to fire back, calling the whole thing "juvenile."

''Meet the Girl Next Door'' (2003)

During the mid-2003, Mo appeared on two important singles with Fabolous, who partially had Mo to thank for his own break into the industry, and who has since been more successful on both urban and mainstream charts than Mo herself. Their first duet was "Can't Let You Go", the first single from Fabolous' ''Street Dreams'' LP, was one of 2003's biggest rap and mainstream pop hits. The other duet, "4 Ever", the first official single from Lil' Mo's own second album, ''Meet The Girl Next Door'', was a major urban and R&B; hit, but did not achieve pop success.

''Pain & Paper'' (2007)

Under her independent label "Honeychild Entertainment" she finally released a new album. ''Pain & Paper'' was released on August 28, 2007 with production from Joey Cutless, Bryan-Michael Cox, Jules "Judah," Mike Moore, Troy Taylor, Adam "Streets" Arwine, Daniel "D-Up" Allen, Wesley "Mister Wes" Toone, among others. Along with recording her new album, Lil' Mo, together with Faith Evans, Fantasia, and R&B-turned-gospel; singer Coko (of SWV fame), appeared on the remake of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" from Coko's gospel album ''Grateful'', released October 31, 2006. Loving's ''Pain & Paper'' was released on August 28, 2007 distributed by Koch Entertainment. The first single off the album is "Sometimes I" featuring rapper Jim Jones). The video was directed by Gabriel E. Hart of Drew Barrymore's "VH-1's Shoot to Kill." She recently announced that her second single is "Lucky Her". She stated that "Lucky Her" is the final single from ''Pain & Paper''. She is currently working on a new album tentatively titled ''Tattoos & Roses: The Rebellion Against My Pain'' (confirmed by Lil' Mo herself in an interview), a mixtape, and a reality show for 2008.

2008 - present

With ''Pain & Paper'' sales at barely below one-hundred thousand, Lil' Mo signed to Global Music Group for a two-album contract. She has said in a recent interview that the album will be a double disc; half of it being a live production. The album is currently titled ''P.S. I LOVE Me''. In a 2010 interview, Mo confirmed that guest appearances on the album would include MC Lyte, Tweet, Fabolous and other performers that she has admired in the music industry. In early 2010, Loving ended her feud with Ja Rule which started in 2001.

Personal life

In 2001, she met her first husband, Al Stone, at a Washington, D.C. gas station; she initiated a conversation and asked for his number. He proposed to her in May, and they wed on August 29, 2001, after dating for only 5 months. Just two months later, Loving became pregnant, and on August 19, 2002, she gave birth to a daughter, Heaven Love'on Stone. Her second daughter, God'Iss Love Stone, was born on February 24, 2005. In December 2005, she filed for divorce from Al Stone.

She is currently married to Gospel recording artist Phillip Bryant; the couple welcomed a son, Justin McKenzie Phillip, on January 16, 2009. She currently lives in Odenton, Maryland.

Discography

2001: ''Based on a True Story''

2003: ''Meet the Girl Next Door''

2007: ''Pain & Paper''

2011: '''P.S. I LOVE Me''

Albums

Year	Album	Chart positions		RIAA Certification
		!width="60"	!width="60"
	style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"

Mixtapes

2011: P.S I Love You

Singles

{|class="wikitable" |- !rowspan="2"| Year !rowspan="2"| Single !colspan="2"| Chart positions !rowspan="2"| Album |- !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| U.S. !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| U.S. R&B; |- || 1998 | "5 Minutes" (feat. Missy Elliott) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love Soundtrack'' |- || 2000 | "Ta Da" | style="text-align:center;"| 95 | style="text-align:center;"| 21 |rowspan="3"| ''Based on a True Story'' |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 | "Superwoman Pt. II" (feat. Fabolous) | style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 4 |- | "Gangsta" | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 57 |- |rowspan="3"| 2003 | "4Ever" (feat. Fabolous) | style="text-align:center;"| 37 | style="text-align:center;"| 13 |rowspan="2"| ''Meet the Girl Next Door'' |- | "Ten Commandments" (feat. Lil' Kim) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 101 |- | "21 Answers" | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Promo Single'' |- |rowspan="4"| 2005 | "Yeah Yeah Yeah" (feat. Miri Ben-Ari) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — |rowspan="4"| ''Syndicated: The Lil' Mo Hour'' (Unreleased Album) |- | "Hot Boys, Hot Girls" (feat. Lil Wayne) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 28 |- | "Mother of Your Child" | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — |- | "Dem Boyz" | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 86 |- |rowspan="2"| 2007 | "Sumtimes I" (feat. Jim Jones) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — |rowspan="2"| ''Pain & Paper'' |- | "Lucky Her" | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — |-|rowspan="2"| ''Pain & Paper'' |- | 2011 | style="text-align:center;"| " P.S. I Love U " | style="text-align:center;"| TBA |- | colspan="5" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |}

Guest singles

{|class="wikitable" |- !rowspan="2"| Year !rowspan="2"| Single !colspan="4"| Chart positions !rowspan="2"| Album |- !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| U.S. !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| U.S. R&B; !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| U.S. Rap !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| NL |- || 1999 | "Hot Boyz" (Missy Elliott feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Da Real World'' |- |rowspan="3"| 2000 | "I'll Trade (A Million Bucks)" (Keith Sweat feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 36 | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Didn't See Me Coming'' |- | "Whatever" (Ideal feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| 102 | style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Ideal'' |- | "Put It On Me" (Ja Rule feat. Lil' Mo & Vita) | style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 7 |rowspan="2"| ''Rule 3:36'' |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 | "I Cry" (Ja Rule feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| 40 | style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 25 | style="text-align:center;"| — |- | "Lay It Down" (Jermaine Dupri & R.O.C. feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 117 | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Instructions'' |- |rowspan="3"| 2002 | "Pray For Me" (Mobb Deep feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Infamy'' |- | "Where's My..?" (Adam F feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 100 || ''Single Only'' |- | "If I Could Go" (Angie Martinez feat. Lil' Mo & Sacario) | style="text-align:center;"| 15 | style="text-align:center;"| 26 | style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Animal House'' |- || 2003 | "Can't Let You Go" (Fabolous feat. Lil' Mo & Mike Shorey) | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 10 || ''Street Dreams'' |- || 2004 | "Thick & Thin" (E-40 feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 120 | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''The Best of E-40: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow'' |- || 2006 | "Endow Me" (Coko feat. Lil' Mo, Fantasia & Faith Evans) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Grateful'' |- |rowspan="2"| 2008 | "Bulletproof Love/One Love" (Foxy Brown feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Brooklyn's Don Diva'' |- | "Cry" (LL Cool J feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| 119 | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Exit 13'' |- || 2009 | "It Ain't Love" (MSTRKRFT feat. Lil' Mo) | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — | style="text-align:center;"| — || ''Fist of God'' |- | colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |}

References

External links

''Sister2Sister'' Interview

Category:Cash Money Records artists Category:American female singers Category:African American singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:Hip hop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:People from Long Island Category:1978 births Category:Living people

de:Lil’ Mo it:Lil' Mo pt:Lil' Mo