History Of Taiwan

It is believed that in the 12th century  groups of Japanese occupied parts of Taiwan, and they eventually claimed possession of the eastern portion of Taiwan from the 15th century on.  The Portuguese went to Taiwan in 1590, thus becoming the first set of Europeans to arrive.  They were so impressed with the island, they called it Formosa, which means beautiful.  In 1692, the Dutch frustrated Spanish attempts at developing settlements by taking possession of the P'enghu Islands.  Within three years, the Dutch were on Taiwan's southeastern coast.