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:For the political entity commonly known as "Taiwan," see Republic of China.The island of Taiwan ( Traditional: 臺灣, Simplified: 台湾, Pinyin: Táiwān, Wade-Giles: T'ai-wan, Taiwanese: Tâi-oân) is located off the coast of China in the Pacific Ocean. It is also known by its Portuguese name Ilha Formosa, which means "beautiful island."
1 Political status
- Main article: Political status of Taiwan
Most of the island, along with the Pescadores Islands, is administered as part of the Province of Taiwan by the government of the Republic of China (ROC), which was the former government of mainland China before its 1949 defeat by the Communist Party of China. Taiwan's largest city TaipeiAlternative meaning: Taipei County Taipei City City flag City logo City nickname: the City of Azaleas Capital District Xinyi Area Total % water Ranked 16 of 25 271. 0% Population Total ( May, 2004) Density Ranked 2 of 25 2,625,512 9,660/km² Districts:12 M serves as the provisional capital of the Republic of China, while Jhongsing VillageJhongsing Village ( WG: Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un, Pinyin: Zhongxingxincun) is located in Nantou County, Taiwan and is the seat of the Taiwan provincial government. Jhongsing" means "Prosperity of China". It is a new town. With all the buildings owned by thein central Taiwan near the city of TaichungTaichung City City flag City seal Abbreviation: Central City ( City nickname: The cultural city Capital District West Dist. Region Central Taiwan Mayor Jason Hu Area Ranked 18 of 25 Total % water 163. 4256 km² ?% Population Ranked 9 of 25 Total ( May 2004 is the capital of Taiwan province.
Currently, in addition to the main island of Taiwan, the Republic of China also controls the Pescadores, Kinmen (Quemoy), and MatsuThe Matsu Islands ( or less frequently, Pinyin: Mz) are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County ( Pinyin: Lianjing), Fujian Province of the Republic of China (ROC, based on Taiwan). Not all of wh islands situated in the Taiwan StraitThe Taiwan Strait or Taiwan Straits is a 180km-wide Strait between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast. The narrowest part is 131km wide. Fujian province on the, plus some Pacific Coast islands (notably the Green and Orchid islands). Furthermore, the ROC also claims some islands in the South China SeaThe South China Sea is a marginal sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km². The minute South China Sea Islands, collectively an archipelago, number in the hundreds. A number of nat. Some of these outer islands, notably the Spratly (Nansha) islands in the South China Sea and the Senkaku (Diaoyutai) islands in the Pacific Coast, are also simultaneously claimed by several other countries in the region. Due to Taiwan island's status of composing most of the ROC's current jurisdiction, the word "Taiwan" is commonly used synonymously with the Republic of China, while the word "China" is used to refer to areas under the control of the People's Republic of China.
The political status of Taiwan is a controversial issue. The People's Republic of China considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory and the Republic of China a defunct, and therefore illegitimate entity. The current position of the Chen Shui-bian administration is that Taiwan is synonymous with the Republic of China, and therefore an independent and sovereign state. An independence movement exists on Taiwan calling for the creation of a Republic of Taiwan in place of the ROC. Additionally, there are people in Taiwan who favour Chinese reunification.
