Taiwan (Traditional Chinese: 臺灣 or 台灣; Simplified Chinese: 台湾; Hanyu Pinyin: Táiwān; Wade-Giles: T’ai-wan; Taiwanese: Tâi-oân) is an island in East Asia, but the term Taiwan is also commonly used to collectively refer to the territories governed by the Republic of China (ROC), which include the island of Taiwan, Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island in the Pacific coast off the Taiwan island, the Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and Matsu off the coast of mainland Fujian.
The main island of Taiwan, sometimes also referred to as Formosa (from the Portuguese Ilha Formosa, meaning “beautiful island”), is located at 22°57′N 120°12′E, off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan and north of the Philippines. It is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation.
The political status of Taiwan, the right of the ROC to exercise soverignty over Taiwan, and the right of Taiwan to declare itself independent are contested by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which considers Taiwan part of its own territory and believes it should be eventually reunified with mainland China.
