Taiwan (Chinese language: 臺灣 or 台湾 pinyin tái wān) is an island
off the coast of Mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. It is also
known by its Portuguese name Formosa, which means "beautiful".
Taiwan, as well as several smaller islands of Fujian, such as
Quemoy and Matsu, have been administered since 1945 by a
government called the Republic of China (ROC), the former
government of mainland China before its 1949 defeat by the
Communist Party of China. Whether the island is or is not part
of China and the meaning of "China" in this context is an
extremely complex and controversial issue. The ROC government
continues to claim sovereignty over mainland China (including
Tibet) and outer Mongolia, although President Lee Teng-hui in
1991 stated that the government no longer challenges communist
rule on the mainland. Although it is common to use the terms
"Taiwan" and "Republic of China" synonymously, Taiwan is still
technicially administered as a province of the Republic of China
and the ROC government also has juris