Though an island, Taiwan is advantageously located. It has been an important conduit for migrations from East Asia since prehistoric times, and has, since the 16th-century Age of Discovery, been involved in global competition. As a consequence, its sovereignty has passed through the hands of surrounding nations several times.
台灣雖是個海島，但因地理位置優越，從史前時代以來即為東亞地域族群移動的重要通道，16 世紀歐洲海權列強的「地理大發現」後，更將台灣捲入世界性的競爭中，島嶼的主權因此與周邊國家之間幾度分合。