taiwan

noun Wade-Giles, Pinyin.

1. a Chinese island separated from the SE coast of China by Taiwan Strait: a possession of Japan 1895–1945; restored to China 1945; seat of the Republic of China since 1949. Capital: Taipei.

noun

1. an island in SE Asia between the East China Sea and the South China Sea, off the SE coast of the People’s Republic of China: the principal territory of the Republic of China; claimed by the People’s Republic of China since its political separation from mainland China in the late 1940s. Pop: 23 299 716 (2013 est)Former name: Formosa

literally “terrace bay,” from Chinese tai “terrace” + wan “bay.” Island nation in the Pacific Ocean near the mainland of southern China; seat of the Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Taipei.