View source for Taiwan Area

{{Short description|Territories under the control of Taiwan}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{missing information|shape of territorial waters [OSM relation #449220]|date=October 2021}}
{{Expand Chinese|topic=gov|date=May 2022}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}

{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Taiwan Area
|native_name             = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-tw|臺灣地區}}}}
|common_name             = Taiwan Area
|linking_name            = Taiwan Area
|image_flag              = 
|image_coat              = 
|image_map               = Taiwan ROC political divisions labeled.svg
|demonym                 = {{ubl|[[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]] (Mainly in Taiwan and Penghu)<br>[[Kinmenese people|Kinmenese]] (Kinmen)<br>Matsunese (Matsu)}}
|languages_type          = Languages
|languages               = {{ubl|[[Taiwanese Mandarin|Mandarin]]|[[Taiwanese Hokkien]]|[[Taiwanese Hakka|Hakka]]|[[Formosan languages]]|[[Matsu dialect|Matsunese]]}}
|largest_settlement_type = cities
|largest_settlement      = {{ubl|[[New Taipei City]]}}
|area_km2                = 36,193
|area_sq_mi              = 13,974
|percent_water           = 
|area_footnote           = 
|ethnic_groups           = {{ubl|[[Han Taiwanese]]|[[Taiwanese indigenous peoples]]}}
|population_census       = 23,681,968
|population_census_year  = 2018
|population_density_km2  = 650
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|GDP_PPP                 = 
|GDP_PPP_rank            = 
|GDP_PPP_year            = 
|GDP_PPP_per_capita      = 
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 
|Gini_year               = 
|Gini_change             = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|Gini                    = <!--number only-->
|Gini_ref                = 
|Gini_rank               = 
|HDI_year                = 
|HDI_change              = 
|HDI                     = 
|HDI_ref                 = 
|HDI_rank                = 
|currency                = [[New Taiwan Dollar]] (TWD, NTD)
|time_zone               = [[Time in Taiwan|National Standard Time]]
|utc_offset              = [[UTC+08:00|+08:00]]
|date_format             = {{lang|zh|yyyy年mm月dd日}}
|drives_on               = right
|calling_code            = [[+886]]
|cctld                   = [[.tw]], [[.台灣]], [[.台湾]]
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|title = Taiwan Area
|t = {{linktext|臺灣|地區}}
|s = {{linktext|台湾|地区}}
|bpmf = ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ ㄉㄧˋ ㄑㄩ
|w = T'ai²-wan¹ Ti⁴-chü¹
|p = Táiwān Dìqū
|tp = Táiwan Zìhyóu Dìcyu
|mps = Táiwān Dìchiū
|gr = Tair'uan Dihchiu
|poj = Tâi-oân Tē-khu
|tl = Tâi-uân Tē-khu
|phfs = Thòi-vàn Thi-khî
|buc = Dài-uăng Dê-kṳ̆
|altname = '''Free area of the<br />Republic of China'''
|t2 = {{linktext|中華民國|自由|地區}}
|s2 = {{linktext|中华民国|自由|地区}}
|bpmf2 = ㄓㄨㄥ ㄏㄨㄚˊ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄑㄩ
|w2 = Chung¹-hua² Min²-kuo² Tzŭ⁴-yu² Ti⁴-chü¹
|p2 = Zhōnghuá Mínguó Zìyóu Dìqū
|tp2 = Jhonghuá Mínguó Zìhyóu Dìcyu
|mps2 = Jūnghuá Mínguó Tz̀yóu Dìchiū
|gr2 = Jonghwa Min'gwo Tzyh'you Dihchiu
|poj2 = Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok Chū-iû Tē-khu
|tl2 = Tiong-hûa Bîn-kok Tsū-iû Tē-khu
|phfs2 = Chûng-fà Mìn-koet Chhṳ-yù Thi-khî
|buc2 = Dṳ̆ng-huà Mìng-guók Cê̤ṳ-iù Dê-kṳ̆
|altname3 = Tai-Peng-Kin-Ma
|t3 = {{linktext|臺|澎|金|馬}}
|s3 = {{linktext|台|澎|金|马}}
|bpmf3 = ㄊㄞ´ ㄆㄥ´ ㄐㄧㄣ  ㄇㄚˇ
|w3 = T'ai² P'êng² Chin¹ Ma³
|p3 = Tái Péng Jīn Mǎ
|tp3 = Tái Péng Jin Mǎ
|mps3 = Tái Péng Jin Mǎ
|gr3 = Tair Perng Jin Maa
|poj3 = Tâi-Phêⁿ-Kim-Má
|tl3 = Tâi-Phênn-Kim-Má
|phfs3 = Thòi-Phàng-Kîm-Mâ
|buc3 = Dài-Pàng-Gĭng-Mā
}}

{{Politics of the Republic of China}}

The '''Taiwan Area''', also called the '''Taiwan Area of the Republic of China,''' the '''free area of the Republic of China''',{{efn native lang|tw|name=word1
  |t=中華民國自由地區
  |p=Zhōnghuá Mínguó Zìyóu Dìqū
  |m=Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok Chū-iû Tē-khu
  |s=Chûng-fà Mìn-koet Chhṳ-yù Thi-khî
  |ma=Dṳ̆ng-huà Mìng-guók Cê̤ṳ-iù Dê-kṳ̆
}}  and the "'''Tai-Min Area ([[Taiwan Province|Taiwan]] and [[Fuchien Province, Republic of China|Fuchien]])'''" , is a term used to refer to the territories under the effective control of the [[Republic of China]] (usually called "Taiwan").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mac.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=4F2E0C155DF44564&sms=2C46F5E37DC2E1D2&s=1403D3EA1BC2B0B9|publisher=Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan|title=Laws and Regulations Regarding Mainland Affairs|website=mac.gov.tw|date=17 September 2020|quote=Article 2: The following terms as used in this Act are defined below.1. "Taiwan Area" refers to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and any other area under the effective control of the Government.2. "Mainland Area" refers to the territory of the Republic of China outside the Taiwan Area.3. "People of the Taiwan Area" refers to the people who have household registrations in the Taiwan Area.4. "People of the Mainland Area" refers to the people who have household registrations in the Mainland Area|access-date=23 September 2021|archive-date=28 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928131802/https://www.mac.gov.tw/EN/News_Content.aspx?n=4F2E0C155DF44564&sms=2C46F5E37DC2E1D2&s=1403D3EA1BC2B0B9|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been in official use since the [[Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China|Additional Articles]] of the [[Constitution of the Republic of China]] took effect, ending [[Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion|temporary anti-communist provisions]] on 1 May 1991.<ref>"[http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/news/additional.htm The Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712040715/http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/news/additional.htm |date=12 July 2006 }}." ''[[Republic of China]]''. Retrieved on 7 April 2009.</ref> The term is also used in the 1992 [[Cross-Strait Act]].

The area currently under the definition consists of the island groups of [[Geography of Taiwan|Taiwan]], [[Penghu]], [[Kinmen]], [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]] and [[List of islands of Taiwan|some minor islands]]. The collective term "'''Tai-Peng-Kin-Ma'''" is literally equivalent except that it only refers to the geographical areas of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Area, to the exclusion of [[Wuqiu, Kinmen|Wuqiu]], [[Pratas Island|Dongsha Island]], and [[Taiping Island]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Corcuff|first1=Stéphane|last2=Edmondson|first2=Robert|title=Memories of the Future: National Identity Issues and the Search for a New Taiwan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vFy3J2PyEAoC&pg=PA91|year=2002|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-7656-0792-8|page=91|access-date=15 November 2015|archive-date=11 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411174534/https://books.google.com/books?id=vFy3J2PyEAoC&pg=PA91|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The term is complementary to "Mainland Area",<ref>{{Cite news | author = Chen Wei-han | title = NPP to push constitutional reforms | url = http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/06/08/2003648133 | newspaper = [[Taipei Times]] | location = [[Taipei]] | date = 8 June 2016 | quote = An amendment made to the Constitution in 1991 "to meet the requisites prior to national unification" recognizes the "Chinese mainland area" as opposed to the "free area," and both areas make up the Republic of China. | access-date = 8 October 2017 | archive-date = 8 October 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171008080210/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/06/08/2003648133 | url-status = live }}</ref> which is practically viewed as being synonymous to [[Mainland China]] under the control of the [[People's Republic of China]],<ref>{{Cite book | author = Sara L. Friedman | title = Exceptional States: Chinese Immigrants and Taiwanese Sovereignty | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=G19oCgAAQBAJ | publisher = [[University of California Press]] | location = [[Oakland, California]] | date = 2015 | page = 10 | isbn = 978-0520961562 | quote = The Act's use of the spatial language of "area" was a direct reference to the postwar ROC Constitution, which had created two classes of Chinese based on politically differentiated, territorial criteria: those of the "free area," which included Taiwan and the scattered smaller islands under post-1949 ROC control, and those of the 'mainland area', who presumably were not free because they lived under Communist rule. | access-date = 6 June 2020 | archive-date = 11 April 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230411174556/https://books.google.com/books?id=G19oCgAAQBAJ | url-status = live }}</ref> despite the fact that the Republic of China constitution never defined specific territorial boundaries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中華民國憲法§4-全國法規資料庫 |url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawSingle.aspx?Pcode=A0000001&FLNO=4 |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=law.moj.gov.tw |language=zh-Hant-TW}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=廖顯謨 |title=疆域與國家認同:我國憲法第四條「固有疆域」之探究 |journal=高苑學報 |date=2017 |volume=22 |pages=156–162 |url=http://www.teaching.kyu.edu.tw/top/magazine/kyujurnal/pdf/22/106-17-%E5%BB%96%E9%A1%AF%E8%AC%A8%20156-162-%E6%A0%A1%E7%A8%BF.pdf |quote=在台灣，國人對我國疆域範圍的認知，可謂真的是「各自表述」… |access-date=2023-06-22 |archive-date=2023-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621002628/http://www.teaching.kyu.edu.tw/top/magazine/kyujurnal/pdf/22/106-17-%E5%BB%96%E9%A1%AF%E8%AC%A8%20156-162-%E6%A0%A1%E7%A8%BF.pdf}}</ref> Although acknowledging the reality of the Taiwan Strait, technically the Republic of China still claims to be the sole representative of China with its constitution.

== Background ==
The term "free area" or "[[Free China (Second Sino-Japanese War)|Free China]]" was used during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] (1937–45) to describe the territories under the control of the [[Kuomintang]] led [[Nationalist government]] in Chungking (today [[Chongqing]]), as opposed to the parts of [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]] under [[China Expeditionary Army|Japanese occupation]], including Nanking (today [[Nanjing]]) the capital of the Republic of China until the [[Battle of Nanking|Japanese invasion]] in 1937.

The Japanese occupation ended with the [[Surrender of Japan|imperial surrender]] in 1945, but the term "Free China" was soon to acquire a new meaning in the context of the early [[Cold War]]. Following the [[Chinese Communist Party|Communist Party]]'s victory in the [[Chinese Civil War]] in 1949, the newly inaugurated [[People's Republic of China]] solidified its control of [[mainland China]], while the [[Kuomintang]] government retreated to Taiwan and selected [[Taipei]] to serve as the provisional capital of the Republic of China. Mainland China was officially considered to be in a state of "[[Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion|Communist Rebellion]]", also known as "Communist China" or "Red China", and furthermore all territories still under Nationalist administration were said to constitute the "Free Area" of China, also known as "Nationalist China" or "Free China". This [[Period of mobilization for the suppression of Communist rebellion|period of mobilization]] was officially terminated by the government on 1 May 1991 with the implementation of the [[Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China|Additional Articles of the Constitution]].

Prior to the [[Battle of Dachen Archipelago]] in 1955, the Free Area also encompassed a group of islands off Zhejiang, up to then part of the ROC province of [[Chekiang Province, Republic of China|Chekiang]]. The islands have since been administered exclusively by the People's Republic of China.

== Nomenclature ==
Various names used to describe the geopolitical area include:
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+Names of the Taiwan Area
!scope="col"|Short name
!scope="col"|{{nowrap|Taiwan Area}}
!scope="col"|{{nowrap|The Free Area}}
!scope="col"|{{nowrap|Tai-Peng-Kin-Ma Area}}
!scope="col"|{{nowrap|Tai-Min Region}}
|-
!scope="row"|Long name
|Taiwan Area{{efn native lang|tw|name=word2|t=臺灣地區|p=Táiwān dìqū|m=Tâi-oân tē-khu|s=Thòi-vàn thi-khî|ma=Dài-uăng dê-kṳ̆}}||Free Area of the Republic of China{{efn native lang|tw|name=word1}}||Taiwan-Penghu-<br />Kinmen-Matsu Area||Taiwan-Fukien Region
|-
!scope="row"|Chinese
|{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|臺灣地區}}}}||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|自由地區}}}}||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|臺澎金馬地區}}}}||{{large|{{lang|zh-tw|臺閩地區}}}}
|-
!scope="row"|[[Taiwanese Mandarin|Mandarin]]
|Táiwān dìqū||Zìyóu dìqū||Tái-Pēng-Jīn-Mǎ dìqū||Tái-Mǐn dìqū
|-
!scope="row"|[[Taiwanese Hokkien]]
|Tâi-oân tē-khu||Chū-iû tē-khu||{{nowrap|Tâi-Phêⁿ-Kim-Má tē-khu}}||Tâi-Bân tē-khu
|-
!scope="row"|[[Taiwanese Hakka|Hakka]]
|Thòi-vàn thi-khî||Chhṳ-yù thi-khî||{{nowrap|Thòi-Phàng-Kîm-Mâ thi-khî}}||Thòi-Mén thi-khî
|-
!scope="row"|[[Matsu dialect|Matsunese]]
|Dài-uăng dê-kṳ̆||Cê̤ṳ-iù dê-kṳ̆||{{nowrap|Dài-Pàng-Gĭng-Mā dê-kṳ̆}}||Dài-Mìng dê-kṳ̆
|-
!scope="row"|Notes
|Refers to the general area surrounding the [[Geography of Taiwan|island of Taiwan]]. This term is used by various laws and regulations that governing [[cross-strait relations]].
|"Free" refers to the area that is not under the [[Chinese Communist Party|Communist Party]]'s control. This term is used by the [[Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China|Additional Articles of the Constitution]].
|Refers to the four main [[List of islands of Taiwan|archipelagos under the government's jurisdiction]].
|Refers to the two historical [[Administrative divisions of Taiwan|provinces]] under actual administration. Namely, [[Taiwan Province|Taiwan]] ([[Geography of Taiwan|Taiwan]] and [[Penghu]]) and a small part of [[Fuchien Province, Republic of China|Fukien]] ([[Kinmen]] and [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]]). {{lang|zh-tw|閩}} is the traditional abbreviation for Fukien.
|}

== Legal use ==
The term "free area of the Republic of China" has persisted to the present day in the ROC legislation. The [[Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China]] delegates numerous rights to exercise the sovereignty of the state, including that of electing the [[president of the Republic of China|President]] and [[Legislative Yuan|Legislature]], to citizens residing in the "free area of the Republic of China". This term was put into the Constitution with the promulgation of the first set of amendments to the Constitution in 1991 and has been retained in the most recent revision passed in 2005.

The need to use the term "free area" in the Constitution arose out of the discrepancy between the notion that the Republic of China was the sole legitimate government of China and the pressures of the popular sovereignty movement. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were demands, particularly by the [[Tangwai]] movement and other groups opposed to one-party authoritarian KMT rule, to restructure the ROC government, long dominated by [[Waishengren|mainlanders]], to be more representative of the Taiwanese people it governed. For example, until 1991, members of the National Assembly and Legislative Yuan elected in 1948 to serve mainland constituencies remained in their posts indefinitely and the President of the Republic of China was to be elected by this same "[[Eternal Parliament]]" dominated by aging KMT members. However, more conservative politicians, while acquiescing to the need for increased democracy, feared that constitutional changes granting localized sovereignty would jeopardize the ROC government's claims as the legitimate Chinese government and thereby promote [[Taiwan independence movement|Taiwan independence]].

While the 1991 revisions of the Constitution granted the sovereignty rights to the [[Taiwanese people]], it did not explicitly name Taiwan and instead used the term "free area" to maintain the notion that the Republic of China encompassed more than Taiwan. In ordinary legislation, the term "Taiwan Area" is usually used, especially in contexts of trade and exchange. In contrast to the "free area" is the "mainland area", which the [[Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area]] defines as "the territory of the Republic of China outside the Taiwan Area". However, on more practical grounds, the "mainland area" refers simply to [[Mainland China]].

In addition, there are two other Acts defining other "areas": the "[[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] Area" ({{zh|t=港澳地區}}). The hand-over of these former European [[colonies]] to the People's Republic of China necessitated laws governing the relations of the Taiwan Area with them. The Acts are worded in a manner to avoid discussing whether the Republic of China claims sovereignty over [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]].

=== Use by People's Republic of China ===
{{see also|zh:涉台用语}}
Based on the [[One China]] policy, the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) does not recognize the legitimacy of the ROC. A series of standardized terms called "Taiwan-related terms" ({{Lang|zh-hans|涉台用语}}) were invented by the PRC government, which are used in official statements, news reports, and press releases, etc., to serve this purpose. Among them, the terms "Taiwan area" or "Taiwan authority" ({{Lang|zh-hans|台湾当局}}) are commonly used to replace "Republic of China" or "Taiwan" (because mentioning only "Taiwan" but not "Taiwan area" or "[[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]]" would give an impression that Taiwan is an independent country). For example, the term "Leader of the Taiwan area" ({{Lang|zh-hans|台湾地区领导人}}) is used to replace "[[President of the Republic of China]]" or "President of Taiwan", "Taiwanese citizens" is replaced with "Residents of Taiwan area" ({{Lang|zh-hans|台湾地区居民}}), and [[Executive Yuan]] is called "Taiwan area's executive body" ({{Lang|zh-hans|台湾地区行政管理机构}}),<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=3 December 2014 |title=Taiwan appoints new chief administrator |url=http://en.people.cn/n/2014/1203/c90882-8817762.html |work=People's Daily |location= |access-date=15 November 2022 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127075102/http://en.people.cn/n/2014/1203/c90882-8817762.html |url-status=live }}</ref> etc.

In official PRC statistics involving Taiwan, "Taiwan Area" is widely used instead, corresponding to the ROC's [[Free Area of the Republic of China]], and is treated together with [[Special administrative regions of China|Special Administrative Region]]s rather than other provinces.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nhc.gov.cn/xcs/yqtb/202006/b14240fc5f8045b9a91429d053aa65fc.shtml |title = 截至6月18日24时新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情最新情况 COVID-19 latest situation as of 24:00 June 18 (UTC+8) |website = nhc.gov.cn |access-date = 2020-06-19}}</ref>  Taiwan Province only includes Taiwan and associated islands such as [[Penghu|the Pescadores Islands]], but "Taiwan Area" (the same as "Taiwan Area" as used by ROC, a.k.a.) is all area administered by [[Taiwan|Taipei]] and includes [[Fujian]] islands such as [[Kinmen]], [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]], as well as (at least in principle) [[Pratas Island]] (Tungsha/Dongsha) (part of [[Cijin District]], Kaohsiung; claimed as part of Guangdong Province by the PRC) and [[Taiping Island|Taiping]] Islands (assigned to Kaohsiung by ROC, and to Sansha and Hainan by PRC).{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}  In 2017 Xinhua News Agency issued guidelines mandating no [[scare quotes]] for all members of local governments of Taiwan authorities (except [[Fujian Province, Republic of China|Fujian]] and [[Lienchiang County|Lienchiang]]) and preferring the term "Taiwan Area" over the term "[[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China]]", since the latter does not include the [[Kinmen]] and [[Matsu islands]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cmzx.xujc.com/2019/0401/c5476a113221/page.htm | title=新华社发布新闻报道禁用词和慎用词 }}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Administrative divisions of Taiwan}}

== See also ==
* [[Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China]]
* [[Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China]]
* [[Constitution of the Republic of China]]
* [[History of the Republic of China]]
* [[Kuomintang]]
* [[Mainland China]]
* [[Politics of the Republic of China]]
* [[Communist-controlled China (1927–1949)|Soviet Zone / Liberated Zone]]
** [[Chinese Soviet Republic]]
* [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist-lr}}

; Words in native languages
{{Notelist-ur}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mac.gov.tw/np.asp?ctNode=5893&mp=3 Relations with Hong Kong and Macau]
* [http://www.mac.gov.tw/np.asp?ctNode=5888&mp=3 Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area]

{{Cross-Strait relations}}
{{East Asian topics}}
{{Politics of China navbox}}
{{Taiwan topics}}
{{Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia}}

[[Category:Geography of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Politics of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Taiwan Strait]]