Taiwan and larger than Belgium. The island of Taiwan has an area of , and lies some from the southeastern coast of mainland China across the Taiwan Strait. The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait directly to the south, and the South China Sea to the southwest. Its shape is similar to a sweet potato, giving rise to the slang term "hanji" ("sweet potato" in Hokkien) used by Taiwanese Hokkien speakers to refer to people of native Taiwanese descent. The island is characterized by the contrast between
Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area The Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area () is the act in the Republic of China to guide the interaction between the people in Taiwan with the people in Mainland China in all aspects of life. The act is enacted in accordance with Article 10 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated on 1 May 1991. It is a special law governing the rights and obligations between the people in the Taiwan