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
Chekiang Province, Republic of China Chekiang Province, Republic of China Chekiang Province, Republic of China (1912–1955) was a former province in the Republic of China that abolished after the ROC Forces, ROC government officials and local residents were evacuated from Dachen to Taiwan in 1955 following the military defeat of ROC by People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army forces during the Battle of Dachen Archipelago. After the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government lost its control in Mainland China and only held several east coast islands off Mainland Chekiang Province, including Dachen, Yijiangshan, Pishan, Toumenshan, Yushan Island and Nanji. After losing