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 area and the Mainland area prior to the reunification of the nation. The main purpose of the act is to protect the security and welfare of the people in Taiwan area. The act was drafted in the early 1990s and passed on 31 July 1992. 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