Taiwan (; ; see below), officially the
Republic of China (
ROC; ), is a
sovereign state in
East Asia. The Republic of China, originally based in
mainland China, now governs the
island of Taiwan, which constitutes more than 99% of its territory, as well as
Penghu,
Kinmen,
Matsu, and
other minor islands, following its loss of the mainland China territory in 1949 in the
Chinese Civil War. This remaining area is also
constitutionally called the "
Free area of the Republic of China" which is not ruled by the
Communist Party of China in Beijing.