The Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the actual control by the government of Republic of China (ROC), consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands. As the island of Taiwan is the main component of the whole area, it is therefore also referred to as the "Taiwan Area of the Republic of China" or simply the "Taiwan Area" (Chinese: 臺灣地區). The term "Tai-Peng-Kin-Ma" (Chinese: 台澎金馬) is also equivalent except that it only refers to the four main islands of the ROC - Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
The term is opposed to "mainland area of the Republic of China", which reflects the territory which was lost to the Chinese Communist Party during the Chinese Civil War and is used in the "Additional Articles to the Constitution of the Republic of China" in order to grant political authority to the people of the free area without renouncing the ROC's territorial claims over mainland China.
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