Physical Boundaries
See also: List of islands of the Republic of ChinaThe total area of the current jurisdiction of the Republic of China is 36,193 km2 (13,974 sq mi), making it slightly smaller than the combined area of Maryland and Delaware, or slightly larger than territory of Belgium. It has a coastline of 1,566.3 km (973.3 mi). The ROC claims an exclusive economic zone of 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) and a territorial sea of 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi).
The main island of the archipelago, comprising over 99% of ROC territory, is the island of Taiwan, which is 394 km (245 mi) long, 144 km (89 mi) wide and has an area of 35,883 km2 (13,855 sq mi). The shape of the main island is similar to a sweet potato oriented in a south-to-north direction, and therefore Taiwanese, especially the Min-nan division, often call themselves "children of the Sweet Potato".
The island of Taiwan is separated from the southeast coast of mainland China by the Taiwan Strait, which ranges from 220 km (140 mi) at its widest point to 130 km (81 mi) at its narrowest. Part of the continental shelf, the Strait is no more than 100 m (330 ft) deep, and has become a land bridge during glacial periods.
To the south, the island of Taiwan is separated from the Philippine island of Luzon by the 250 km (155 mi)-wide Luzon Strait. The South China Sea lies to the southwest, the East China Sea to the north, and the Philippine Sea to the east.
Smaller islands of the archipelago include the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait 50 km (31 mi) west of the main island, with an area of 127 km2 (49 sq mi), the tiny islet of Hsiao Liuchiu off the southwest coast, and Orchid Island and Green Island to the southeast, separated from the northernmost islands of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel. The islands of Quemoy, Matsu and Wuchiu near the coast of Fujian across the Taiwan Strait, with a total area of 180 km2 (69 sq mi) and the Pratas and Taiping islets in the South China Sea, are also administered by Taiwan, but are not part of the Taiwanese archipelago.
Read more about this topic: Topography Of Taiwan
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