Taiwan is a place.
A developed country , industrialized country , more developed country , or `` more economically developed country '' ( MEDC ) , is a sovereign state that has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations . Taiwan ( also known as Formosa , from Portuguese : Ilha Formosa , `` Beautiful Island '' , [ ˌiʎɐ fuɾˈmɔzɐ ] ) is an island in East Asia ; located some 180 km off the southeastern coast of mainland China across the Taiwan Strait . This article includes a list of countries by their forecasted estimated gross domestic product ( PPP ) . Taiwan ( [ taɪˈwɑːn ] ) , officially the Republic of China ( ROC ) , is a state in East Asia . While Taiwan was under Japanese rule , the Republic of China ( ROC ) was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty .