Taiwan is a place.
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 . Taiwan . Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945 , the ROC took control of Taiwan .