Republic of China


The Republic of China (R.O.C.; ) is a country in East Asia. It was one of the five victorious powers of World War II and a founding member of the United Nations. Historically, it encompassed all of China before the Kuomintang (KMT) lost control of the mainland to the Communist Party of China at the temporary cessation of major hostilities of the Chinese Civil War in 1950. The capital of the ROC (Taiwan) is Taipei, which is also the location of the skyscraper known as Taipei 101, officially the "tallest building in the world." Since then, its authority has been confined to the island groups of Taiwan, the Pescadores, Kinmen, and the Matsu Islands. The Republic of China has become referred to as "Taiwan", and the People's Republic of China has become referred to as "China". For political reasons, the Republic of China is often referred to as "Chinese Taipei" in international organizations like the Olympics. Older terms for the Republic of China include "Free China" or "Nationalist China", though they have fallen out of common usage since the end of the Cold War.