Taiwan is an island republic consisting of Taiwan Island, the Pescadores, Lan Hsu, Lu Tao and some other smaller islands. It is bound by the Taiwan Strait to the west, the South China Sea to the south, the East China Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Most of the low lying land is located on the west side of the island which is generally flat and fertile. Taiwan has a tropical climate that is influenced by the monsoons.
Summers are hot and humid while winters are mild and short.
Typhoons from the South China Sea bring heavy rains between July and September. The remainder are Aborigines of Malayo-Polynesian origin and are mainly concentrated in the central and eastern areas of the island. The official language is Mandarin Chinese, although Hokkien and Hakka dialects are also widely spoken. In Jan. 1951 the US announced that it would only recognize the KMT in Taiwan as the sole representative of mainland China. In 1954 the US and Nationalist Chinese governments signed a mutual Defense Treaty.