Taiwan is an island situated in East Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. Taiwan is the largest island of the Republic of China (ROC) and comprises most of its territory since 1949. Mostly for this reason, "Taiwan" is also the commonly used alternative name both domestically and internationally to refer to the entire country of Republic of China.

Taiwan's population was estimated in 2010 at 23 million, most of whom are on the island of Taiwan. About 98% of the population is of Han Chinese ethnicity.

Standard Mandarin is officially recognized by the ROC as the national language and is spoken by the vast majority of residents. About 70% of the people in Taiwan belong to the Hoklo ethnic group and speak both Taiwanese (a variant of Min Nan), as their mother tongue, and Standard Mandarin.

The cultures of Taiwan are a hybrid blend of various sources, incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture, attributable to the historical and ancestry origin of the majority of its current residents, Japanese culture, traditional Confucianist beliefs, and increasingly Western values.