Taiwan strait - Definition and Overview

Taiwan Strait Area

The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait is a 180km-wide Strait between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast. The narrowest part is 131km wide.

Fujian province on the mainland is to the west of the strait, while important islands like Quemoy, Amoy, Hainan Island, and the Matsu Islands are nearby. To the east are the west coast of Taiwan and the Pescadores. The island fishermen use the strait as a fishing resource.

The Strait has been the theatre for several military confrontations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China since the last days of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek retreated across the Strait and relocated its government on its final stronghold of Taiwan.

The Minjiang and Jiulong Rivers empty into the strait.

See also

• Geography of China
• Battle of Kuningtou
• First Taiwan Strait Crisis
• Second Taiwan Strait Crisis
• Third Taiwan Strait Crisis
• Mainland China
• Political status of Taiwan