For centuries Taiwan has been familiar to the West as Formosa, a name derived from the 16th century Portuguese mariners who, on sighting the island from a galleon, named it "Ilha Formosa" (Beautiful Island). The official Chinese name for the Pescadores (Fishermen's Isles), a name also given by Portuguese mariners, is Penghu. The archipelago is located in the Taiwan Strait, and forms one of the 16 counties of Taiwan province.

The Dutch invaded Taiwan in 1624 and remained as colonists for 37 years. The Spanish invaded and occupied northernmost Taiwan in 1626, but were driven out by the Dutch 16 years later in 1642. The Dutch were finally dislodged in 1661 by military forces from the mainland led by the Ming dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng-kung, whose latinized name, Koxinga, derives from his ennoblement by the Ming court as Kuo Hsing Yeh, or Lord of the Imperial Surname. Koxinga used Taiwan as his base in the fight to overthrow the Ching dynasty and restore the Ming, but he failed.

In 1884 the French occupied northern Taiwan following a dispute with China over the Yunnan-Indochina border. In March 1885 they also occupied the Pescadores, but withdrew from both the Pescadores and Taiwan three months later under the terms of a treaty with China.

The Japanese went to war with China in 1894 following a dispute over Korea. By the treaty of Shimonoseki, concluded in 1895, Taiwan and the Pescadores were ceded to Japan. Both were restored to Chinese rule at the end of World War II in 1945.

The principal city of Taiwan is Taipei, which since December 7, 1949 has been the provisional capital of the Republic of China.

After revolutionary forces led by the Kuomintang overthrew the Ching dynasty in 1911, the Republic of China (ROC) was formally established on January 1, 1912 and brought the republican form of government to Asia. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the nation's founding father, fought his entire life to create democratic government for the welfare of the people and freedom from foreign domination.