The Republic of China (), also known as Republic of China (Taiwan), is a democratic island country in East Asia. It is often called Taiwan. The People's Republic of China (PRC) is to the northwest; Japan is to the northeast; the Philippines is to the south. The Chinese Nationalists lost the Chinese Civil War to the Communists in 1949 and moved the government of the Republic of China from Nanjing to Taipei. It still claims the ownership of all of China including Mainland China.