While China is the most populous nation on Earth, surpassing 1.3 billion people, and the third largest country in area, it is not a federation like other large countries like India or the United States. Its first level subdivisions are of three types: autonomous regions, which are home to ethnic minorities, provinces, and independent municipalities. Provinces and regions are subdivided into prefectures and counties. There are also some designated autonomous prefectures and counties for smaller minority groups.
The former British colony of Hong Kong was reunited with China in 1997. The Portuguese dependency of Macau followed in 1999. These are now both special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China. They enjoy some degree of autonomy, although this has been gradually diminished over the last few years.
The island of Taiwan, after a period of Japanese administration, was reunited with the Republic of China in 1945, but the subsequent takeover of the mainland by the Communist Party in 1949 effectively cut Taiwan, where the Republican government retreated, from the rest of China, which became the People's Republic. While the island's government was claiming to represent all of China, a situation that was accepted by the UN until the 1960s, the state of affairs evolved toward a de facto independence for the Island, which is strongly contested by the government of the People's Republic. This makes the situation across the Taiwan Strait one of the most volatile and dangerous in the World.
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