About Taiwan
Map
Location: 23 30 N, 121 00 E -- Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
Description: red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total area: 35,980 sq km
land area: 32,260 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan
Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m
Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 5%
forest and woodland: 55%
other: 15%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; air pollution; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species
natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons
international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation
People
Population: 21,465,881 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 2,605,495; female 2,436,864)
15-64 years: 69% (male 7,505,344; female 7,252,188)
65 years and over: 8% (male 907,310; female 758,680) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.89% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 15.01 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.2 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.02 years
male: 73.43 years
female: 78.82 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic divisions: Taiwanese 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Religions: mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 86%
male: 93%
female: 79%
Government
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
Data code: TW
Type of government: multiparty democratic regime; opposition political parties legalized in March 1989
Capital: Taipei
Administrative divisions: some of the ruling party in Taipei claim to be the government of all China; in keeping with that claim, the central administrative divisions include 2 provinces (sheng, singular and plural) and 2 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural) - Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy and Matsu), Kao-hsiung*, T'ai-pei*, and Taiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands); note - the more commonly referenced administrative divisions are those of Taiwan Province - 16 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities** (chuan-shih, singular and plural); Chang-hua, Chia-i, Chia-i*, Chi-lung*, Hsin-chu, Hsin-chu*, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung, Kao-hsiung**, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-chung*, T'ai-nan, T'ai-nan*, T'ai-pei, T'ai-pei**, T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un
note: Taiwan uses the Wade-Giles system for romanization
National holiday: National Day, 10 October (1911) (Anniversary of the Revolution)
Constitution: 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, presently undergoing revision
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President LI Teng-hui (succeeded to the presidency following the death of President CHIANG Ching-kuo 13 January 1988, elected by the National Assembly 21 March 1990, reelected by popular vote in the first-ever direct elections for president 23 March 1996); election last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); results - LI Teng-hui 54%, PENG Ming-min 21%, LIN Yang-kang 15%, and CHEN Li-an 10%; Vice President-elect LIEN Chan (to be inaugurated 20 May 1996)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIEN Chan (since 23 February 1993) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) HSU Li-teh (since 23 February 1993) were appointed by the president; note - LIEN Chan will continue to serve as premier until 20 May 1996 when he will be inaugurated as vice president; a new premier is expected to be appointed sometime in May 1996
cabinet: Executive Yuan was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Yuan and unicameral National Assembly
Legislative Yuan: elections last held 2 December 1995 (next to be held NA December 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (164 total) KMT 85, DPP 54, CNP 21, independents 4; note - since the election, there has been a change in the distribution of seats - KMT 83, DPP 54, CNP 21, independents 6
National Assembly: elections last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); results - KMT 55%, DPP 30%, CNP 14%, other 1%; seats - (334 total) KMT 183, DPP 99, CNP 46, other 6
Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan, justices nominated and appointed for nine-year terms by the president
Political parties and leaders: Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), leader NA; Chinese New Party (CNP), leader NA; Labor Party (LP), leader NA
Other political or pressure groups: Taiwan independence movement, various environmental groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; advocates of Taiwan independence, both within the DPP and the ruling Kuomintang, oppose the ruling party's traditional stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; the aims of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for Taiwan Nation Building
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, IOC, WCL, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in US: none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through a private instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 10 other US cities
US diplomatic representation: none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through a private institution, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has offices in Taipei at #7, Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, telephone [886] (2) 709-2000, FAX [886] (2) 702-7675, and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3d Road, telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, FAX [886] (7) 223-8237, and the American Trade Center at Room 3207 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei 10548, telephone [886] (2) 720-1550
Flag: red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy
Economic overview: Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with considerable government guidance of investment and foreign trade and partial government ownership of some large banks and industrial firms. Real growth in GDP has averaged about 9% a year during the past three decades. Export growth has been even faster and has provided the impetus for industrialization. Inflation and unemployment are low. Agriculture contributes about 4% to GDP, down from 35% in 1952. Taiwan currently ranks as number 13 among major trading countries. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being replaced with more capital- and technology-intensive industries. Taiwan has become a major investor in China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The tightening of labor markets has led to an influx of foreign workers, both legal and illegal.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $290.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $13,510 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 37.3%
services: 59.1% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 8.874 million
by occupation: services 49%, industry 39%, agriculture 11% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1995)
Budget:
revenues: $30.3 billion
expenditures: $30.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Industries: electronics, textiles, chemicals, clothing, food processing, plywood, sugar milling, cement, shipbuilding, petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 21,460,000 kW
production: 108 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 4,789 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish catch increasing, reached 1.4 million metric tons in 1988
Illicit drugs: an important heroin transit point; also a drug money laundering center
Exports: $93 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: electrical machinery 19.7%, electronic products 19.6%, textiles 10.9%, footwear 3.3%, foodstuffs 1.0%, plywood and wood products 0.9% (1993 est.)
partners: US 27.6%, Hong Kong 21.7%, EU countries 15.2%, Japan 10.5% (1994 est.)
Imports: $85.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: machinery and equipment 15.7%, electronic products 15.6%, chemicals 9.8%, iron and steel 8.5%, crude oil 3.9%, foodstuffs 2.1% (1993 est.)
partners: Japan 30.1%, US 21.7%, EU countries 17.6% (1993 est.)
External debt: $620 million (1992 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 New Taiwan dollar (NT$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: New Taiwan dollars per US$1 - 27.4 (1995), 26.2 (1994), 26.6 (1993), 25.4 (1992), 25.748 (1991)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,600 km; note - 1,075 km in common carrier service and about 3,525 km is dedicated to industrial use
narrow gauge: 4,600 km 1.067-m
Highways:
total: 19,860 km
paved: 17,119 km (including 382 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,741 km (1990 est.)
Pipelines: petroleum products 615 km; natural gas 97 km
Ports: Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
Merchant marine:
total: 198 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,812,534 GRT/8,885,092 DWT
ships by type: bulk 50, cargo 29, combination bulk 3, combination ore/oil 1, container 83, oil tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 11, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 38
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 8
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 12
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 4
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 6
with paved runways under 914 m: 7
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones: 10,253,773 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: best developed system in Asia outside of Japan
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay trunk system on east and west coasts
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Radio broadcast stations: AM 91, FM 23, shortwave 0
Radios: 8.62 million
Television broadcast stations: 15 (repeaters 13)
Televisions: 6.66 million (1993 est.)
Defense
Branches: Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 6,278,159
males fit for military service: 4,849,057
males reach military age (19) annually: 204,313 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $11.5 billion, 3.6% of GDP (FY96/97)
