Taiwan

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Introduction - Taiwan:
Country	Taiwan


Background	In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asias economic Tigers. The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform.


Location - Taiwan:
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: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands

Area comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries	0 km

Coastline	1,566.3 km

Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m

Natural resources	small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos

Land use	arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001)

Irrigated land	NA

Natural hazards	earthquakes and typhoons

Environment current issues	air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal

Environment international agreements	party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwans international status signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwans international status

Geography note	strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait

People - Taiwan:
Population	22,858,872 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure	0-14 years: 17.8% (male 2,117,051/female 1,954,709) 15-64 years: 72% (male 8,306,351/female 8,141,268) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 1,150,001/female 1,189,492) (2007 est.)

Median age	total: 35.5 years male: 35 years female: 36 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate	0.304% (2007 est.)

Birth rate	8.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate	6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate	0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio	at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.083 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.967 male(s)/female total population: 1.026 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate	total: 5.54 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth	total population: 77.56 years male: 74.65 years female: 80.74 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate	1.12 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hiv aids adult prevalence rate	NA

Hiv aids people living with hiv aids	NA

Hiv aids deaths	NA

Nationality	noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan

Ethnic groups	Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%

Religions	mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Languages	Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA% female: NA% (2003)

Government - Taiwan:
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: Tai-wan former: Formosa

Government type	multiparty democracy

Capital	name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions	includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of Chinas Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while the Wade-Giles system still dominates, city of Taipei has adopted standard Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are in Wade-Giles system with Pinyin equivalents in parentheses counties: Chang-hua (Changhua), Chia-i (Chiayi) [county], Hsin-chu (Hsinchu), Hua-lien (Hualien), I-lan (Yilan), Kao-hsiung (Kaohsiung) [county], Kin-men (Kinmen), Lien-chiang (Lienchiang, also Matsu), Miao-li (Miaoli), Nan-tou (Nantou), Peng-hu (Penghu), Ping-tung (Pingtung), Tai-chung (Taichung), Tai-nan (Tainan), Tai-pei (Taipei) [county], Tai-tung (Taitung), Tao-yuan (Taoyuan), and Yun-lin (Yunlin) municipalities: Chia-i (Chiayi) [city], Chi-lung (Keelung), Hsin-chu (Hsinchu), Tai-chung (Taichung), Tai-nan (Tainan) special municipalities: Kao-hsiung (Kaohsiung) [city], Tai-pei (Taipei) [city]

National holiday	Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)

Constitution	25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on 25 December 1947

Legal system	based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage	20 years of age; universal

Executive branch	chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000); Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) CHANG Chun-hsiung (since 21 May 2007); Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) CHIOU I-jen (since 21 May 2007) cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier) elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian 50.1%, LIEN Chan 49.9%

Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats; 168 members elected by popular vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 8 elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 8 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve three-year terms) note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by the now defunct National Assembly in June 2005, number of seats in legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with election in 2007; amendments also eliminated National Assembly thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%; seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7, independents 4

Judicial branch	Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)

Political parties and leaders	Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [HUANG Kun-hui]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or NP

Political pressure groups and leaders	Taiwan independence movement, various business and 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 opposition parties in Taiwans legislature have opened public debate on the islands national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that the island currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwans people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports maintaining Taiwans status quo for the foreseeable future; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals 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, ICC, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WHO (observer), WTO

Diplomatic representation in the us	none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), which has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC; there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities

Diplomatic representation from the us	none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162

Flag description	red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

Economy - Taiwan:
Economy overview	Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs a trade surplus, and foreign reserves are the worlds third largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to become Taiwans largest export market and, in 2006, its second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the islands number one destination for foreign direct investment. Strong trade performance in 2006 pushed Taiwans GDP growth rate above 4%, and unemployment is below 4%. Consumer spending recovered following a slowdown early in 2006, when banks tightened lending to address a sharp increase in delinquent consumer debt.

Gdp purchasing power parity	$680.5 billion (2006 est.)

Gdp official exchange rate	$346.4 billion (2006 est.)

Gdp real growth rate	4.6% (2006 est.)

Gdp per capita ppp	$29,500 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector	agriculture: 1.5% industry: 25.2% services: 73.3% (2006 est.)

Labor force	10.46 million (2006 est.)

Labor force by occupation	agriculture: 5.5% industry: 36% services: 58.5% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate	3.9% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line	0.9% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices	1% (2006 est.)

Investment gross fixed	18.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget	revenues: $67.33 billion expenditures: $77.93 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt	34.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture products	rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish

Industries	electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate	6.5% (2006 est.)

Electricity production	189.7 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity consumption	175.3 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity exports	0 kWh (2005)

Electricity imports	0 kWh (2005)

Oil production	7,755 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil consumption	965,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil exports	NA bbl/day

Oil imports	NA bbl/day

Oil proved reserves	4 million bbl (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural gas production	1.1 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas consumption	10.7 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas exports	0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas imports	9.6 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas proved reserves	76.46 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance	$9.7 billion (2006 est.)

Exports	$215 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports commodities	computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)

Exports partners	China 22.5%, Hong Kong 15.7%, US 15%, Japan 7.3% (2006 est.)

Imports	$205.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports commodities	machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002)

Imports partners	Japan 23%, China 11.9%, US 10.9%, South Korea 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.9% (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold	$280.6 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external	$93.06 billion (2006 est.)

Currency code	new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Exchange rates	new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002)

Communications - Taiwan:
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June

Telephones main lines in use	14.497 million (2006)

Telephones mobile cellular	23.249 million (2006)

Telephone system	general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; 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 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations	AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)

Television broadcast stations	29 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code	.tw

Internet hosts	4.32 million (2006)

Internet users	13.21 million (2005)

Transportation - Taiwan:
Airports	42 (2006)

Airports with paved runways	total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports with unpaved runways	total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Heliports	3 (2006)

Pipelines	condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006)

Railways	total: 2,502 km narrow gauge: 1,102 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified) note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to carry products and limited numbers of passengers (2006)

Roadways	total: 37,299 km paved: 35,621 km (includes 789 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)

Merchant marine	total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/4,652,921 DWT by type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 25, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3) registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta 2, Panama 308, Singapore 59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals	Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, Tai-chung

Military - Taiwan:
Military branches	Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command

Military service age and obligation	19-35 years of age for compulsory military service; service obligation 16 months (to be shortened to 14 months as of July 2007 and to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles; reserve obligation to age 30 (2007)

Manpower available for military service	males age 19-49: 5,883,828 females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service	males age 19-49: 4,749,537 females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually	males age 18-49: 174,173 females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures percent of gdp	2.2% (2006; to increase to 2.85% in 2007)

Disputes international	involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding code of conduct desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japans claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japans unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting