| Background: |
In 1895, military
defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan, however it
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 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over
the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually
democratized and incorporated the native population within
its governing structure. Throughout this period, the island
has prospered to become one of East Asia's economic
"Tigers." The dominant political issue continues
to be the relationship between Taiwan and China and the
question of eventual reunification. |
| 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 |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than Maryland and Delaware combined |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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 3,997 m |
| Natural
resources: |
small deposits of
coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 55%
other: 15% |
| 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Population: |
22,370,461 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
21.22% (male 2,470,270; female 2,276,108)
15-64 years: 69.97% (male 7,944,451; female
7,707,250)
65 years and over: 8.81% (male 1,034,230;
female 938,152) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.8% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
14.31
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.34 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
6.93 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 76.54 years
male: 73.81 years
female: 79.51 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.76 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Taiwanese
(including Hakka) 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: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86% (1980 est.); note -
literacy for the total population has reportedly increased
to 94% (1998 est.)
male: 93% (1980 est.)
female: 79% (1980 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
former: Formosa |
| Government
type: |
multiparty
democratic regime headed by popularly elected president |
| Administrative
divisions: |
since in the past
the authorities claimed to be the government of all China,
the central administrative divisions include the provinces
of Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province
including Quemoy and Matsu) 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: |
Republic Day
(Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911) |
| Constitution: |
1 January 1947,
amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999 |
| 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 CHEN Shui-bien (20 May 2000) and
Vice President Annette LU (since 20 May 2000)
head of government: Premier (President of the
Executive Yuan) CHANG Chun-hsiung (since NA October 2000)
and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) LAI
In-jaw (since NA October 2000)
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the
president
elections: president and vice president elected
on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms;
election last held 18 March 2000 (next to be held NA March
2004); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers
appointed by the president on the recommendation of the
premier
election results: CHEN Shui-bien elected
president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bien (DPP) 39.3%,
James SOONG (independent) 36.84%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 23.1%, HSU
Hsin-liang (independent) 0.63%, LEE Ao (CNP) 0.13% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote,
41 elected on the basis of the proportion of nationwide
votes received by participating political parties, eight
elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of
the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating
political parties, eight elected by popular vote among the
aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and
unicameral National Assembly (300 seats, note - total number
of seats has been reduced from 334 to 300 since the last
election; members are elected by proportional representation
based on the election of the Legislative Yuan and serve
four-year terms)
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 5
December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2001); National
Assembly - last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA June
2002)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of
vote by party - KMT 46%, DPP 29%, CNP 7%, independents 10%,
other parties 8%; seats by party - KMT 123, DPP 70, CNP 11,
independents 15, other parties 6; subsequent to the election
there have been some changes in the distribution of seats in
the Legislative Yuan due to new party formation and party
defections, the new distribution is as follows - KMT 114,
DPP 66, PFP 17, NP 9, other/independent 19; National
Assembly - percent of vote by party - KMT 55%, DPP 30%, CNP
14%, other 1%; seats by party - KMT 183, DPP 99, CNP 46,
other 6 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Judicial Yuan
(justices appointed by the president with the consent of the
National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003, justices will
be appointed by the president with the consent of the
Legislative Yuan) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Chinese New Party
or CNP [HAU Lang-bin]; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP
[Frank HSIEH, chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist
Party) [LIEN Chan, chairman]; New Party or NP [LI Ching-hwa];
People First Party or PFP [James SOONG, chairman]; other
minor parties |
| 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 Taiwan's legislature
have opened public debate on the island's national identity;
a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan
currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the
ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence -
that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; advocates
of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will
eventually reunify 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, BCIE,
ICC, ICFTU, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTrO (observer) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the 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) in the
US with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in
Washington and 12 other US cities |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none; unofficial
commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan
are maintained through a private corporation, the American
Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has its headquarters in
Rosslyn, Virginia (telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474 and FAX:
[1] (703) 841-1385) and offices in Taipei at #7 Lane 134,
Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, telephone [886] (2) 2709-2000, FAX
[886] (2) 2702-7675, and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3rd
Road, 5th Floor, telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157,
FAX [886] (7) 223-8237, and the American Trade Center at
Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade
Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei 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
- 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. Real growth in GDP has averaged about 8% during
the past three decades. Exports have grown even faster and
have provided the primary impetus for industrialization.
Inflation and unemployment are low; the trade surplus is
substantial; and foreign reserves are the world's fourth
largest. Agriculture contributes 3% to GDP, down from 35% in
1952. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily
being moved offshore and 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.
Because of its conservative financial approach and its
entrepreneurial strengths, Taiwan suffered little compared
with many of its neighbors from the Asian financial crisis
in 1998-99. Growth in 2001 will depend largely on conditions
in Taiwan's export markets and may be about 5%. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $386 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6.3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $17,400 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
3%
industry: 33%
services: 64% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
1% (1999 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.3% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
9.8 million (2000
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 55%,
industry 37%, agriculture 8% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
3% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$42.74 billion
expenditures: $48.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
| Industries: |
electronics,
petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel,
machinery, cement, food processing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
8% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
139.676 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
67.26%
hydro: 6.32%
nuclear: 26.42%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
129.899 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
rice, corn,
vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish |
| Exports: |
$148.38 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and
electrical equipment 51%, metals, textiles, plastics,
chemicals |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 23.5%, Hong
Kong 21.1%, Europe 16%, ASEAN 12.2%, Japan 11.2% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$140.01 billion
(c.i.f., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
electrical equipment 51%, minerals, precision instruments |
| Imports
- partners: |
Japan 27.5%, US
17.9%, Europe 13.6% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$40 billion
(2000) |
| Currency: |
new Taiwan dollar
(TWD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
new Taiwan
dollars per US dollar - 33.082 (yearend 2000), 31.395
(yearend 1999), 32.216 (1998), 32.052 (1997), 27.5 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 July - 30 June
(up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00;
calendar year (after FY00) |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
12.49 million
(September 2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
16 million
(September 2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: provides telecommunications service
for every business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely
digitalized
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 (1999) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 218, FM 333,
shortwave 50 (1999) |
| Radios: |
16 million (1994) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
29 (plus two
repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
8.8 million
(1998) |
| Internet
country code: |
.tw |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
8 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
6.4 million
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
4,600 km (519 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 4,600 km 1.067-m
note: only 1,108 km of route length (including
the electrified part) is used in common carrier service by
the Taiwan Railway Administration; the remaining 3,492 km is
dedicated to industrial use (1999) |
| Highways: |
total:
34,901 km
paved: 31,271 km (including 538 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 3,630 km (1998 est.) |
| Pipelines: |
petroleum
products 3,400 km; natural gas 1,800 km (1999) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Chi-lung (Keelung),
Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
167 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,768,145 GRT/7,508,941
DWT
ships by type: bulk 45, cargo 29, combination
bulk 1, container 65, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated
cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
35
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy
(includes Marines), Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense
Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service
Forces |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
19 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 6,575,689 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 5,025,856 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
198,766 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$8.042 billion
(FY98/99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.8% (FY98/99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
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; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku
Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does China |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transit point for
heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic
consumption of methamphetamine and heroin |
|
