Taiwan

§1. Taiwan Introduction

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 native 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 Asia's 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.

§2. Taiwan 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: 35,980 km²
  land: 32,260 km²
  water: 3,720 km²
  note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy

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 km²

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 Taiwan's international
    status
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of
    Taiwan's international status

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

§3. Taiwan People

Population:
  23,036,087 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965)
  15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169)
  65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 34.6 years
  male: 34.1 years
  female: 35 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.61% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 77.43 years
  male: 74.67 years
  female: 80.47 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.57 children born/woman (2006 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%, 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: 96.1%
  male: NA%
  female: NA% (2003)

§4. Taiwan Government

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 democracy

Capital:
  Taipei

Administrative divisions:
  includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands near
  central island and off coast of China's 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)
  : counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung
    (county), Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan- t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung,
    T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei (county), T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and
    Yun-lin
  : municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan
  : special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city
  note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization; special
    municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization for street
    and place names within city boundaries, other local authorities have
    selected a variety of romanization systems

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

Constitution:
  25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005

Legal system:
  based on civil law system

Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and Vice
    President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)
  head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SU
    Tseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice President of
    the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006)
  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 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 (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%

Legislative branch:
  Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on
  basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political
  parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on basis of
  proportion of island-wide votes received by participating political
  parties, eight elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations;
  members serve three-year terms); National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding
  body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional
  representation six to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend
  Constitution, impeach president, or change national borders) - see note
  note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by 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); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005; dissolved
    in June 2005
  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;
    National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP 42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU
    7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP 127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP
    18, others 17 (2005)

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, chairman]; Kuomintang or
  KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou, chairman]; People First Party or PFP
  [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu), chairman]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU
  Chin- chiang, chairman]; 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 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 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, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO
  note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competition committee and
    special observer status on the Trade Committee of the OECD, and is
    seeking observer status with the backing of the US in WHO

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) 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 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, Kao-hsiung, 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

§5. Taiwan Economy

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 trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves
  are the world's third largest. Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP,
  down from 32% in 1952. Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast
  Asia. China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market
  and, in 2005, Taiwan's second-largest source of imports after Japan. Taiwan
  has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration and a sharp increase
  in world demand to achieve substantial growth in its export sector and a
  seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in 2004. However, excess inventory,
  higher international oil prices, and rising interest rates dampened
  consumption in developed markets, and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005.
  The service sector, which accounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued
  to expand, while unemployment and inflation rates have declined.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $611.5 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $326.5 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $26,700 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 1.6%
  industry: 29.3%
  services: 69% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  10.6 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 6%, industry 35.8%, services 58.2% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  4.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  0.9% (2005)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $41.67 billion
  expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of $14.4
    billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
  33.3% of GDP (2005 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:
  3% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  218.3 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:
  206.1 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
  8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  2.9 million bbl (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:
  970 million m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  8.45 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  7.48 billion m³ (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  76.46 billion m³ (2005)

Current account balance:
  $15.03 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
  China, including Hong Kong 37%, US 15.3%, Japan 7.7% (2005)

Imports:
  $181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
  Japan 26%, US 12%, China, including Hong Kong 12%, South Korea 7% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $225.8 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $81.64 billion (2005 est.)

Currency (code):
  new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Exchange rates:
  new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575
  (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00;
  calendar year (after FY00)

§6. Taiwan Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  13,529,900 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  25,089,600 (2003)

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 two repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .tw

Internet hosts:
  3,838,383 (2005)

Internet users:
  13.8 million (2005)

§7. Taiwan Transportation

Airports:
  42 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 38
  over 3,047 m: 8
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
  914 to 1,523 m: 8
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 4
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  under 914 m: 3 (2005)

Heliports:
  3 (2005)

Pipelines:
  condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 2,497 km
  narrow gauge: 1,097 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 haul products and limited numbers
    of passengers (2004)

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

Merchant marine:
  total: 123 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,095,383 GRT/5,044,249 DWT
  by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 33, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2,
    container 35, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo
    8, roll on/roll off 2
  foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)
  registered in other countries: 450 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Gibraltar 1,
    Honduras 2, Hong Kong 8, Italy 10, Liberia 68, Malta 1, Panama 302,
    Philippines 2, Singapore 49, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung

§8. Taiwan Military

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 military service; service obligation 16 months (to
  be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force service are
  restricted to noncombat roles (2005)

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

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

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 174,173 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $7.93 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  2.4% (2005 est.)

§9. Taiwan Transnational Issues

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
  Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai)
  and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China
  Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting

Illicit drugs:
  regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with
  domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; renewal of domestic
  methamphetamine production is a problem


<Factbook 2006>
