Taiwan

Taiwan 

 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

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

Area

Note: Includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

1,448 km

Maritime Claims

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

Land Use

Irrigated Land

NA

Environment

PEOPLE

Population

21,465,881 (July 1996 est.)
21,500,583 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

23% (male 2,605,495; female 2,436,864) (July 1996 est.) 24% (male 2,665,878; female 2,543,134) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

69% (male 7,505,344; female 7,252,188) (July 1996 est.)
68% (male 7,482,814; female 7,191,964) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

8% (male 907,310; female 758,680) (July 1996 est.)
8% (male 882,258; female 734,535) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.89% (1996 est.)
0.93% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

15.01 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
15.33 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.52 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.71 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 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.)
5.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.76 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.81 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

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

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1980)

Labor Force

8.874 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

TW

Type

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

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

Member of

APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, IOC, WCL, WTrO (applicant)

National Anthem

Flag

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 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.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $290.5 billion (1995 est.), $257 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

5.7% (1996)
6% (1995 est.)
6% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$13,510 (1995 est.)
$12,070 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

4% (1995 est.)
5.2% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

1.6% (1995)
1.6% (1994)

Budget

Exports

$93 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$85.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$620 million (1992 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 4.5% (1994 est.); accounts for 37.3% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 3.6% of GDP and 11% of labor force (includes part-time farmers); heavily subsidized sector; major crops - vegetables, rice, fruit, tea; livestock - hogs, poultry, beef, milk; not self-sufficient in wheat, soybeans, corn; fish catch increasing, reached 1.4 million metric tons in 1988

Illicit Drugs

An important heroin transit point; also a major drug money laundering center

Economic Aid

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), 27.108 (1990), 26.407 (1989)

Fiscal Year

1 July - 30 June

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Pipelines

Petroleum products 615 km; natural gas 97 km

Ports

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

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

10,253,773 telephones (1993 est.); best developed system in Asia outside of Japan

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

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), $9.8 billion, 3.4% of GDP (FY94/95); $9.77 billion proposed for FY95/96 budget

History
World Atlas

last updated: 28 november 1997