Map of Taiwan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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 that over five decades has gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within its 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.


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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 reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1566.3 km

Maritime claims

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

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

Land use

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons

Geography


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Population: 22,191,087 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.81% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 1% (1999 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84% mainland Chinese 14% aborigine 2%

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

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.81% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 14.42 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.91 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.38 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.06 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly elected president

Capital: Taipei

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

Dependent areas

Independence

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

Constitution: 1 January 1947 amended in 1992 1994 and 1997

Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 (334 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan justices appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly

Political parties and leaders: Chinese New Party or CNP [CHOU Yang-sun]; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LIN Yi-hsiung chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan acting chairman]; Taiwan Independence Party or TAIP [CHENG Pang-chen]; other minor parties

International organization participation: APEC AsDB BCIE ICC IOC WCL WTrO (applicant)

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
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) 525-8,474 and FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385) and offices in Taipei at #7 Lane 134 Hsin Yi Road Section 3 telephone [886] (2) 2,709-2000 FAX [886] (2) 2,702-7,675 and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3d Road telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157 FAX [886] (7) 223-8,237 and the American Trade Center at Room 3,207 International Trade Building Taipei World Trade Center 333 Keelung Road Section 1 Taipei 10,548 telephone [886] (2) 2,720-1550 FAX [886] (2) 2,757-7,162

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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 third largest. Agriculture contributes 3% to GDP down from 35% in 1952. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being moved off-shore 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 2000 should pick up a bit from 1999 backed by expansion in domestic consumption exports and private investment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5.5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries: electronics petroleum refining chemicals textiles iron and steel machinery cement food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 9.7 million (1999 est.)
By occupation services: 55%
By occupation industry: 37%
By occupation agriculture: 8% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.9% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 1% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

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

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.4% (1999 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $121.6 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: electronics electric and machinery equipment 52% metals textiles plastics chemicals
Partners: US 26% Hong Kong 21% Europe 18% Japan 10% Singapore 3% (1999)

Imports: $101.7 billion (c.i.f. 1999)
Commodities: electronics electric and machinery equipment 45% minerals precision instruments
Partners: Japan 27% US 18% Europe 16% South Korea 6% Malaysia 4% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $35 billion (September 1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: New Taiwan dollars per US$1 - 31.395 (yearend 1999) 32.216 (1998) 32.052 (1997) 27.5 (1996) 27.5 (1995)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 133.586 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 124.235 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 10.2 million (October 1999)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $8.042 billion (FY98/99)
Percent of gdp: 2.8% (FY98/99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 38 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports: 2 (1999 est.)

Pipelines: petroleum products 3,400 km; natural gas 1800 km (1999)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: considered an important heroin transit point; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamines and heroin