Map of Taiwan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: In 1895 military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. 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 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.


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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
Total: 35,980 km²
Note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Water: 3,720 km²
Land: 32,260 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1566.3 km

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
Extremes 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%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons

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


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Population: 22,603,001 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 0.65% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 1% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Chinese/Taiwanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Chinese/Taiwanese

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
0-14 years: 20.1% (male 2,366,560; female 2,175,886)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 8,095,741; female 7,871,954)
65 years and over: 9.3% (male 1,074,112; female 1,018,747) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 33.2 years
Male: 32.9 years
Female: 33.6 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0.65% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 12.74 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 6.2 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 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
International agreements party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.1 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.09 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male/female
Total population: 1.04 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.65 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.88 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 7.34 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.87 years
Male: 74.12 years
Female: 79.88 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86%
Male: 93%
Female: 79% (1980)
Note: literacy for the total population has reportedly increased to 94% (1998)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Taiwan
Local short form: T'ai-wan
Local long form: none
Former: Formosa

Government type: multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president and unicameral legislature

Capital: Taipei

Administrative divisions
Note: Taiwan uses the Wade-Giles system for romanization

Dependent areas

Independence

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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)
Election results: CHEN Shui-bian elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 39.3%, James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu) (PFP) 36.84%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 23.1%, HSU Hsin-liang (independent) 0.63%, LEE Ao (CNP) 0.13%
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
Head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) YU Shyi-kun (since 1 February 2002) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) LIN Hsin-yi (since 1 February 2002)
Cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president

Legislative branch
Elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 8 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2004); note - the National Assembly is a nonstanding body and is called into session
Election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 39%, KMT 30%, PFP 20%, TSU 6%, independents and other parties 5%; seats by party - DPP 87, KMT 68, PFP 46, TSU 13, independents and other parties 11

Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003 justices will be appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [CHEN Shui-bian chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan chairman]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu) chairman]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [HUANG Chu-wen chairman]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or CNP

International organization participation: APEC AsDB BCIE ICC ICFTU IFRCS IOC WCL WTrO

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
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 located at 1700 N. Moore St. Suite 1700 Arlington VA 22,209-1996 telephone: [1] (703) 525-8,474 FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices located at #7 Lane 134 Hsin Yi Road Section 3 Taipei Taiwan telephone: [886] (2) 2,709-2000 FAX: [886] (2) 2,702-7,675; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road 5th Floor Kao-hsiung Taiwan telephone: [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157 FAX: [886] (7) 223-8,237; and the American Trade Center Room 3,208 International Trade Building Taipei World Trade Center 333 Keelung Road Section 1 Taipei Taiwan 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. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Agriculture contributes 2% to GDP down from 32% in 1952. While Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia China has become the largest destination for investment and has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market. 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. The global economic downturn combined with problems in policy coordination by the administration and bad debts in the banking system pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001 the first year of negative growth ever recorded. Unemployment also reached record levels. Output recovered moderately in 2002 in the face of continued global slowdown fragile consumer confidence and bad bank loans. Growing economic ties with China are a dominant long-term factor. Exports to China - mainly parts and equipment for the assembly of goods for export to developed countries - drove Taiwan's economic recovery in 2002.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.5% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 31%
Services: 67% (2002 est.)

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: 6% (2002)

Labor force: 10 million (2003)
By occupation services: 58%
By occupation industry: 35%
By occupation agriculture: 7% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.2% (2002 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 1% (2000 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 6.4%
Highest 10: 41.1% (2002 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 32.6 (2000)

Budget
Revenues: $36 billion
Expenditures: $36.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

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

Inflation rate consumer prices: -0.2% (2002 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: $130 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 54% metals textiles plastics chemicals (2002)
Partners: Hong Kong 23.9% US 20.8% Japan 9.3% China 7.7% (2002)

Imports: $113 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 44.5% minerals precision instruments (2002)
Partners: Japan 24.3% US 16.1% China 7.1% South Korea 6.9% (2002)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $24.7 billion (2002)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: 34.88 (2002) 34.74 (2001) 33.09 (2000) 31.6 (1999)


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Electricity
Production: 151.1 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 71.4%
Production by source hydro: 6%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 22.6%
Consumption: 140.5 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 750 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 6.64 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 410 million m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 6.3 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 38.23 billion m³ (37,257)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 12.49 million (September 2000)
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .tw
Service providers isps: 8 (2000)
Users: 11.6 million (2001)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $7.574 billion (FY02)
Percent of gdp: 2.7% (FY02)

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: 39 (2002)
With paved runways total: 37
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 11
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports: 3 (2002)

Pipelines: condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 1,108 km
Narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified)
Note: there also are 1,255 km of 1.067-m gauge routes belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2002)

Roadways

Waterways: NA

Merchant marine
Total: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,973,958 GRT/6,306,361 DWT
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Hong Kong 3, Japan 1 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: bulk 41, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 3, container 45, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 2

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; claimants in November 2002 signed the 'Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea' a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding 'code of conduct'; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai) as does China

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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