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 native Taiwanese within its structure. Throughout this period, the island has prospered as one of East Asia's economic tigers. The dominant political issue continues to be the relationship between Taiwan and Mainland China and the question of eventual reunification.

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total area total: 35,980 km²
Land: 32,260 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland and Delaware combined
Note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,448 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

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

Land use
Arable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 5%
Forest and woodland: 55%
Other: 15%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Population: 21,500,583 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.93% (1995 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Taiwanese 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 24% (female 2,543,134; male 2,665,878)
15-64 years: 68% (female 7,191,964; male 7,482,814)
65 years and over: 8% (female 734,535; male 882,258) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.93% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.33 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 5.71 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.37 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; air pollution; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species
Current issues natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons
Current issues international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation

Infant mortality rate: 5.6 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.47 years
Male: 72.17 years
Female: 78.93 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
Total population: 86%
Male: 93%
Female: 79%

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

Government 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); 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
Chief of state: President LI Teng-hui (since 13 January 1988); Vice President LI Yuan-zu (since 20 May 1990)
Head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIEN Chan (since 23 February 1993); Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) HSU Li-teh (since 23 February 1993); presidential election last held 21 March 1990 (next election will probably be a direct popular election and will be held NA March 1996); results - President LI Teng-hui was reelected by the National Assembly; vice presidential election last held 21 March 1990; results - LI Yuan-zu was elected by the National Assembly
Cabinet: Executive Yuan; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Yuan and unicameral National Assembly
Legislative Yuan: elections last held 19 December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1995); results - KMT 60%, DPP 31%, independents 9%; seats - (304 total, 161 elected) KMT 96, DPP 50, independents 15
National Assembly: first National Assembly elected in November 1946 with a supplementary election in December 1986; second and present National Assembly elected in December 1991; seats - (403 total) KMT 318, DPP 75, other 10; (next election to be held probably in 1996 and will be a direct popular election)

Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan

International organization participation: expelled from UN General Assembly and Security Council on 25 October 1971 and withdrew on same date from other charter-designated subsidiary organs; expelled from IMF/World Bank group April/May 1980; seeking to join GATT; attempting to retain membership in INTELSAT; suspended from IAEA in 1972, but still allows IAEA controls over extensive atomic development, APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, IOC, WCL

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) with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 10 other US cities
From the us: unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through a private institution, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has offices in Taipei at #7, Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, telephone [886] (2) 709-2000, and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3d Road, telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, 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) 720-1550

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 considerable government guidance of investment and foreign trade and partial government ownership of some large banks and industrial firms. Real growth in GNP 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 remarkably 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.

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $12,070 (1994 est.)

Agriculture products: accounts for 4% of GDP and 16% 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

Industries: electronics, textiles, chemicals, clothing, food processing, plywood, sugar milling, cement, shipbuilding, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (1994 est.), accounts for more than 40% of GDP

Labor force: 7.9 million
By occupation industry and commerce: 53%
By occupation services: 22%
By occupation agriculture: 15.6%
By occupation civiladministration: 7% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1994)

Budget
Revenues: $30.3 billion
Expenditures: $30.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Exports: $93 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodoties: electrical machinery 19.7%, electronic products 19.6%, textiles 10.9%, footwear 3.3%, foodstuffs 1.0%, plywood and wood products 0.9% (1993 est.)
Partners: US 27.6%, Hong Kong 21.7%, EC countries 15.2%, Japan 10.5% (1994 est.)

Imports: $85.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
Commodoties: machinery and equipment 15.7%, electronic products 15.6%, chemicals 9.8%, iron and steel 8.5%, crude oil 3.9%, foodstuffs 2.1% (1993 est.)
Partners: Japan 30.1%, US 21.7%, EC countries 17.6% (1993 est.)

Debt external: $620 million (1992 est.)

Exchange rates: New Taiwan dollars per US$1 - 26.2 (1994), 26.6 (1993), 25.4 (1992), 25.748 (1991), 27.108 (1990), 26.407 (1989)

Electricity
Capacity: 21,460,000 kW
Production: 108 billion kWh
Production consumption per capita: 4,789 kWh (1993)

Telephone system: 7,800,000 telephones; best developed system in Asia outside of Japan
Local: NA
Intercity: extensive microwave radio relay links on east and west coasts
International: 2 INTELSAT (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) earth stations; submarine cable links to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $9.8 billion, 3.4% of GDP (FY94/95; $9.77 billion proposed for FY95/96 budget

Airports: 41
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 11
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 8
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2438 m: 2

Pipelines: petroleum products 615 km; natural gas 97 km

Merchant marine
Total: 198 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,635,682 GRT/8,652,111 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 55, cargo 30, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 1, container 78, oil tanker 17, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 12, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

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; Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan

Illicit drugs: an important heroin transit point; also a major drug money laundering center