Background: First inhabited by Austronesian people, Taiwan became home to Han immigrants beginning in the late Ming Dynasty (17th century). In 1895, military defeat forced China's Qing Dynasty to cede Taiwan to Japan, which then governed Taiwan for 50 years. Taiwan came under Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang, KMT) control after World War II. With the communist victory in the Chinese civil war in 1949, the Nationalist-controlled Republic of China government and 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and continued to claim to be the legitimate government for mainland China and Taiwan based on a 1947 Constitution drawn up for all of China. Until 1987, however, the Nationalist government ruled Taiwan under a civil war martial law declaration dating to 1948. Beginning in the 1970s, Nationalist authorities gradually began to incorporate the native population into the governing structure beyond the local level. The democratization process expanded rapidly in the 1980s, leading to the then illegal founding of Taiwan’s first opposition party (the Democratic Progressive Party or DPP) in 1986 and the lifting of martial law the following year. Taiwan held legislative elections in 1992, the first in over forty years, and its first direct presidential election in 1996. In the 2000 presidential elections, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power with the KMT loss to the DPP and afterwards experienced two additional democratic transfers of power in 2008 and 2016. Throughout this period, the island prospered, became one of East Asia's economic 'Tigers,' and after 2000 became a major investor in mainland China as cross-Strait ties matured. The dominant political issues continue to be economic reform and growth as well as management of sensitive relations between Taiwan and China.

Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 35,980 km²
Land: 32,260 km²
Water: 3,720 km²
Note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands
Rank: 138
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1566.3 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); persistent and extensive cloudiness all year

Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west

Elevation
Mean elevation: 1150 m
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 22.7% (2011 est.)
Other: 77.3% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,820 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: earthquakes; typhoonsvolcanism: Kueishantao Island (401 m), east of Taiwan, is its only historically active volcano, although it has not erupted in centuries

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

Population
Distribution: distribution exhibits a peripheral coastal settlement pattern, with the largest populations on the north and west coasts: 23,603,049 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 56
Growth rate: 0.11% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 186
Below poverty line: 1.5% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
Adjective: Taiwan (or Taiwanese)
Note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min Nan), Hakka dialects, approximately 16 indigenous languages

Religions: Buddhist 35.3%, Taoist 33.2%, Christian 3.9%, folk (includes Confucian) approximately 10%, none or unspecified 18.2% (2005 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 12.42% (male 1,504,704/female 1,426,494)
15-24 years: 11.62% (male 1,403,117/female 1,339,535)
25-54 years: 45.51% (male 5,351,951/female 5,389,112)
55-64 years: 14.73% (male 1,698,555/female 1,778,529)
65 years and over: 15.72% (male 1,681,476/female 2,029,576) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 40
Youth dependency ratio: 17.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 22.2
Potential support ratio: 4.5 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.3 years
Male: 41.5 years
Female: 43.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 36

Population growth rate: 0.11% (2020 est.)
Rank: 186

Birth rate: 8 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 222

Death rate: 7.9 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 97

Net migration rate: 0.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 63

Population distribution: distribution exhibits a peripheral coastal settlement pattern, with the largest populations on the north and west coasts

Urbanization
Urban population: 78.9% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 4.398 million New Taipei City, 2.721 million TAIPEI (capital), 2.245 million Taoyuan, 1.538 million Kaohsiung, 1.321 million Taichung, 850,000 Tainan (2020)

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 Taiwans international status

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.2 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.8 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 187

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.6 years
Male: 77.5 years
Female: 83.9 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 43

Total fertility rate: 1.14 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 225

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Education expenditures
Note: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.5%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 97.3% (2014)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Taiwan
Local long form: none
Local short form: Taiwan
Former: Formosa
Etymology: Tayowan was the name of the coastal sandbank where the Dutch erected their colonial headquarters on the island in the 17th century; the former name Formosa means beautiful in Portuguese

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Capital
Name: Taipei
Geographic coordinates: 25 02 N, 121 31 E
Time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: the Chinese meaning is 'Northern Taiwan,' reflecting the city's position in the far north of the island

Administrative divisions: includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 13 counties (xian, singular and plural), 3 cities (shi, singular and plural), and 6 special municipalities directly under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan
Note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems

National holiday: Republic Day (National Day), 10 October (1911); note - celebrates the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, also known as Double Ten (10-10) Day

Constitution
History: previous 1912, 1931; latest adopted 25 December 1946, promulgated 1 January 1947, effective 25 December 1947
Amendments: proposed by at least one fourth of the Legislative Yuan membership; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote of at least three fourths of the Legislative Yuan membership and approval in a referendum by more than half of eligible voters; revised several times, last in 2005

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Taiwan
Dual citizenship recognized: yes, except that citizens of Taiwan are not recognized as dual citizens of the Peoples Republic of China
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal; note - in mid-2016, the Legislative Yuan drafted a constitutional amendment to reduce the voting age to 18, but it has not passed as of December 2017

Executive branch
Chief of state: President TSAI Ing-wen (since 20 May 2016; re-elected on 11 Jan 2020); Vice President CHEN Chien-jen (since 20 May 2016)
Head of government: Premier SU Tseng-chang (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 11 January 2019); Vice Premier SHIH Jun-ji, Vice President of the Executive Yuan (since 8 September 2017) 
Cabinet: Executive Yuan - ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier 
Electionsappointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 January 2020 (next to be held on 11 January 2024); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier
Election results: TSAI Ing-wen elected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 57.1%, HAN Kuo-yu (KMT) 38.6%; note - TSAI is the first woman elected president of Taiwan

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats; 73 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 34 directly elected in a single island-wide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat aboriginal constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 11 January 2020 (next to be held on 11 January 2024)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 34.0%, Kuomintang (KMT) 33.4%, Taiwan Peoples Party (TPP) 11.2%; seats by party - DPP 61, KMT 38, TPP 5

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 100 judges organized into 8 civil and 12 criminal divisions, each with a division chief justice and 4 associate justices); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 13 justices)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court justices appointed by the president; Constitutional Court justices appointed by the president, with approval of the Legislative Yuan; Supreme Court justices serve for life; Constitutional Court justices appointed for 8-year terms, with half the membership renewed every 4 years
Subordinate courts: high courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [CHO Jung-tai]Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Den-yih]New Power Party or NPP [CHIU Hsien-chih]Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [LIN Pin-kuan]People First Party or PFP [James SOONG Chu-yu]

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: none; commercial and cultural relations with its citizens in the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts, represented by Stanley KAO (since 5 June 2016); office: 4,201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,016; telephone: [1] 202 895-1800
In the us Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver (CO), Houston, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
From the us chief of mission: the US does not have an embassy in Taiwan; commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts; it is managed by Director William Brent CHRISTENSEN (since 11 August 2018); telephone [886] 7-335-5,006; FAX [886] 7-338-0551
From the us telephone: (+886) (02) 2,162-2000
From the us branch office:
From the us other offices: Kaohsiung (Branch Office)

Flag description: red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays; the blue and white design of the canton (symbolizing the sun of progress) dates to 1895; it was later adopted as the flag of the Kuomintang Party; blue signifies liberty, justice, and democracy, red stands for fraternity, sacrifice, and nationalism, and white represents equality, frankness, and the people's livelihood; the 12 rays of the sun are those of the months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours (each ray equals two hours)
Note: similar to the flag of Samoa

National symbols: white, 12-rayed sun on blue field; national colors: blue, white, red

National anthem
Name: Zhonghua Minguo guoge (National Anthem of the Republic of China)
Lyricsmusic: HU Han-min, TAI Chi-tao, and LIAO Chung-kai/CHENG Mao-Yun
Note: adopted 1930; also the song of the Kuomintang Party; it is informally known as 'San Min Chu I' or 'San Min Zhu Yi' (Three Principles of the People); because of political pressure from China, 'Guo Qi Ge' (National Banner Song) is used at international events rather than the official anthem of Taiwan; the 'National Banner Song' has gained popularity in Taiwan and is commonly used during flag raisings

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 105

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 64

Gross national saving:
Rank: 17

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 53% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 65.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -52.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 36% (2017 est.)
Services: 62.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: rice, vegetables, fruit, tea, flowers; pigs, poultry; fish

Industries: electronics, communications and information technology products, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (2017 est.)
Rank: 79

Labor force: 11.498 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 47
By occupation agriculture: 4.9%
By occupation industry: 35.9%
By occupation services: 59.2% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 55

Population below poverty line: 1.5% (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 6.4% (2010)
Highest 10: 40.3% (2010)

Budget
Revenues: 91.62 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 92.03 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -0.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 50

Taxes and other revenues: 16% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 184

Public debt:
Note: data for central government
Rank: 149

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 45

Current account balance:
Rank: 7

Exports:
Rank: 22
Partners: China 27.9%, US 14.1%, Hong Kong 12.3%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 5.5%, South Korea 5.1% (2019)
Commodities: semiconductors, petrochemicals, automobile/auto parts, ships, wireless communication equipment, flat display displays, steel, electronics, plastics, computers

Imports:
Rank: 23
Commodities: oil/petroleum, semiconductors, natural gas, coal, steel, computers, wireless communication equipment, automobiles, fine chemicals, textiles
Partners: China 20.1%, Japan 15.4%, US 12.3%, South Korea 6.2% (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 5

Debt external:
Rank: 38

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 246.1 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 18
Consumption: 237.4 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 16
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 205
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 208
Installed generating capacity: 49.52 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 22
Generation sources fossil fuels: 79% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 87
Generation sources nuclear: 11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 14
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 133
Generation sources other renewable sources: 6% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 105

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 196 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 96
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 203
Crude oil imports: 846,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 13
Crude oil proven reserves: 2.38 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 95

Refined petroleum
Products production: 924,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 21
Products consumption: 962,400 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 22
Products exports: 349,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 26
Products imports: 418,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 20

Natural gas
Production: 237.9 million m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 77
Consumption: 22.45 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 34
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 196
Imports: 22.14 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 15
Proven reserves: 6.229 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 86

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 348.8 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 21

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 12,863,860
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 54.56 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 16
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 29,049,784
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 123.21 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 46

Broadcast media: 5 nationwide television networks operating roughly 22 TV stations; more than 300 satellite TV channels are available; about 60% of households utilize multi-channel cable TV; 99.9% of households subscribe to digital cable TV; national and regional radio networks with about 171 radio stations (2019)

Internet
Country code: .tw
Users total: 21,845,944
Users percent of population: 92.78% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 34

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 5,725,022
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24 (2018 est.)
Rank: 28

Military expenditures:
Rank: 66

Military and security forces: Taiwan Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Military Police Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command; Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (a law enforcement organization with homeland security functions during peacetime and national defense missions during wartime) (2020)

Military service age and obligation: starting with those born in 1994, males 18-36 years of age may volunteer for military service or must complete 4 months of compulsory military training (or substitute civil service in some cases); men born before December 1993 are required to complete compulsory service for 1 year (military or civil); men are subject to training recalls up to four times for periods not to exceed 20 days for 8 years after discharge; women may enlist, but are restricted to noncombat roles in most cases; as part of its transition to an all-volunteer military in December 2018, the last cohort of one-year military conscripts completed their service obligations (2019)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 216

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: B (2016)

Airports: 37 (2013)
Rank: 107
With paved runways total: 35 (2013)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10 (2013)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8 (2013)
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 31 (2013)

Pipelines: 25 km condensate, 2,200 km gas, 13,500 km oil (2018)

Railways
Total: 1613 km (2018)
Standard gauge: 345 km
Note: 1.067-m gauge (793.9 km electrified) (2018)
Narrow gauge: 1118.1 km: 150 0.762-m gauge
Rank: 81

Roadways
Total: 43,206 km (2017)
Paved: 42,793 km
Note: (includes 1348 km of highways and 737 km of expressways) (2017)
Unpaved: 413 km (2017)
Rank: 88

Merchant marine
Total: 389
By type: bulk carrier 30, container ship 47, general cargo 56, oil tanker 32, other 224 (2019)
Rank: 46

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Keelung (Chi-lung), Kaohsiung, Hualian, Taichung
Container port: Kaohsiung (10,271,018), Taichung (1,660,663), Taipei (1,561,743) (2017)
LNG terminal: Yung An (Kaohsiung), Taichung

Disputes international: involved in complex dispute with Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam over the Spratly Islands, and with China and the Philippines over Scarborough Reef; 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, methamphetamine, and precursor chemicals; transshipment point for drugs to Japan; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs