CIA - The World Factbook -- Taiwan

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This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006
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| Introduction | Taiwan | Top of Page

Background: | In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan 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 1946 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.

| Geography | Taiwan | Top of Page

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 references: | Southeast Asia
Area: | total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 1,566.3 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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 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% (2001)
Irrigated land: | NA sq km
Natural hazards: | earthquakes and typhoons
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
Environment - international agreements: | party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status
Geography - note: | strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait

| People | Taiwan | Top of Page

Population: | 23,036,087 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 34.6 years male: 34.1 years female: 35 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.61% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.43 years male: 74.67 years female: 80.47 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Nationality: | noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan
Ethnic groups: | Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Religions: | mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Languages: | Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA% female: NA% (2003)

| Government | Taiwan | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa
Government type: | multiparty democracy
Capital: | Taipei
Administrative divisions: | includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands near central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) : counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung (county), Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei (county), T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin : municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan : special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization; special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization for street and place names within city boundaries, other local authorities have selected a variety of romanization systems
National holiday: | Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Constitution: | 25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
Legal system: | based on civil law system
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) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SU Tseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006) cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%
Legislative branch: | Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms); National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional representation six to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution, impeach president, or change national borders) - see note note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by National Assembly in June 2005, number of seats in legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with election in 2007; amendments also eliminated National Assembly thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005; dissolved in June 2005 election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%; seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7, independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP 42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP 127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005)
Judicial branch: | Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun, chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou, chairman]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu), chairman]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang, chairman]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or NP
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Taiwan independence movement, various business and 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 opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals 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
International organization participation: | APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competition committee and special observer status on the Trade Committee of the OECD, and is seeking observer status with the backing of the US in WHO
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
Diplomatic representation 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 at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162
Flag description: | red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

| Economy | Taiwan | Top of Page

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 less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952. Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and, in 2005, Taiwan's second-largest source of imports after Japan. Taiwan has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration and a sharp increase in world demand to achieve substantial growth in its export sector and a seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in 2004. However, excess inventory, higher international oil prices, and rising interest rates dampened consumption in developed markets, and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005. The service sector, which accounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued to expand, while unemployment and inflation rates have declined.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $611.5 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $326.5 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 3.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $26,700 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1.6% industry: 29.3% services: 69% (2005 est.)
Labor force: | 10.6 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 6%, industry 35.8%, services 58.2% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 4.2% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 0.9% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $41.67 billion expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of $14.4 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 33.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: | rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Industries: | electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate: | 3% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production: | 218.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption: | 206.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production: | 8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: | 2.9 million bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 970 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 76.46 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance: | $15.03 billion (2005 est.)
Exports: | $189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)
Exports - partners: | China, including Hong Kong 37%, US 15.3%, Japan 7.7% (2005)
Imports: | $181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002)
Imports - partners: | Japan 26%, US 12%, China, including Hong Kong 12%, South Korea 7% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $225.8 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $81.64 billion (2005 est.)
Currency (code): | new Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Exchange rates: | new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001)
Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)

| Communications | Taiwan | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 13,529,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 25,089,600 (2003)
Telephone system: | general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; 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)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: | 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code: | .tw
Internet hosts: | 3,838,383 (2005)
Internet users: | 13.8 million (2005)

| Transportation | Taiwan | Top of Page

Airports: | 42 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2005)
Heliports: | 3 (2005)
Pipelines: | condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2004)
Railways: | total: 2,497 km narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified) note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2004)
Roadways: | total: 37,299 km paved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)
Merchant marine: | total: 123 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,095,383 GRT/5,044,249 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 33, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 35, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3) registered in other countries: 450 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Gibraltar 1, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 8, Italy 10, Liberia 68, Malta 1, Panama 302, Philippines 2, Singapore 49, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung

| Military | Taiwan | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
Military service age and obligation: | 19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16 months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles (2005)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 19-49: 5,883,828 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 19-49: 4,749,537 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males: 174,173 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $7.93 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.4% (2005 est.)

| Transnational Issues | Taiwan | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; 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 and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006