Match 267 DB Rec# - 7,719 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Taiwan
Text :
Taiwan
Geography
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
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total area:
35,980 sq km
land area:
32,260 sq km
comparative area:
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
International disputes:
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
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 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; air pollution;
contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species
natural hazards:
earthquakes and typhoons
international agreements:
signed, but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation
People
Population:
21,500,583 (July 1995 est.)
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/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
5.71 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
5.6 deaths/1,000 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.)
Nationality:
noun:
Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Chinese
Ethnic divisions:
Taiwanese 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:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
86%
male:
93%
female:
79%
Labor force:
7.9 million
by occupation:
industry and commerce 53%, services 22%, agriculture 15.6%, civil
administration 7% (1989)
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Taiwan
local long form:
none
local short form:
T'ai-wan
Digraph:
TW
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
Government
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
Political parties and leaders:
Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP), SHIH Ming-teh, chairman; Chinese New Party (CNP);
Labor Party (LP)
Other political or pressure groups:
Taiwan independence movement, various 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 the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan's
legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity;
advocates of Taiwan independence, both within the DPP and the ruling
Kuomintang, oppose the ruling party's traditional stand that the island will
eventually unify with mainland China; the aims 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
Member of:
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 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
US diplomatic representation:
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 3207 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333
Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei 10548, telephone [886] (2) 720-1550
Flag:
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.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $257 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$12,070 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.2% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.6% (1994)
Budget:
revenues:
$30.3 billion
expenditures:
$30.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Exports:
$93 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities:
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)
commodities:
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.)
External debt:
$620 million (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 4.5% (1994 est.); accounts for more than 40% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
21,460,000 kW
production:
108 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
4,789 kWh (1993)
Industries:
electronics, textiles, chemicals, clothing, food processing, plywood, sugar
milling, cement, shipbuilding, petroleum refining
Economy
Agriculture:
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
Illicit drugs:
an important heroin transit point; also a major drug money laundering center
Economic aid:
recipient:
US, including Ex-Im (FY46-82), $4.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA
and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $500 million
Currency:
1 New Taiwan dollar (NT$) = 100 cents
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)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Transportation
Railroads:
total:
4,600 km; note - 1,075 km in common carrier service and about 3,525 km is
dedicated to industrial use
narrow gauge:
4,600 km 1.067-m
Highways:
total:
20,041 km
paved:
bituminous, concrete pavement 17,095 km
unpaved:
crushed stone, gravel 2,371 km; graded earth 575 km
Pipelines:
petroleum products 615 km; natural gas 97 km
Ports:
Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
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
Airports:
total:
41
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
8
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
11
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
6
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
6
with paved runways under 914 m:
8
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
2
Communications
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
Radio:
broadcast stations:
AM 91, FM 23, shortwave 0
radios:
8.62 million
Television:
broadcast stations:
15 (repeaters 13)
televisions:
6.386 million (color 5,680,000, monochrome 706,000)
Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense
Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Military Police Command
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 6,293,884; males fit for military service 4,863,014; males
reach military age (19) annually 201,191 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $9.8 billion, 3.4% of GDP (FY94/95); $9.77
billion proposed for FY95/96 budget
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This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).
The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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