from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Taiwan
Introduction
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
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 23 30 N, 121 00 E
coordinates:
Map Southeast Asia
references:
Area: total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Area - slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 1,566.3 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Natural small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble,
resources: and asbestos
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% (2001)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural earthquakes and typhoons
hazards:
Environment - air pollution; water pollution from industrial
current emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water
issues: supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level
radioactive waste disposal
Environment - party to: none of the selected agreements because of
international Taiwan's international status
agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements because of Taiwan's international status
Geography - strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait
note: and the Luzon Strait
People
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 0.61% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 77.43 years
expectancy at male: 74.67 years
birth: female: 80.47 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
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
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
former: Formosa
Government multiparty democracy
type:
Capital: name: Taipei
geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
Administrative includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller
divisions: 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 Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution),
holiday: 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 chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May
branch: 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
(eligible for a second term); 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 Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular
branch: 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 Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with
branch: consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Political Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun];
parties and Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou];
leaders: People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu)];
Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang]; other
minor parties including the Chinese New Party or NP
Political Taiwan independence movement, various business and
pressure environmental groups
groups and note: debate on Taiwan independence has become
leaders: 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 APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO
organization note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the
participation: 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 none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with
representation the people of the US are maintained through an
in the US: 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 none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with
representation the people on Taiwan are maintained through an
from the US: 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 red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side
description: corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy
Economy - Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually
overview: 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 third-largest source of imports after Japan
and the US. 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 $630 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $323.4 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 4% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $27,500 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 1.8%
composition by industry: 25.9%
sector: services: 72.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 10.6 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 6%
by occupation: industry: 35.8%
services: 58.2% (2005 est.)
Unemployment 4.1% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 0.9% (2005)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 6.7%
income or highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 2.3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 20.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $41.67 billion
expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital
expenditures of $14.4 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: 33.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry,
products: beef, milk; fish
Industries: electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals,
textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food
processing, vehicles, consumer products,
pharmaceuticals
Industrial 4.1% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 218.3 billion kWh (2004)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 71.4%
production by hydro: 6%
source: nuclear: 22.6%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 206.1 billion kWh (2004)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2004)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2004)
imports:
Oil - 8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 2.9 million bbl (2005 est.)
reserves:
Natural gas - 970 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2005 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 76.46 billion cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Current $16.22 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - computer products and electrical equipment, metals,
commodities: textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals
(2002)
Exports - China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7%
partners: (2005)
Imports: $181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals,
commodities: precision instruments (2002)
Imports - Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%,
partners: Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of $258 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $87.5 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Currency new Taiwan dollar (TWD)
(code):
Currency code: TWD
Exchange new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418
rates: (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
Telephones - 13.615 million (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 22.17 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: provides telecommunications service
system: 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 AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 16 million (1994)
Television 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 8.8 million (1998)
Internet .tw
country code:
Internet 4,320,310 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 8 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 13.21 million (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 42 (2006)
Airports - total: 38
with paved over 3,047 m: 8
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - total: 4
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Heliports: 3 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006)
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 carry products and limited numbers of
passengers (2005)
Roadways: total: 37,299 km
paved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)
Merchant total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/
marine: 4,652,921 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2,
container 25, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16,
refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)
registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia
2, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta
2, Panama 308, Singapore 59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2)
(2006)
Ports and Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao,
terminals: T'ai-chung
Military
Military Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast
branches: Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command,
Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police
Command
Military 19-35 years of age for military service; service
service age obligation 16 months (to be shortened to 12 months in
and 2008); women in Air Force service are restricted to
obligation: noncombat roles (2005)
Manpower males age 19-49: 5,883,828
available for females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 19-49: 4,749,537
for military females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 174,173
reaching females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $7.93 billion (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.4% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia,
international: 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
Trafficking in current situation: Taiwan is primarily a destination
persons: for men, women, and children trafficked for forced
labor and sexual exploitation; women from China and
Southeast Asian countries are trafficked for sexual
exploitation and forced labor; women and children,
primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked through the use
of fraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers,
and illegal smuggling for commercial sexual
exploitation and forced labor; a significant share of
foreign workers - primarily from Vietnam, Thailand, and
the Philippines - are recruited legally for low-skilled
jobs, and are subjected to forced labor or involuntary
servitude by labor agencies or employers upon arrival
in Taiwan; to a much lesser extent, there is internal
trafficking of children for sexual exploitation and
trafficking of a small and declining number of
Taiwanese women to Japan for commercial sexual
exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Taiwan is placed on
the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence
of increasing efforts over the past year to address
trafficking, despite ample resources to do so,
particularly the serious level of forced labor and
sexual servitude among legally migrating Southeast
Asian contract workers and brides
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