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Background:
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 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. |
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Location:
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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 |
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Geographic coordinates:
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23 30 N, 121 00 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total:
35,980 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
water: 3,720 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than Maryland and Delaware combined |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,566.3 km |
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Climate:
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tropical; marine;
rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August);
cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year |
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Terrain:
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eastern
two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling
plains in west |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m |
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Natural resources:
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small deposits of
coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos |
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Land use:
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arable land:
24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes and
typhoons |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution;
water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage;
contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered
species; low-level radioactive waste disposal |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon
Strait |
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Population:
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22,749,838 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
19.9% (male 2,359,467; female 2,167,438)
15-64 years: 70.7% (male 8,149,231; female 7,924,774)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 1,091,473; female
1,057,455) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
33.7 years
male: 33.3 years
female: 34.1 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.64% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.7 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.29 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
6.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 7.21 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 77.06 years
male: 74.31 years
female: 80.08 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Chinese/Taiwanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese/Taiwanese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Taiwanese
(including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2% |
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Religions:
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mixture of
Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other
2.5% |
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Languages:
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Mandarin Chinese
(official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86%
male: 93%
female: 79%
note: literacy for the total population has reportedly
increased to 94% (1998) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local short form: T'ai-wan
local long form: none
former: Formosa |
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Government type:
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multiparty
democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president and
unicameral legislature |
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Capital:
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Taipei |
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Administrative divisions:
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the central
administrative divisions include the provinces of Fu-chien
(some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy
and Matsu) and Taiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores
islands); Taiwan is further subdivided into 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 |
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National holiday:
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Republic Day
(Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911) |
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Constitution:
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25 December 1946,
amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2000 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil
law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations |
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Suffrage:
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20 years of age;
universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 March 2004) and
Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 March 2004)
election results: CHEN Shui-bian elected president;
percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 51.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT)
49.9%
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
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive
Yuan) YU Shyi-kun (since 1 February 2002) and Vice Premier
(Vice President of the Executive Yuan) LIN Hsin-yi (since 1
February 2002)
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41
elected on the basis of the proportion of islandwide votes
received by participating political parties, eight elected
from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of the
proportion of island-wide votes received by participating
political parties, eight elected by popular vote among the
aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and
unicameral National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body;
delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional
representation within three months of a Legislative Yuan call
to amend the Constitution, impeach the president, or change
national borders)
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 8 December 2001
(next to be held in December 2004)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by
party - DPP 39%, KMT 30%, PFP 20%, TSU 6%, independents and
other parties 5%; seats by party (2003) - DPP 88, KMT 66, PFP
46, TSU 12, independents and other parties 13 |
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Judicial branch:
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Judicial Yuan
(justices appointed by the president with consent of the
Legislative Yuan) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic
Progressive Party or DPP [CHEN Shui-bian, chairman];
Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan, chairman];
People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu),
chairman]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [HUANG Chu-wen,
chairman]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party
or CNP |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 located at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite
1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474,
FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices located at #7 Lane
134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886]
(2) 2709-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2702-7675; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd
Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7)
224-0154 through 0157, FAX: [886] (7) 223-8237; 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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 2% to GDP, down from 32% in
1952. While Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast
Asia, China has become the largest destination for investment
and has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export
market. Because of its conservative financial approach and its
entrepreneurial strengths, Taiwan suffered little compared
with many of its neighbors from the Asian financial crisis in
1998. The global economic downturn, combined with problems in
policy coordination by the administration and bad debts in the
banking system, pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001, the
first year of negative growth ever recorded. Unemployment also
reached record levels. Output recovered moderately in 2002 in
the face of continued global slowdown, fragile consumer
confidence, and bad bank loans. Growing economic ties with
China are a dominant long-term factor. Exports to China -
mainly parts and equipment for the assembly of goods for
export to developed countries - drove Taiwan's economic
recovery in 2002. Although the SARS epidemic, Typhoon Maemi,
corporate scandals, and a drop in consumer spending caused GDP
growth to contract to 3.2% in 2003, increasingly strong export
performance kept Taiwan's economy on track, and the government
expects Taiwan's economy to grow 4.1% in 2004. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $528.6 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.2% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $23,400 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
2%
industry: 31%
services: 67% (2002) |
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Population below poverty line:
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1% (2000 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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-0.2% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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10 million (2003) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 57%,
industry 35%, agriculture 8% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.1% (September
2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$52.5 billion
expenditures: $63 billion, including capital
expenditures of $14.4 billion $NA (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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electronics,
petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel,
machinery, cement, food processing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6% (2002) |
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Electricity - production:
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151.1 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
71.4%
hydro: 6%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 22.6% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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140.5 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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1,100 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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988,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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750 million cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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6.64 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, corn,
vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk, fish |
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Exports:
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$143 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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computer products
and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and
rubber products, chemicals (2002) |
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Exports - partners:
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China 25.3%, US
20.5%, Japan 9.2% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$119.6 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and
electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments
(2002) |
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Imports - partners:
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Japan 24.2%, US
16.1%, China 7.1%, South Korea 6.9% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$45 billion
(2002) |
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Currency:
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new Taiwan dollar
(TWD) |
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Currency code:
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TWD |
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Exchange rates:
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new Taiwan
dollars per US dollar - 34.42 (2003), 34.58 (2002), 33.8
(2001), 33.09 (2000), 31.6 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June
(up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00;
calendar year (after FY00) |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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13,099,400 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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23,905,400 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 218, FM 333,
shortwave 50 (1999) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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29 (plus two
repeaters) (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.tw |
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Internet hosts:
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2,170,233 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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8.59 million
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
1,108 km
narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km
electrified)
note: there also are 1,255 km of 1.067-m gauge routes
belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan
Forestry Bureau used to haul products and limited numbers of
passengers (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
35,931 km
paved: 31,583 km (including 608 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,348 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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NA |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 25 km;
gas 435 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Chi-lung (Keelung),
Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 130
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,417,768 GRT/5,617,318 DWT
foreign-owned: Cuba 1, Hong Kong 4
registered in other countries: 457 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 36, cargo 23, chemical tanker 2,
combination bulk 3, container 37, petroleum tanker 17,
refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 2 |
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Airports:
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40 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 37
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports:
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3 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy
(including Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard
Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service
Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command |
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Military manpower - military age:
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19 years of age;
22-month active service obligation (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 6,556,484 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 4,992,737 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
182,677 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$7,611.7 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.7% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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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 asserted
claims to the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu
Tai) with increased media coverage and protest actions |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 11 May, 2004
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