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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.
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Common Name: Taiwan
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Local Official Name: T'ai-wan
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Abbreviated Name: Taiwan
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Official Name: Taiwan
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Official Script Name: Taiwan
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Local Common Name: Taiwan
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Former Name: Formosa
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President CHEN Shui-bian
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Government Type: multiparty democracy
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Independence: NA
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Constitution: 1946 December 25; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
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National Holiday: Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 Octomber
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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
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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
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on civil law system
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Suffrage: 20 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: 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 (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 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.
Judicial Branch:
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
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Party Leaders: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou]; 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
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International Disputes: 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
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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.
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Location of Taiwan: 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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Continent: Asia
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Land Area Total: 35,980 sq km
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Region: Southeast Asia |
Land Area Land: 32,260 sq km
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Capitol City: Taipei
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Land Area Water: 3,720 sq km
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Current: +8
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Latitude: 023 30 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 121 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 1,566 km
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Arable Land: 24.00 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 1.00 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 3,952 m
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Location: Yu Shan
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: South China Sea
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Largest City in Taiwan:
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Largest City Population: 0
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Threatened Species: 0
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Environmental Issues: 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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Environmental 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
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Irrigated Land: 0
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Bordering Countries: NA
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Natural Resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
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Geographical Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
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Comparative Area of Taiwan: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
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Taiwan's Geography: strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Taiwan.
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General Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
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Natural Hazards: earthquakes and typhoons
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Economic 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 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.
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GDP: $613,200,000 USD
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Currency: new Taiwan dollar
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GDP per Capita: $27,600 USD
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Currency Code: TWD
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GDP Growth Rate: 3.80 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% TWD
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Currency Exchange Rate History: new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 1.80 %
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GDP of Industry: 25.90 %
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GDP of Services: 72.30 % |
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Inflation Rate: 2.30 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.90 %
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Unemployment Rate: 4.10 %
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Tourism: 0.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 6.70 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $41,670,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 41.10 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $50,260,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 218,300,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 206,100,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 69.48%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 24.70%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 5.82%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 8,354 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 970,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 915,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 8,450,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 7,480,000,000 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 2,900,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 76,460,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $87,500,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $0 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
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Primary Industries: electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
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Industrial Growth Rate: 4.10 %
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Import Amount in USD: $181,600,000,000 USD - machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments
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Import Partners: Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%
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Export Amount in USD: $189,400,000,000 USD - computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals
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Export Partners: China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 10,600,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture: 6%, industry: 35.8%, services: 58.2%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 601 |
Number of People with Radios: 16,000,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 29 |
Number of People with Televisions: 8,800,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 13,529,900 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 25,089,600 |
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Internet Service Providers: 3,838,383 |
Internet Users: 13,800,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .tw |
Newspapers: 0 |
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Two Letter Country Code: TW |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: +886 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: 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
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Highways: 35,621 km |
Railways: 2,497 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 460 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 38 |
Heliports: 3
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Motor Vehicles: 0 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.00 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/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)
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Ports and Harbors: Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
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Population: 23,036,087 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 12.56 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 0.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 6.48 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.61% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.57 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 2,330,951 |
Population Female 0-14: 2,140,965 |
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Population Male 15-64: 8,269,421 |
Population Female 15-64: 8,040,169 |
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Population Male 65+: 1,123,429 |
Population Female 65+: 1,131,152 |
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Population 0-14: 19.40% |
Literacy Rate: 96.10% |
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Population 15-64: 70.80% |
Literacy rate of Males: 0.00% |
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Population 65+: 9.80% |
Literacy rate of Females: 0.00% |
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Population that is Male: 55.00
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Population that is Female: 45.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 77.43 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 6.29 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 74.67 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 80.47 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.00%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 0.00
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Nationality: Taiwan
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Ethnic Groups: Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
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Primary Language: Mandarin Chinese
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Other Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
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Primary Religion: mixture of Buddhist
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Other Religions: mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
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Branches: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 19 years
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Manpower Available: 11,564,601 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 9,394,144 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 337,856 People per year
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Expenditures: $7,930,000,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 2.40
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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