Legend:
 Definition
 Field
Listing
 Rank
Order
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Background:
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In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. It
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 1947 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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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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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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22,603,001 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.1% (male 2,366,560; female 2,175,886)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 8,095,741; female 7,871,954)
65 years and over: 9.3% (male 1,074,112; female 1,018,747)
(2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 33.2 years
male: 32.9 years
female: 33.6 years (2002)
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Population growth rate:
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0.65% (2003 est.)
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Birth rate:
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12.74 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 6.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 76.87 years
male: 74.12 years
female: 79.88 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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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% (1980)
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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1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999 |
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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 May 2000)
and Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)
election results: CHEN Shui-bian elected president; percent of
vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 39.3%, James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu) (PFP)
36.84%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 23.1%, HSU Hsin-liang (independent) 0.63%, LEE
Ao (CNP) 0.13%
elections: president and vice president elected on the same
ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 18
March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); 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 islandwide
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 NA December 2004); note - the National Assembly is a
nonstanding body and is called into session
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 - DPP 87, KMT 68, PFP 46, TSU 13, independents and
other parties 11 |
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Judicial branch:
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Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the
National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003, justices will be
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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International organization participation:
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APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTrO |
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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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Flag description:
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red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing
a white sun with 12 triangular rays |
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $406 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.5% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 2%
industry: 31%
services: 67% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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1% (2000 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 6.4%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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32.6 (2000)
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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 58%, industry 35%, agriculture 7% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.2% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $36 billion
expenditures: $36.1 billion, including capital expenditures of
$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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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 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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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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2 million bbl (37257) |
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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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Natural gas - exports:
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410 million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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6.3 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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38.23 billion cu m (37257) |
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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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$130 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and electrical equipment 54%, metals, textiles, plastics,
chemicals (2002)
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Exports - partners:
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Hong Kong 23.9%, US 20.8%, Japan 9.3%, China 7.7% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$113 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
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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 24.3%, US 16.1%, China 7.1%, South Korea 6.9% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$24.7 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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34.88 (2002), 34.74 (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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12.49 million (September 2000)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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16 million (September 2000) |
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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: 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 Service Providers (ISPs):
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8 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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11.6 million (2001)
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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: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,973,958 GRT/6,306,361
DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a
flag of convenience: Hong Kong 3, Japan 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 41, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2,
combination bulk 3, container 45, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated
cargo 9, roll on/roll off 2 |
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Airports:
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39 (2002) |
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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: 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
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Heliports:
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3 (2002)
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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 |
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Military manpower - military age:
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19 years of age (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 6,583,604 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 5,019,268 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 189,967 (2003 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$7.574 billion (FY02) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.7% (FY02) |
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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