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In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan, however 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 its governing structure. This culminated in 2000, when Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island has prospered to become 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.

[edit] 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 coordinates 

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map references 

Southeast Asia

Area 

total: 35,980 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
water: 3,720 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

1,566.3 km

Maritime claims 

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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 extremes 

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m

Natural resources 

small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos

Land use 

arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75%

Irrigated land 

NA sq km

Natural hazards 

earthquakes and typhoons

Environment - current issues 

air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal

Geography - note 

strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait

[edit] People

Population 

22,548,009 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 21% (male 2,464,290; female 2,268,627)
15-64 years: 70% (male 8,010,014; female 7,774,296)
65 years and over: 9% (male 1,053,975; female 976,807) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.78% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

14.21 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

6.08 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 76.74 years
female: 79.71 years (2002 est.)
male: 73.99 years

Total fertility rate 

1.76 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese

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: 86% (1980 est.)
male: 93% (1980 est.)
female: 79% (1980 est.)
note: literacy for the total population has reportedly increased to 94% (1998 est.)

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of China
conventional short form: Taiwan
local short form: T'ai-wan
local long form: Chung-hua Min-kuo
abbreviation: ROC
former: Formosa

Government type 

multiparty democratic republic headed by popularly elected president and unicameral legislature

Capital 

Nanking (Nanjing); Taipei (provisional)

Administrative divisions 

the central administrative divisions include Fukien Province (some 20 offshore islands including Quemoy and Matsu), Taiwan Province (the island of Taiwan, except Taipei and Kaohsiung cities, and the Pescadores islands), and the centrally administered municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) of Taipei City and Kaohsiung City; Taiwan Province is further subdivided into 16 counties (hsien, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural); Chang-hua, Chia-i, Chia-i*, Chi-lung*, Hsin-chu, Hsin-chu*, Hua-lien, I-lan, 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-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un
note: Wade-Giles is the most common romanization in Taiwan, though Tongyong Pinyin was made official in 2002

Independence 

Wuchang Uprising (10 October 1911); Republic of China established 1 January 1912

National holiday 

Republic Day (Anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising), 10 October (1911)

Constitution 

1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999

Legal system 

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage 

20 years of age; universal

[edit] Economy

Economy - 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. Real growth in GDP has averaged about 8% during the past three decades. 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 35% in 1952. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being moved offshore and replaced with more capital- and technology-intensive industries. Taiwan has become a major investor in China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam; 50,000 Taiwanese businesses are established in China. 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 1998-99. The global economic downturn, however, combined with poor policy coordination by the new administration and increasing bad debts in the banking system, pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001, the first whole year of negative growth since 1947. Unemployment also reached a level not seen since the 1970s oil crisis.

Population below poverty line 

1% (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation 

services 56%, industry 36%, agriculture 8% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate 

4.5% (2001 est.)

Industries 

electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing

Electricity - production 

149.78 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 69%
hydro: 6%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 25%

Agriculture - products 

rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish

Exports - commodities 

machinery and electrical equipment 55%, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals

Imports - commodities 

machinery and electrical equipment 50%, minerals, precision instruments

Currency 

new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency code 

TWD

Exchange rates 

new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 34.6 (2002), 34.49 (yearend 2001),, 33.08 (yearend 2000),, 31.4 (yearend 1999),, 32.22 (1998),, 32.05 (1997),, 27.5 (1996)

Fiscal year 

1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

12.49 million (September 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

16 million (September 2000)

Telephone system 

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)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)

Radios 

16 million (1994)

Television broadcast stations 

29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Televisions 

8.8 million (1998)

Internet country code 

.tw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

8 (2000)

Internet users 

11.6 million (2001)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 1,108 km
narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified)
note: in addition to the above routes in common carrier service, there are several thousand kilometers of 1.067-m gauge routes that are dedicated to industrial use (2001)

Highways 

total: 34,901 km
paved: 31,271 km (including 538 km of expressways)
unpaved: 3,630 km (1998 est.)

Waterways 

NA

Pipelines 

petroleum products 3,400 km; natural gas 1,800 km (1999)

Ports and harbors 

Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung

Airports 

39 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

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

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports 

3 (2002)

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does China

Illicit drugs 

regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin