| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Southeast Asia |
| Geographical Location |
23° 30' North Latitude
121° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
35,980 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year |
| Natural Resources |
Small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Taiwan |
| Capital City |
Taipei |
| Government Type |
Multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president and unicameral legislature |
| 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
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| Independence Day |
- |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
22,894,384 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Taiwan |
| Ethnic Groups |
Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2% |
| Religion |
Mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% |
| Languages |
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects |
| Population Growth Rate |
0.63% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
New Taiwan dollar (TWD) |
| Industries |
Electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals |
| Labor Force |
10.22 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 8%, industry 35%, services 57% (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish |
| Export Commodities |
Computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002) |
| Export Partners |
China, including Hong Kong 37%, US 16%, Japan 7.7% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002) |
| Import Partners |
Japan 26%, US 13%, China, including Hong Kong 11%, South Korea 6.9% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
2,497 km |
| Highways |
37,299 km |
| Pipelines |
Condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2004) |
| Airports |
40 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+886 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.tw |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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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