Taiwan

multiparty democratic regime

Taiwan as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 114 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalTaipei
LocationEastern Asia, off the southeastern coast of China, between Japan and
1994

Every edition of Taiwan

Populationas each edition published it
21.3 million July 1994 est. · 20.55m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.96% 1994 est. · 1% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 33.2 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 75.04 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.81 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.7 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 17 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$10,600 1993 est. · $10,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
6% 1993 est. · 6.7% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Asia, off the southeastern coast of China, between Japan and | the Philippines

23 fields
Coastline
1,448km
land boundaries: 0 km

Location

Eastern Asia, off the southeastern coast of China, between Japan and the Philippines

Map references

Asia, Oceania, Southeast Asia

total area

35,980 sq km

land area

32,260 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland and Delaware combined

note

includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International disputes

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

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

Natural resources

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

arable land

24%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

5%

forest and woodland

55%

other

15%

current issues

  • water pollution from industrial emissions, untreated sewage;
  • air pollution;
  • contamination of drinking water supplies

natural hazards

subject to earthquakes and typhoons

international agreements

signed, but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation

People

21 fields
Population
21,298,930
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 0.96% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
15.6Death
5.63Net migration
-0.38

Ethnic divisions

Taiwanese 84%mainland Chinese 14%aborigine 2%
Labor force
7.9million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1980)

Infant mortality rate

5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

75.25 years

male

72.01 years

female

78.66 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.81 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Chinese (singular and plural)

adjective

Chinese

Religions

mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Languages

Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

total population

86%

male

93%

female

79%

by occupation

industry and commerce 53%, services 22%, agriculture 15.6%, civil administration 7% (1989)

Government

Multiparty democratic regime

27 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

60%
KMT 60%DPP 31%independents 9%

Legislature, 161 seatsone dot, one seat

(304 total, 161 elected) KMT 96DPP 50independents 15

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Taiwan

local long form

none

local short form

T'ai-wan

Type

multiparty democratic regime; opposition political parties legalized in March, 1989

Capital

Taipei

Administrative divisions

  • some of the ruling party in Taipei claim to be the government of all China;
  • in keeping with that claim, the central administrative divisions include 2 provinces (sheng, singular and plural) and 2 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural) - Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy and Matsu), Kao-hsiung*, T'ai-pei*, and Taiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands);
  • the more commonly referenced administrative divisions are those of Taiwan Province - 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

National holiday

National Day, 10 October (1911) (Anniversary of the Revolution)

Constitution

1 January 1947, amended in 1992, presently undergoing revision

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

chief of state

President LI Teng-hui (since 13 January 1988); Vice President LI Yuan-zu (since 20 May 1990)

head of government

  • Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIEN Chan (since 23 February 1993);
  • Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) HSU Li-teh (since 23 February 1993) presidential election last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996);
  • results - President LI Teng-hui was reelected by the National Assembly;
  • vice presidential election last held 21 March 1990 (next election will probably be a direct popular election and will be held NA March 1996);
  • results - LI Yuan-zu was elected by the National Assembly

cabinet

Executive Yuan; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Yuan and unicameral National Assembly

Legislative Yuan

  • elections last held 19 December 1992 (next to be held near the end of 1995);
  • results - KMT 60%, DPP 31%, independents 9%;
  • seats - (304 total, 161 elected) KMT 96, DPP 50, independents 15

National Assembly

  • elections - first National Assembly elected in November 1946 with a supplementary election in December 1986;
  • second and present National Assembly elected in December 1991;
  • seats - (403 total) KMT 318, DPP 75, other 10;
  • (next election to be held in 1997)

Judicial branch

Judicial Yuan

Political parties and leaders

  • Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman;
  • Democratic Progressive Party (DPP);
  • Chinese New Party (CNP);
  • Labor Party (LP)

Other political or pressure groups

Taiwan independence movement, various 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 the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity;
  • advocates of Taiwan independence, both within the DPP and the ruling Kuomintang, oppose the ruling party's traditional stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China;
  • the aims 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

Member of

  • expelled from UN General Assembly and Security Council on 25 October 1971 and withdrew on same date from other charter-designated subsidiary organs;
  • expelled from IMF/World Bank group April/May 1980;
  • seeking to join GATT;
  • attempting to retain membership in INTELSAT;
  • suspended from IAEA in 1972, but still allows IAEA controls over extensive atomic development, APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, IOC, COCOM (cooperating), WCL

Diplomatic representation in US

none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through a private instrumentality, the Coordination Council for North American Affairs (CCNAA) with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 10 other US cities

US diplomatic representation

unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through a private institution, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has offices in Taipei at #7, Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, telephone [886] (2) 709-2000, and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3d Road, telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, and the American Trade Center at Room 3207 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei 10548, telephone [886] (2) 720-1550

Flag

red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

Economy

Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with considerable government | guidance of investment and foreign trade and partial government | ownership of some large banks and industrial firms.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$10,600
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
6%
(1993 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 3.6% (1993 est.); accounts for more than 40% of GDP
Unemployment rate
1.5%
(1992 est.)

Overview

Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with considerable government guidance of investment and foreign trade and partial government ownership of some large banks and industrial firms. Real growth in GNP has averaged about 9% a year during the past three decades. Export growth has been even faster and has provided the impetus for industrialization.

Agriculture contributes about 4% to GDP, down from 35% in 1952. Taiwan currently ranks as number 13 among major trading countries. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being replaced with more capital- and technology-intensive industries. Taiwan has become a major investor in China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The tightening of labor markets has led to an influx of foreign workers, both legal and illegal.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $224 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$30.3 billion

expenditures

$30.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)

Exports

$85 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

electrical machinery 19.7%, electronic products 19.6%, textiles 10.9%, footwear 3.3%, foodstuffs 1.0%, plywood and wood products 0.9% (1993 est.)

partners

US 27.6%, Hong Kong 21.7%, EC countries 15.2%, Japan 10.5% (1993 est.)

Imports

$77.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

commodities

machinery and equipment 15.7%, electronic products 15.6%, chemicals 9.8%, iron and steel 8.5%, crude oil 3.9%, foodstuffs 2.1% (1993 est.)

partners

Japan 30.1%, US 21.7%, EC countries 17.6% (1993 est.)

External debt

$620 million (1992 est.)

capacity

18,382,000 kW

production

98.5 billion kWh

consumption per capita

4,718 kWh (1992)

Industries

electronics, textiles, chemicals, clothing, food processing, plywood, sugar milling, cement, shipbuilding, petroleum refining

Agriculture

  • accounts for 4% of GNP and 16% of labor force (includes part-time farmers);
  • heavily subsidized sector;
  • major crops - vegetables, rice, fruit, tea;
  • livestock - hogs, poultry, beef, milk;
  • not self-sufficient in wheat, soybeans, corn;
  • fish catch increasing, reached 1.4 million metric tons in 1988

Illicit drugs

an important heroin transit point; also a major drug money laundering center

recipient

US, including Ex-Im (FY46-82), $4.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $500 million

Currency

1 New Taiwan dollar (NT$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

New Taiwan dollars per US$1 - 26.6 (1993), 25.4 (1992), 25.748 (1991), 27.108 (1990), 26.407 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

14 fields

Railroads

  • about 4,600 km total track with 1,075 km common carrier lines and 3,525 km industrial lines;
  • common carrier lines consist of the 1.067-meter gauge 708 km West Line and the 367 km East Line;
  • a 98.25 km South Link Line connection was completed in late 1991;
  • common carrier lines owned by the government and operated by the Railway Administration under Ministry of Communications;
  • industrial lines owned and operated by government enterprises

total

20,041 km

paved

bituminous, concrete pavement 17,095 km

unpaved

crushed stone, gravel 2,371 km; graded earth 575 km

Pipelines

petroleum products 615 km; natural gas 97 km

Ports

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

Merchant marine

212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,910,453 GRT/9,098,315 DWT, bulk 54, cargo 38, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 2, container 85, oil tanker 17, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 11, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

total

40

usable

38

with permanent-surface runways

36

with runways over 3,659 m

3

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

16

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

7

Telecommunications

  • best developed system in Asia outside of Japan;
  • 7,800,000 telephones;
  • extensive microwave radio relay links on east and west coasts;
  • broadcast stations - 91 AM, 23 FM, 15 TV (13 repeaters);
  • 8,620,000 radios;
  • 6,386,000 TVs (5,680,000 color, 706,000 monochrome);
  • satellite earth stations - 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT;
  • submarine cable links to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe

Defense Forces

Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense | Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Military Police Command

3 fields

Branches

Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Military Police Command

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 6,205,707;
  • fit for military service 4,806,456;
  • reach military age (19) annually 192,083 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $12.1 billion, 5% of GNP (FY93/94 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Taiwan.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/taiwan/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →