Taiwan

• tropical;
• marine;
• rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August);
• cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

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

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

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:

1.01 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

noun:

Taiwan (singular and plural)

note: example: he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan

adjective:

Taiwan

definition:

age 15 and over can read and write

total population:

96.1% (2003)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Taiwan

local long form:

none

local short form:

T'ai-wan

former:

Formosa

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) Frank HSIEH (since 1 February 2005) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) - WU Rong-i) (since 18 February 2005)

cabinet:

Executive Yuan appointed by the president

elections:

• president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms;
• 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%

• Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [SU Tseng-chang, chairman];
• Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou, chairman];
• People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu), chairman];
• Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang, chairman];
• other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or CNP

• 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 at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385);
• Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251;
• #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237;
• 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

lowest 10%:

6.7%

highest 10%:

41.1% (2002 est.)

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

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

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 (1999)

total:

2,497 km

narrow gauge:

1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified)

note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2004)

total:

37,299 km

paved:

35,621 km (including 608 km of expressways)

unpaved:

1,678 km (2002)

total:

126 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,417,768 GRT/5,617,318 DWT

by type:

bulk carrier 36, cargo 23, chemical tanker 2, container 37, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned:

3 (Hong Kong 3)

registered in other countries:

432 (2005)

• 19-40 years of age for military service (being lowered to 35 years of age in July 2005);
• service obligation 22 months (being shortened to 18 months in July 2005 and 12 months in 2008) (2005)

• 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

• regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine;
• major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin;
• renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem