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:

1.09 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.95 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2008 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%

male:

NA

female:

NA (2003)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Taiwan

local long form:

none

local short form:

T'ai-wan

former:

Formosa

name:

Taipei

geographic coordinates:

25 03 N, 121 30 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

President MA Ying-jeou (since 20 May 2008); Vice President Vincent SIEW (since 20 May 2008)

head of government:

• Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIO Chao-shiuan (since 20 May 2008);
• Vice Premier (Vice President of Executive Yuan) Paul CHIU (CHANG-hsiung) (since 20 May 2008)

cabinet:

Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier)

elections:

• president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
• election last held 22 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012);
• premier appointed by the president;
• vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier

election results:

• MA Ying-jeou elected president on 22 March 2008;
• percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%;
• MA Ying-jeou takes office on 20 May 2008

• unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve four-year terms);
• parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for at-large seats

elections:

Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2012)

election results:

• Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%;
• seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1

• Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen];
• Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung];
• Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya];
• People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]

• 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), which has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC;
• there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities

• 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, Kaohsiung, 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

agriculture:

5.3%

industry:

36.8%

services:

57.9% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%:

6.7%

highest 10%:

41.1% (2002 est.)

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

general assessment:

provides telecommunications service for every business and private need

domestic:

thoroughly modern; completely digitalized

international:

• country code - 886;
• numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 2

total:

1,588 km

standard gauge:

345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

1,093 km 1.067-m gauge

note: 150 km .762-m gauge (belonging primarily to Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities) (2007)

total:

40,262 km

paved:

38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways)

unpaved:

2,091 km (2007)

total:

102

by type:

bulk carrier 32, cargo 19, chemical tanker 1, container 24, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned:

3 (Canada 2, France 1)

registered in other countries:

536 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 1, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Italy 13, Kiribati 5, Liberia 91, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 320, Philippines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 72, Thailand 1, UK 11, unknown 3) (2008)

• 19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service;
• service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009) year;
• women may enlist;
• women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles;
• reserve obligation to age 30 (Army);
• the Ministry of Defense has announced plans to implement an incremental voluntary enlistment system beginning 2010, with 10% fewer conscripts each year thereafter, although nonvolunteers will still be required to perform alternative service or go through 3-4 months of military training (2008)

males age 16-49:

6,283,134

females age 16-49:

6,098,599 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

5,112,737

females age 16-49:

5,036,346 (2008 est.)

male:

164,883

female:

152,085 (2008 est.)

• 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, methamphetamine, and precursor chemicals;
• transshipment point for drugs to Japan;
• major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin;
• rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs