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

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:

0.94 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2009 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)

• adopted on 25 December 1946;
• effective 25 December 1947;
• amended in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005

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) WU Den-yih (since 10 September 2009);
• Vice Premier (Vice President of Executive Yuan) Eric Liluan CHU (since 10 September 2009)

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; percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%

• 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 December 2011 or 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], MA Ying-jeou elected in July 2009, takes office on 12 September 2009;
• Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [LIN Pin-kuan];
• People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]

agriculture:

5.1%

industry:

36.8%

services:

58% (2008 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

country comparison to the world: 81

standard gauge:

345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

1,093 km 1.067-m gauge; 150 km .762-m gauge

note: the 150 km of .762 gauge track belongs primarily to Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities (2007)

total:

40,262 km

country comparison to the world: 88

paved:

38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways)

unpaved:

2,091 km (2007)

• 19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service;
• service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009);
• 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 (2009)

males age 16-49:

6,283,134

females age 16-49:

6,098,599 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

5,106,730

females age 16-49:

5,008,563 (2009 est.)

male:

165,738

female:

154,123 (2009 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