The Learning Curve/The Learning Curve (Weird Science, 1996).iso/geography/cia/text/world94.taiwan

Text File | 1992-09-02 | 13KB | 372 lines

Taiwan, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Asia, off the southeastern coast of China, between Japan and
  the Philippines
Map references:
  Asia, Oceania, Southeast Asia
Area:
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
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,448 km
Maritime claims:
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
Land use:
arable land:
  24%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  5%
forest and woodland:
  55%
other:
  15%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
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

Taiwan, People

Population:
  21,298,930 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.96% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.6 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
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.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Chinese
Ethnic divisions:
  Taiwanese 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Religions:
  mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other
  2.5%
Languages:
  Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
  86%
male:
  93%
female:
  79%
Labor force:
  7.9 million
by occupation:
  industry and commerce 53%, services 22%, agriculture 15.6%, civil
  administration 7% (1989)

Taiwan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Taiwan
local long form:
  none
local short form:
  T'ai-wan
Digraph:
  TW
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
Legal system:
  based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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

Taiwan, Economy

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.)
National product real growth rate:
  6% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $10,600 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.2% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  1.5% (1992 est.)
Budget:
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.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 3.6% (1993 est.); accounts for more than 40% of GDP
Electricity:
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
Economic aid:
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

Taiwan, Communications

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
Highways:
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
Airports:
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

Taiwan, Defense Forces

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.)