Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of Taiwan's eventual status - as well as domestic political and economic reform.
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Location:
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Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
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Geographic coordinates:
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23 30 N, 121 00 E
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia
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Area:
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total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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1,566.3 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
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Terrain:
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eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
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Natural resources:
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small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
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Land use:
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arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Total renewable water resources:
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67 cu km (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes; typhoons
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status
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Geography - note:
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strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
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Population:
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22,974,347 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.7% (male 1,996,905/female 1,844,611)
15-64 years: 72.6% (male 8,416,300/female 8,267,675)
65 years and over: 10.7% (male 1,183,382/female 1,265,474) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 36.5 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 37.1 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.227% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate:
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8.99 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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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.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.96 years
male: 75.12 years
female: 81.05 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.14 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan
adjective: Taiwan
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Ethnic groups:
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Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%
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Religions:
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mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
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Languages:
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Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1%
male: NA
female: NA (2003)
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Education expenditures:
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NA
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
former: Formosa
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Government type:
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multiparty democracy
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Capital:
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name: Taipei
geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chih-hsia-shih, singular and plural)
note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government Information Office in Taipei.
counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu [county], Hualien, Kaohsiung [county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung [county], Tainan [county], Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin
municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu [city], Keelung, Taichung [city], Tainan [city]
special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]
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National holiday:
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Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
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Constitution:
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adopted on 25 December 1946; effective 25 December 1947; amended in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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20 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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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) LIU 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; percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%
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Legislative branch:
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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
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Judicial branch:
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Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [LIN Pin-kuan]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United Formosans for Independence
other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad public consensus has developed that the government enjoys popular sovereignty and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding unification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN; advocates of eventual unification predicate their goal on the democratic transformation of the mainland
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International organization participation:
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ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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
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Flag description:
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red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
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Economy - overview:
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Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing government guidance of investment and foreign trade. In keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned banks and industrial firms have been privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the world's largest. Recently opened cross-strait travel, transportation, and tourism links are likely to increase Taiwan and China's economic interdependence. China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and its second-largest source of imports, after Japan. China is also the island's number one destination for foreign direct investment. Growth fell below 2% in 2008 because of the global slowdown.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$738.8 billion (2008 est.)
$725 billion (2007)
$673.1 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$401.6 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.9% (2008 est.)
5.7% (2007 est.)
4.8% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$31,900 (2008 est.)
$31,100 (2007 est.)
$29,500 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1.5%
industry: 27.8%
services: 70.7% (2008 est.)
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Labor force:
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10.85 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 5.1%
industry: 36.8%
services: 58% (2008 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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4.1% (2008 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 6.7%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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20.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $50.91 billion
expenditures: $54.7 billion (2008 est.)
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Public debt:
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30.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.7% (2008 est.)
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Central bank discount rate:
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1.5% (January 2009)
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
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4.06% (2008 est.)
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Stock of money:
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$225.3 billion (November 2008)
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Stock of quasi money:
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$618 billion (November 2008)
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Stock of domestic credit:
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$677.8 billion (November 2008)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$654 billion (28 December 2007)
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
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Industries:
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electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-2% (2008 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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225.3 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
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233 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2008)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production:
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1,306 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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935,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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340,200 bbl/day (2007)
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Oil - imports:
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660,400 bbl/day (2007)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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1.88 million bbl (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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416 million cu m (2007)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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13.6 billion cu m (2007)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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10.9 billion cu m (2007)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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6.229 billion cu m (1 January 2008)
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Current account balance:
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$25 billion (2008 est.)
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Exports:
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$255.7 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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electronics, flat panels, machinery, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals, auto parts (2008)
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Exports - partners:
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China 32.6%, US 12.9%, Hong Kong 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Singapore 5% (2007)
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Imports:
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$236 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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electronics, machinery, petroleum, precision instruments, organic chemicals, metals (2008)
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Imports - partners:
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Japan 22.7%, US 13.3%, China 11.2%, South Korea 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.8%, Singapore 4.6% (2007)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$296.4 billion (31 December 2008)
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Debt - external:
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$109.6 billion (31 December 2008)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$102.3 billion (2008)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$135.3 billion (2008)
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Exchange rates:
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New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 31.53 (2008 est.), 32.84 (2007), 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004)
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Airports:
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41 (2008)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 37
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 3 (2008)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2008)
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Heliports:
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4 (2007)
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Pipelines:
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gas 406 km (2008)
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Railways:
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total: 1,588 km
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)
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Roadways:
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total: 40,262 km
paved: 38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,091 km (2007)
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Merchant marine:
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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)
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Ports and terminals:
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Chilung (Keelung), Kaohsiung, Taichung
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
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Military service age and obligation:
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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)
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 16-49: 6,283,134
females age 16-49: 6,098,599 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 16-49: 5,106,730
females age 16-49: 5,008,563 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
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male: 165,738
female: 154,123 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures:
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2.2% of GDP (2006)
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
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