1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
32,260 km2 (Taiwan and Pescadores); 24% cultivated, 6% pasture, 55% forested, 15% other (urban, industrial, denuded, water area) WATER
Coastline
990 km Taiwan, 459 km offshore islands
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm (fishing 12 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
84% Taiwanese, 14% mainland Chinese, 2% aborigines
Labor force
6.51 million (1979); 21.5% primary industry (agriculture), 41.8% secondary industry (including manufacturing, mining, construction), 36.7% tertiary industry (including commerce and services), 1979; 1.3% unemployment (1979)
Language
Chinese Mandarin (official language); Taiwanese and Hakka dialect also used
Literacy
about 90%
Nationality
noun—Chinese (sing., pl.); adjective—Chinese
Organized labor
about 15% of 1978 labor force (government controlled)
Population
18,456,000, excluding the population of Quemoy and Matsu Islands and foreigners (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.8%
Religion
93% mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist; 4.5% Christian; 2.5% other
Government
Branches
five independent branches (executive, legislative, judicial, plus traditional Chinese functions of examination and control), dominated by executive branch; President and Vice President elected by National Assembly
Capital
Taipei
Elections
national level—legislative yuan every three years but no general election held since 1948 election on mainland (partial elections for Taiwan province representatives in December 1969, 1972, 1975, and 1980); local level—provincial assembly, county and municipal executives every four years; county and municipal assemblies every four years Political parties and leaders: Kuomintang, or National Party, led by Chairman Chiang Ching-kuo, had no real opposition; lately a loosely organized anti-Kuomintang opposition has emerged; two insignificant parties are Democratic Socialist Party and Young China Party Voting strength (1981 provincial assembly elections): 59 seats Kuomintang, 18 seats independents; 1981 local elections, with 72% turnout of eligible voters Kuomintang received 59% of the popular vote, non-Kuomintang 41%
Government leaders
President CHIANG Ching-kuo; Premier SUN Yün-hsüan
Legal system
based on civil law system; constitution adopted 1947, amended 1960 to permit Chiang Kai-shek to be reelected, and amended 1972 to permit President to restructure certain government organs; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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; member of ADB and seeking to join GATT and/or MFA; attempting to retain membership in ICAC, ISO, INTELSAT, IWC—International Wheat Council, PCA; suspended from IAEA in 1972 but still allows IAEA controls over extensive atomic development
National holiday
10 October
Official name
Taiwan
Other political or pressure groups
none
Political subdivisions
16 counties, 3 cities, 2 special municipalities (Taipei and Kaosiung)
Suffrage
universal over age 20
Type
one-party presidential regime
Economy
Agriculture
most arable land intensely farmed—60% cultivated land under irrigation; main crops—rice, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, citrus fruits; food shortages—wheat, corn, soybeans
Aid
economic commitments—US (FY46—80), $2.2 billion, including Ex-Im; other Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79), $265 million; military—US (FY46-79), $4.4 billion committed
Central government budget
$6.7 billion (FY79)
Electric power
9,147,000 kW capacity (1980); 41.0 billion kWh produced (1980), 2,280 kWh per capita Exports: $16.1 billion (f.o.b., 1979); 28.0% textiles, 170% electrical machinery, 6.3% plywood and wood products, 8.0% basic metals and metal products, 28% machinery, manufactures, and transportation
Fiscal year
1 July–30 June
Fishing
catch 854,784 metric tons (1977)
GNP
$32.2 billion (1979, in 1979 prices), $1,830 per capita; real growth, 8% (1979)
Imports
$14,8 billion (c.i.f., 1979); 23.0% machinery and transportation equipment. 11.0% electrical machinery, 11.0% basic metals, 15.0% crude oil, 12.3% chemical products
Major industries
textiles, clothing, chemicals, plywood, electronics, sugar milling, food processing, cement, shipbuilding
Major trade partners
exports—35% US, 14% Japan; imports—31% Japan, 23% US (1979)
Monetary conversion rate
NT (New Taiwan) $36=US$1
Communications
Airfields
43 total, 41 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m, 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Highways
network totals 17,224 km (construction of North-South Freeway approximately 98% complete), plus 483 km on Penghu and offshore islands; 11,455 km paved, 4,424 km gravel and crushed stone, 1,345 km earth
Pipelines
615 km refined products, 97 km natural gas Ports: 5 major, 5 minor
Railroads
about 1,050 km common-carrier and 3,500 km industrial lines, all on Taiwan; common-carrier lines consist of West System—825 km meter gauge (1.067 m) with 325 km double track (complete line under construction for electrification)—and East Line—225 km meter gauge (1.067 m); common-carrier lines owned by government and operated by Railway Administration (TRA) under Ministry of Communications; industrial lines owned and operated by government enterprises
Telecommunications
very good international and domestic service; 2.6 million telephones; about 100 radio broadcast stations with 240 AM and 6 FM transmitters; 12 TV stations and 3 repeaters; 8 million radio receivers and 3.6 million TV receivers; 2 INTELSAT ground stations; tropospheric scatter links to Hong Kong and the Philippines available but inactive; submarine cables to Okinawa (Japan), the Philippines, and Guam
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 4,875,000; 3,835,000 fit for military service; about 205,000 currently reach military age (19) annually