1985 Edition

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 authorizations, including Ex-Im (FY46-82), $4.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-81), $275 millfon; militaryUS (FY46-81), $4.4 billion authorized

Airfields

484 total, 448 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m, 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 29 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

40 total, 39 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m, 17 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Air Force, Police Support Unit, People's Militia

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

Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force

Budget

central government expenditure, $42.5 billion (FY83)

Capital

Taipei

Civil air

12 major transport aircraft

Coastline

1,240 km Taiwan, 327 km Pescadores People

Elections

national level — Legislative Yuan every three years; National Assembly and Control Yuan every six years; no general election held since 1948 election on mainland (partial elections for Taiwan province representatives in December 1969, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1983, and 1984); 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

Electric power

13,071,000 kW capacity (1984); 45.5 billion kWh produced (1984), 2,390 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

84% Taiwanese, 14% mainland Chinese, 2% aborigine

Exports

$30.4 billion(f.o.b., 1984 est.); 20.5% textiles, 18.8% electrical machinery, 9% general machinery and equipment, 9% telecommunications equipment, 7.4% basic metals and metal products, 5.4% foodstuffs, 2.5% plywood and wood products

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June Communications

Fishing

catch 930,582 metric tons (1983)

GNP

$56.6 billion (1984 est), $2,985 per capita; real growth, 8.8% (1984)

Government leaders

CHIANG Ching-kuo, President (since March 1978); YU Kuo-hua, Premier (since June 1984)

Highways

85,237 km total; 12,243 km paved, 28,090 km crushed stone, gravel, stabilized soil: 23,097 km improved earth; 21,807 km unimproved earth

network totals 18,800 km (15,800 km are bitumous or concrete surface); 2,500 km are crushed stone or gravel surface; and 500 km are graded earth

Imports

$21.6 billion (c.i.f., 1984 est.); 25% machinery and equipment, 17.7% crude oil, 1 1.9% chemical and chemical products, 6.7% basic metals, 6.3% foodstuffs

Inland waterways

Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication

Labor force

7,266,000(1983); 19% agriculture, 40% industry and commerce, 30% services, 7% civil administration; 1.6% unemployment (1983)

Language

Mandarin Chinese (official); Taiwanese and Hakka dialects also used

Legal system

based on civil law system; constitution adopted 1946, though 1948 amendments set most of the constitution aside; martial law declared in 1949 still in effect; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 nm (fishing 12 nm)

Literacy

about 89.7%

Major industries

textiles, clothing, chemicals, electronics, food processing, plywood, sugar milling, cement, shipbuilding

Major trade partners

exports — 49% US, 10% Japan; imports— 29% Japan, 23% US, 8.6% Saudi Arabia (1983)

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, INTERPOL, IWC— International Wheat Council, PCA; suspended from IAEA in 1972 but still allows IAEA controls over extensive atomic development Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1984, $377 million; 13.7% of central government budget See refionilmip VIII Land 32,260 km2 (Taiwan and Pescadores); the size of Maryland and Delaware combined; 55% forest, 24% cultivated, 6% pasture, 5% other (urban, industrial, waste, or water) Water

announced expenditures for national defense for fiscal year ending 30 June 1985, $3.8 billion; about 39.4% of central government budget; however, total military expenditures may be closer to $4.46 billion or about 50% of the central government budget West Bank and Caza Strip Boundary repfeSf not necessarily aulh

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,859,000; 1,142,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 5,235,000; 4,115,000 fit for military service; about 212,000 currently reach military age (19) annually

Monetary conversion rate

NT (New Taiwan) $39.7=US$1 (October 1984)

National holiday

10 October

Nationality

noun — Chinese (sing., pi.); adjective— Chinese

Official name

Taiwan

Organized labor

about 15% of 1978 labor force (government controlled) Government

Other political or pressure groups

loose coalition of oppositionist/independent politicians has emerged in the past six years

Pipelines

8 km refined products

615 km refined products, 97 km natural gas

Political subdivisions

16 counties, 5 cities, 2 special municipalities (Taipei and Kaohsiung)

Population

19,358,000, excluding the population of Quemoy and Matsu Islands and foreigners (July 1985), average annual growth rate 1.5%

Ports

5 major (Kaohsiung, Keelung, Hualien, Suao, and Taichung), 4 minor (Tanshui, Tainan, Tapeng, and Makung)

Railroads

3,394 km 1.067-meter gauge; 42 km double track; 12% of railroad is electrified

about 1,075 km common carrier lines and over 3,800 km industrial lines; common carrier lines consist of the 1.067meter gauge 708 km West Line and the 367 km East Line; a 98.25 km South Link Line connection is under construction; 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

Religion

93% mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist; 4.5% Christian; 2.5% other

Suffrage

universal over age 20

Telecommunications

system was one of the best in Africa but now suffers from poor maintenance; consists of radio-relay links, open-wire lines, and radio communication stations; principal center Harare, secondary center Bulawayo; 236,500 telephones (3. 1 per 100 popl.); 8 AM, 15 FM, 8 TV stations; satellite station under construction Defense Forces

very good international and domestic service; 3.6 million telephones; about 100 radio broadcast stations with 270 AM and 12 FM transmitters; 12 TV stations and 6 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, Guam, Singapore, and Hong Kong Defense Forces

Type

one-party presidential regime

Voting strength

(1983 Legislative Yuan elections) 62 seats Kuomintang, 1 9 seats independents; 1981 local elections, with 63% turnout of eligible voters, Kuomintang received 71% of the popular vote, nonKuomintang 29%