1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Coastline
1,448 km
Comparative area
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Disputes
involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
Environment
subject to earthquakes and typhoons
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
none
Land use
24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 55% forest and woodland; 15% other; 14% irrigated
Natural resources
small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Terrain
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
35,980 km2; land area: 32,260 km2; includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
People and Society
Birth rate
16 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
84% Taiwanese, 14% mainland Chinese, 2% aborigine
Infant mortality rate
17 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
7,880,000; 41% industry and commerce, 32% services, 20% agriculture, 7% civil administration (1986)
Language
Mandarin Chinese (official); Taiwanese and Hakka dialects also used
Life expectancy at birth
72 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Literacy
94%
Nationality
noun--Chinese (sing., pl.); adjective--Chinese
Net migration rate
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
1,300,000 or about 18.4% (government controlled) (1983)
Population
20,546,664 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)
Religion
93% mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist; 4.5% Christian; 2.5% other
Total fertility rate
1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 6% of GNP and 20% of labor force (includes part-time farmers); heavily subsidized sector; major crops--rice, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables; livestock--hogs, poultry, beef, milk, cattle; not self-sufficient in wheat, soybeans, corn; fish catch expanding, 1.1 million metric tons in (1987)
Aid
US, including Ex-Im (FY46-82), $4.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $439 million
Budget
revenues $25.9 billion; expenditures $33.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
Currency
new Taiwan dollar (plural--dollars); 1 new Taiwan dollar (NT$) = 100 cents
Electricity
17,000,000 kW capacity; 68,000 million kWh produced, 3,360 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
new Taiwan dollars per US$1--26.3 (March 1990), 26.156 (December 1989), 28.589 (1988), 31.845 (1987), 37.838 (1986), 39.849 (1985)
Exports
$66.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--textiles 9.7%, electrical machinery 19.0%, general machinery and equipment 14%, telecommunications equipment 9%, basic metals and metal products 7.4%, foodstuffs 0.9%, plywood and wood products 1.3%; partners--US 36.2%, Japan 13.7%
External debt
$1.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GNP
$121.4 billion, per capita $6,000; real growth rate 7.2% (1989)
Imports
$52.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--machinery and equipment 15.9%, crude oil 5%, chemical and chemical products 11.1%, basic metals 7.4%, foodstuffs 2.0%; partners--Japan 31%, US 23%, Saudi Arabia 8.6%
Industrial production
growth rate 4.1% (1988)
Industries
textiles, clothing, chemicals, electronics, food processing, plywood, sugar milling, cement, shipbuilding, petroleum
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.0% (1989)
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 6% to GNP, 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.
Unemployment rate
1.7% (1989)
Communications
Airports
38 total, 37 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Highways
18,800 km total; 15,800 km bituminous or concrete, 2,500 km crushed stone or gravel, 500 km graded earth
Merchant marine
218 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,061,960 GRT/7,634,074 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 61 cargo, 13 refrigerated cargo, 71 container, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 54 bulk
Pipelines
615 km refined products, 97 km natural gas
Ports
Kao-hsiung, Chi-lung, Hua-lien, Su-ao, T'ai-tung
Railroads
about 1,075 km common carrier lines and over 3,800 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 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
Telecommunications
best developed system in Asia outside of Japan; 6,000,000 telephones; extensive microwave transmission links on east and west coasts; stations--91 AM, 23 FM, 15 TV (13 relays); 8,000,000 radio receivers; 6,000,000 TV sets (5,300,000 color, 700,000 monochrome); satellite earth stations--1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; submarine cable links to Japan (Okinawa), the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Garrison Command
Defense expenditures
6.8% of GNP, or $8.2 billion (FY90 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 5,809,354; 4,534,950 fit for military service; about 185,235 currently reach military age (19) annually
Administration
Administrative divisions
16 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural), 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, Yun-lin; note--the Wade-Giles system is used for romanization
Capital
Taipei
Constitution
25 December 1947
Diplomatic representation
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 with all addresses and telephone numbers NA; US--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 with telephone 002 886o (2) 709-2000 and in Kao-hsiung at 88 Wu Fu 3rd Road with telephone NA
Elections
President--last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996); results--President Li Teng-hui was elected by the National Assembly; Vice President--last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996); results--Li Yuan-tzu was elected by the National Assembly; Legislative Yuan--last held 2 December 1989 (next to be held December 1992); results--KMT 65%, DPP 33%, independents 2%; seats--(304 total, 102 elected) KMT 78, DPP 21, independents 3
Executive branch
president, vice president, premier of the Executive Yuan, vice premier of the Executive Yuan, Executive Yuan
Flag
red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Judicial branch
Judicial Yuan
Leaders
Chief of State--President LI Teng-hui (since 13 January 1988); Vice President LI Yuan-tzu (will take office 20 May 1990); Head of Government--Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) HAO Po-ts'un (since 2 May 1990); Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) SHIH Ch'i-yang (since NA July 1988)
Legal system
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Yuan
Long-form name
none
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 PECC, seeking to join GATT and/or MFA; attempting to retain membership in ICAC, ISO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IWC--International Wheat Council; suspended from IAEA in 1972, but still allows IAEA controls over extensive atomic development
National holiday
National Day (Anniversary of the Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Political parties and leaders
Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic Socialist Party and Young China Party controlled by Kuomintang; Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); Labor Party; 27 other minor parties
Suffrage
universal at age 20
Type
one-party presidential regime; opposition political parties legalized in March, 1989