Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/231.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 13.2 KB | 404 lines

@node Geography (Taiwan)
@section Geography (Taiwan)

@display

Location:
  East Asia, off the southeastern coast of China, between Japan and the
  Philippines
Map references:
  Asia, Oceania, Southeast Asia
Area:
 total area:
  35,980 km2
 land area:
  32,260 km2
 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 km2
Environment:
  subject to earthquakes and typhoons



@end display

@node People (Taiwan)
@section People (Taiwan)

@display

Population:
  21,091,663 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.88 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  5.54 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  75.04 years
 male:
  71.84 years
 female:
  78.39 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.81 children born/woman (1993 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:
  Madarin 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)



@end display

@node Government (Taiwan)
@section Government (Taiwan)

@display

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
Constitution:
  25 December 1947, presently undergoing revision
Legal system:
  based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
National holiday:
  National Day, 10 October (1911) (Anniversary of the Revolution)
Political parties and leaders:
  Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic
  Progressive Party (DPP); China Social Democratic Party (CSDP); 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



@end display

@node Government (Taiwan 2. usage)
@section Government (Taiwan 2. usage)

@display

Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal
Elections:
 President:
  last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - President
  LI Teng-hui was reelected by the National Assembly
 Vice President:
  last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - LI
  Yuan-zu was elected by the National Assembly
 Legislative Yuan:
  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:
  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)
Executive branch:
  president, vice president, premier of the Executive Yuan, vice premier of
  the Executive Yuan, Executive Yuan
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Legislative Yuan and unicameral National Assembly
Judicial branch:
  Judicial Yuan
Leaders:
 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)
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, ICC, ICFTU, IOC
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, Hsiu 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



@end display

@node Economy (Taiwan)
@section Economy (Taiwan)

@display

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 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. Taiwan has become a major investor in China, Thailand,
  Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The tightening of labor markets
  has led to an influx of foreign workers, both legal and illegal.
National product:
  GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $209 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  6.7% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $10,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.4% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  1.6% (1992 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $30.3 billion; expenditures $30.1 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
Exports:
  $82.4 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  electrical machinery 18.5%, textiles 14.7%, general machinery and equipment
  17.7%, footwear 4.5%, foodstuffs 1.1%, plywood and wood products 1.1% (1992
  est.)
 partners:
  US 29.1%, Hong Kong 18.7%, EC countries 17.1% (1992 est.)
Imports:
  $72.1 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  machinery and equipment 15.8%, chemicals 10.0%, crude oil 4.2%, foodstuffs
  2.1% (1992 est.)
 partners:
  Japan 30.3%, US 21.9%, EC countries 17.1% (1992 est.)
External debt:
  $620 million (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 6.5% (1992 est.); accounts for more than 40% of GDP
Electricity:
  18,382,000 kW capacity; 98,500 million kWh produced, 4,718 kWh per capita
  (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



@end display

@node Economy (Taiwan 2. usage)
@section Economy (Taiwan 2. usage)

@display

Economic aid:
  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 - 25.125 (1992 est.), 25.748 (1991), 27.108
  (1990), 26.407 (1989) 28.589 (1988), 31.845 (1987)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June



@end display

@node Communications (Taiwan)
@section Communications (Taiwan)

@display

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:
  20,041 km total; 17,095 km bituminous or concrete pavement, 2,371 km crushed
  stone or gravel, 575 km graded earth
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 615 km, natural gas 97 km
Ports:
  Kao-hsiung, Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Su-ao, T'ai-tung
Merchant marine:
  223 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,761,609 GRT/9,375,677 DWT; includes
  1 passenger-cargo, 43 cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 85 container, 19 oil
  tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 57 bulk, 1
  roll-on/roll-off, 2 combination bulk, 1 chemical tanker
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), the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia,
  Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Taiwan)
@section Defense Forces (Taiwan)

@display

Branches:
  General Staff, Ministry of National Defense, Army, Navy (including Marines),
  Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command,
  Military Police Command
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 6,095,857; fit for military service 4,731,172 (1993 est.);
  about 184,740 currently reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $10.9 billion, 5.4% of GNP (FY93/94 est.)



@end display