PROFILE

NAME: Taiwan

Geography
Area: 35,967 sq. km. (13,887 sq. mi.).
Cities (2006): Capital--Taipei (pop. 2.6 million). Other cities--(Kaohsiung 1.5 million), Taichung (1.0 million).
Terrain: Two thirds of the island is largely mountainous with 100 peaks over 3,000 meters (9,843 ft.).
Climate: Maritime subtropical.

People
Population (Dec. 2006 est.) 22.9 million.
Annual growth rate (2006): 0.47%.
Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese, Hakka.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance (2006)--99.4%. Literacy (2005)--97.3 %.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2006 est.)--0.63%. Life expectancy (2006) male 74.57 yrs.; female 80.81 yrs.
Work force (2006):10.6 million.

Political Establishment
Type: Multi-party democracy. There are four major parties forming two alliances known as Pan-Blue and Pan-Green. The Pan-Blue includes the Kuomintang (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP). The Pan-Green includes the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU). The Pan-Blue coalition holds a slight majority of seats in the Legislative Yuan (LY).
Constitution: December 25, 1946; last amended 2005.
Branches (Yuan): Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Control, Examination.
Major political parties: Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); Kuomintang (KMT or Nationalist Party); People First Party (PFP); Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
Suffrage: Universal over 20 years of age.
Central budget proposed (FY 2007): $50.8 billion.
Defense proposed (2007): 18.7 % of entire budget.

Economy
GNP (2006): $366 billion.
Real annual growth rate (2006): 4.6%.
Per capita GNP (2006): $16,098.
Unemployment (2006) 3.9%.
Natural resources: Small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble and asbestos.
Agriculture (1.6% of GDP): Major products--pork, rice, fruit and vegetables, sugarcane, poultry, shrimp, eel.
Services: (73.4% of GDP). Industry (25.0% of GDP): Types--electronics and computer products, chemicals and petrochemicals, basic metals, machinery, textiles, transport equipment, plastics, machinery.
Trade (2006): Exports--$224 billion: electronics, optical & precision instruments, information and communications products, textile products, basic metals, plastic and rubber products. Major markets--U.S. $32 billion, P.R.C. and Hong Kong $89 billion, Japan $16 billion. Imports--$203 billion: electronics, optical & precision instruments, information & communications products, machinery & electrical products, chemicals, basic metals, transport equipment, crude oil. Major suppliers--Japan $46 billion, P.R.C. $27 billion, U.S. $23 billion.