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Official Name: Known as the Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, or commonly known as Taiwan. The abbreviation for the country is (ROC). Due to the political issues surrounding the recognition of Taiwan as an independent nation, the official name of Taiwan is subject to debate.
Capital: Taipei is the capital of Taiwan.
Location: Taiwan is an island located in East Asia, with other smaller islands also making up the rest. The country is surrounded by 4 main bodies of water, the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The main island is directly north of the Philippines and off the southeastern coast of China.
Size: Taiwan covers approximately 35,980 square kilometers. This land area is comparable to that of the US State of Maryland and ranks 145th worldwide.
Climate: The climate of Taiwan is generally tropical. The rainy season typically occurs during the southwest monsoon period, which extends from June to August. Cloudy conditions are typical and generally occur year round. The average temperatures for Taiwan are similar to other countries in the region, like Hong Kong. Summer temperatures can rise into the 30s Celsius and close to freezing during the winter months. Taiwan is subject to typhoons and other tropical storms that typically make their way north past the island. Other natural threats include earthquakes, which occur regularly.
Population: The population of Taiwan is currently 22.97 million people, which ranks 50th worldwide.
Life expectancy at birth: Life expectancy at birth for the total population in Taiwan is 77.96 years of age, with this figure ranking 52nd in the world. There is a considerable difference in life expectancies between males and females, with females averaging 81.05 years in comparison to the male average of 75.12 years, a total difference of approximately 6 years.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Taiwan is very low, with about 11,000 people living with the disease. This means that the percentage of the population infected is so low that in terms of statistics the figure is not applicable or significant.
Major illnesses: There have pandemics that have affected Taiwan in recent years including Avian Flu and most recently the H1N1 influenza (swine flu). Dengue fever is also prevalent in the Southern region of the Island, and care should be taken to avoid this illness.
Ethnic Groups: Taiwan is made up of a handful of distinct ethnic groups. Of these, the largest and most prevalent is the Hakka or Taiwanese ethnicity which totals 84% of the population. Another 14% is made up of mainland Chinese people, the majority of which arrived with the Nationalists after the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The final 2% is composed of the original indigenous inhabitants of Taiwan, or Taiwanese aborigines, with groups represented in this category including the Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun and Rukai to name a few.
Languages: The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese. Taiwan Min Nan is also spoken by the majority of inhabitants, and this language is a variant of Min Nan which is spoken in the Fujian province of China.
Religion: Taiwan’s religious practices consist primarily of a mixture of Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. About 93% of the population adheres to this mixture. A small number of people practice Christianity in the country, about 4.5%, and this percentage consists of Protestants, Catholic, and others. The remaining 2.5% comprise other religions such as Islam. It is important to note that Taiwanese aborigines are largely Christian, with about 65% practicing the faith.
Government: Taiwan is a multiparty democracy, and is based on a constitution that was drawn up for all of China in 1946. For many years this government was recognized as the national government of China until the United Nations awarded the China seat to the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legitimate government in 1971. Taiwan continues to struggle with being recognized as an independent entity of mainland China, and this debate over sovereignty will continue well into the future.
Head of State: The Head of State is President Ma Ying-jeou (since May 2008).
Head of Government: Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (since May 2008).
Military: The Taiwanese Armed Forces, known once as the National Revolutionary Army, consists of 290,000 active personnel which ranks 16th globally. Conscription is compulsory for males aged 19-35 for one year, while women are allowed to enlist. As of 2006 Taiwan was spending 2.2% of its GDP, or around 16% of the central budget on military expenditures, placing it 75th in the world for this figure.
Economy: Taiwan is a free and dynamic capitalist country with a government that is continually lowering its regulations, allowing for direct investment and international trade. This has led to the privatization of large state run banks and companies. The catalyst for such growth has been a strong export driven economy, which has allowed for a real growth of GDP of about 8% for the last 3 decades. With a large trade surplus and foreign reserves that rank 5th globally, Taiwan continues to grow at an impressive rate. It is one of the world’s main manufacturers of electronics and technology, which has made the words “Made in Taiwan” a well known statement for the production of these types of products worldwide.
GDP: Taiwan’s GDP in terms of purchasing power parity was as of 2008, US$738.8 billion, which places it in the top 20 largest economies in the world. The official GDP exchange rate is US$4001.6 billion.
Taiwan is already one of the most formidable economic powers in Asia and it will continue to experience sustained growth and advancement well into the 21st century.
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