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Compare Burundi (2007) - Taiwan (2005)

Compare Burundi (2007) z Taiwan (2005)

 Burundi (2007)Taiwan (2005)
 BurundiTaiwan
Administrative divisions 17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rurale, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands near central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural)

counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung county, Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei county, T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin

municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan

special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city


note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization; special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization for street and place names within city boundaries, other local authorities have selected a variety of romanization systems
Age structure 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 1,951,879/female 1,930,371)


15-64 years: 51.2% (male 2,131,759/female 2,162,093)


65 years and over: 2.6% (male 85,522/female 128,881) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 19.7% (male 2,349,077/female 2,156,755)


15-64 years: 70.7% (male 8,205,933/female 7,980,056)


65 years and over: 9.6% (male 1,107,708/female 1,094,855) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Airports 8 (2007) 40 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
total: 37


over 3,047 m: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 12


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
total: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area total: 27,830 sq km


land: 25,650 sq km


water: 2,180 sq km
total: 35,980 sq km


land: 32,260 sq km


water: 3,720 sq km


note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Background Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many challenges. In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform.
Birth rate 41.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 12.64 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $214.1 million


expenditures: $306.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
revenues: $67.41 billion


expenditures: $76.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $14.4 billion (2004 est.)
Capital name: Bujumbura


geographic coordinates: 3 22 S, 29 21 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Taipei
Climate equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January) tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 1,566.3 km
Constitution 28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum 25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2000
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Burundi


conventional short form: Burundi


local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi


local short form: Burundi


former: Urundi
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Taiwan


local long form: none


local short form: T'ai-wan


former: Formosa
Death rate 13.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.38 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (2003) $55.5 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia Newton MOLLER


embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura


mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura


telephone: [257] 223454


FAX: [257] 222926
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Celestin NIYONGABO


chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574


FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12 other US cities
Disputes - international conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces have abated somewhat in the Great Lakes region; UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) completed its mandate in December 2006 after a three-year peace-keeping mission involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Economic aid - recipient $365 million (2005) -
Economy - overview Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Burundi grew about 5 percent in 2006. Delayed disbursements of funds from the World Bank may add to budget pressures in 2007. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors. Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952. Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market. Because of its conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial strengths, Taiwan suffered little compared with many of its neighbors from the Asian financial crisis in 1998. The global economic downturn, combined with problems in policy coordination by the administration and bad debts in the banking system, pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001, the first year of negative growth ever recorded. Unemployment also reached record levels. Output recovered moderately in 2002 in the face of continued global slowdown, fragile consumer confidence, and bad bank loans; and the essentially vibrant economy pushed ahead in 2003-04. Growing economic ties with China are a dominant long-term factor, e.g., exports to China of parts and equipment for the assembly of goods for export to developed countries.
Electricity - consumption 161.4 million kWh (2005) 147.4 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 34 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 137 million kWh (2005) 158.5 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m


highest point: Heha 2,670 m
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status
Ethnic groups Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000 Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Exchange rates Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,030 (2006), 1,138 (2005), 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003), 930.75 (2002) new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 33.422 (2004), 34.418 (2003), 34.575 (2002), 33.8 (2001), 33.09 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007)


head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president


elections: the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament


election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the parliament by a vote of 151 to 9; note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the legislature
chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)


head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) Frank HSIEH (since 1 February 2005) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) - WU Rong-i) (since 18 February 2005)


cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier


election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%
Exports NA bbl/day NA
Exports - commodities coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)
Exports - partners Switzerland 33.7%, UK 12.2%, Pakistan 8.5%, Rwanda 5.3%, Egypt 4.2% (2006) China, including Hong Kong 37%, US 16%, Japan 7.7% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)
Flag description divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below) red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 44.9%


industry: 20.9%


services: 34.1% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 1.7%


industry: 30.9%


services: 67.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $25,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.1% (2006 est.) 6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 3 30 S, 30 00 E 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
Heliports 1 (2007) 3 (2004 est.)
Highways - total: 37,299 km


paved: 35,621 km (including 608 km of expressways)


unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.7%


highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)
lowest 10%: 6.7%


highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Illicit drugs - regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem
Imports NA bbl/day NA
Imports - commodities capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002)
Imports - partners Saudi Arabia 12.6%, Kenya 8.2%, Japan 7.8%, Russia 4.7%, UK 4.6%, France 4.4%, China 4.4% (2006) Japan 26%, US 13%, China, including Hong Kong 11%, South Korea 6.9% (2004)
Independence 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration) -
Industrial production growth rate 18% (2001) 12.2% (2004 est.)
Industries light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Infant mortality rate total: 61.93 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 68.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 54.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2006 est.) 1.7% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IOC, WCL, WTO
Irrigated land 210 sq km (2003) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal (there are three in separate locations); Tribunals of First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small local tribunals) Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Labor force 2.99 million (2002) 10.22 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 93.6%


industry: 2.3%


services: 4.1% (2002 est.)
agriculture 8%, industry 35%, services 57% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 974 km


border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 35.57%


permanent crops: 13.12%


other: 51.31% (2005)
arable land: 24%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 75% (2001)
Languages Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area) Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Legal system based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats, 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; 34 members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state)


elections: National Assembly - last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); Senate - last held 29 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59, FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30, FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1
unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 8 elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes received by participating political parties, 8 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and unicameral National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional representation six to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution, impeach president, or change national borders)


note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by the National Assembly on 7 June 2005, the number of seats in the legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with the election in 2007; the amendments also eliminate the National Assembly, thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature


elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005


election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%; seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7, independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP 42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP 127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 51.29 years


male: 50.48 years


female: 52.12 years (2007 est.)
total population: 77.26 years


male: 74.49 years


female: 80.28 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 59.3%


male: 67.3%


female: 52.2% (2000 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.1% (2003)
Location Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine - total: 126 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,417,768 GRT/5,617,318 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 23, chemical tanker 2, container 37, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)


registered in other countries: 432 (2005)
Military branches National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing) (2006) Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $7.574 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 5.9% (2006 est.) 2.6% (2004)
National holiday Independence Day, 1 July (1962) Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Nationality noun: Burundian(s)


adjective: Burundian
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)


note: example: he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan


adjective: Taiwan
Natural hazards flooding, landslides, drought earthquakes and typhoons
Natural resources nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Net migration rate 7.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders governing parties: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce NGENDAKUMANA]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Jeremie NGENDAKUMANA]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Aloys RUBUKA]


note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [SU Tseng-chang, chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou, chairman]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu), chairman]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang, chairman]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or CNP
Political pressure groups and leaders none Taiwan independence movement, various business and 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 opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals 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
Population 8,390,505


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
22,894,384 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 68% (2002 est.) 1% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate 3.593% (2007 est.) 0.63% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
Railways - total: 2,497 km


narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified)


note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2004)
Religions Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10% mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.011 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.986 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.664 male(s)/female


total population: 0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage NA years of age; universal (adult) 20 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: primitive system; telephone density one of the lowest in the world; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing but remains at a meager 2 per 100 persons


domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay


international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need


domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized


international: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 31,100 (2005) 13.355 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 153,000 (2005) 25,089,600 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Terrain hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Total fertility rate 6.48 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 4.5% (2004 est.)
Waterways mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2005) -
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