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Compare Cuba (2002) - Taiwan (2007)

Compare Cuba (2002) z Taiwan (2007)

 Cuba (2002)Taiwan (2007)
 CubaTaiwan
Administrative divisions 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby 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)


note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while the Wade-Giles system still dominates, city of Taipei has adopted standard Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are in Wade-Giles system with Pinyin equivalents in parentheses


counties: Chang-hua (Changhua), Chia-i (Chiayi) [county], Hsin-chu (Hsinchu), Hua-lien (Hualien), I-lan (Yilan), Kao-hsiung (Kaohsiung) [county], Kin-men (Kinmen), Lien-chiang (Lienchiang, also Matsu), Miao-li (Miaoli), Nan-t'ou (Nantou), P'eng-hu (Penghu), P'ing-tung (Pingtung), T'ai-chung (Taichung), T'ai-nan (Tainan), T'ai-pei (Taipei) [county], T'ai-tung (Taitung), T'ao-yuan (Taoyuan), and Yun-lin (Yunlin)


municipalities: Chia-i (Chiayi) [city], Chi-lung (Keelung), Hsin-chu (Hsinchu), T'ai-chung (Taichung), T'ai-nan (Tainan)


special municipalities: Kao-hsiung (Kaohsiung) [city], T'ai-pei (Taipei) [city]
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.6% (male 1,188,125; female 1,125,743)


15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,902,162; female 3,880,531)


65 years and over: 10.1% (male 520,849; female 606,911) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 2,117,051/female 1,954,709)


15-64 years: 72% (male 8,306,351/female 8,141,268)


65 years and over: 10.2% (male 1,150,001/female 1,189,492) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Airports 172 (2001) 41 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 78


over 3,047 m: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 20


914 to 1,523 m: 6


under 914 m: 36 (2002)
total: 38


over 3,047 m: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 94


914 to 1,523 m: 30


under 914 m: 64 (2002)
total: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 110,860 sq km


land: 110,860 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 35,980 sq km


land: 32,260 sq km


water: 3,720 sq km


note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Background Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the country together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Havana portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or falsified visas - is a continuing problem. Some 2,600 Cubans attempted the crossing of the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard apprehended only about 35% of the individuals. 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 local 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 12.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $14.9 billion


expenditures: $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)
revenues: $73.1 billion


expenditures: $72.44 billion (2006 est.)
Capital Havana name: Taipei


geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E


time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Coastline 3,735 km 1,566.3 km
Constitution 24 February 1976, amended July 1992 25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005


note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on 25 December 1947
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Cuba


conventional short form: Cuba


local long form: Republica de Cuba


local short form: Cuba
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Taiwan


local long form: none


local short form: T'ai-wan


former: Formosa
Currency Cuban peso (CUP) -
Death rate 7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $12.3 billion (convertible currency, 2000 est.); another $15 billion -$20 billion owed to Russia (2001) (2002 est.) $91.92 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer James C. CASON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone: 33-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: 33-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland 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, Kaohsiung, 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 none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Dagoberto RODRIGUEZ Barrera (since August 2001); address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518 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), which has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC; there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities
Disputes - international US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease 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 $68.2 million (1997 est.) -
Economy - overview The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a concern for firm political control. It has undertaken limited reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase enterprise efficiency, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services, but is unlikely to implement extensive changes. A major feature of the economy is the dichotomy between relatively efficient export enclaves and inefficient domestic sectors. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the severe economic depression of the early 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. High oil prices, recessions in key export markets, and damage from Hurricane Michelle hampered growth in 2001. Cuba paid high prices for oil imports in the face of slumping prices in the key sugar and nickel industries and suffered a slowdown in tourist arrivals following September 11. The government aimed for 3% growth in 2002, but growth was held back by hurricanes, depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions, including low world sugar prices and a shortage of external financing. 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 island runs a trade surplus, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and, in 2006, its second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the island's number one destination for foreign direct investment. Strong trade performance in 2006 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate above 4%, and unemployment is below 4%. Consumer spending recovered following a slowdown early in 2006, when banks tightened lending to address a sharp increase in delinquent consumer debt.
Electricity - consumption 13.829 billion kWh (2000) 201.6 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 14.87 billion kWh (2000) 210.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 95%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 5% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Environment - current issues air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation 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: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
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 mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%
Exchange rates Cuban pesos per US dollar - 1.0000 (nonconvertible, official rate, for international transactions, pegged to the US dollar); convertible peso sold for domestic use at a rate of 1.00 US dollar per 27 pesos by the Government of Cuba (January 2002) new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly; note - there is also a Council of State whose members are elected by the National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2007)


election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%
chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000); Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)


head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) CHANG Chun-hsiung (since 21 May 2007); Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) CHIOU I-jen (since 21 May 2007)


cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier)


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); 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 50.1%, LIEN Chan 49.9%
Exports $1.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)
Exports - partners Netherlands 22.4%, Russia 13.3%, Canada 13.3%, Spain 7.3%, China 6.2% (2001) China 22.5%, Hong Kong 15.7%, US 15%, Japan 7.3% (2006 est.)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 July - 30 June
Flag description five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; design influenced by the US flag red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
GDP purchasing power parity - $25.9 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 8%


industry: 35%


services: 58%
agriculture: 1.5%


industry: 26.8%


services: 71.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 0% (2002 est.) 4.7% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 30 N, 80 00 W 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Geography - note largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
Heliports - 4 (2007)
Highways total: 60,858 km


paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)


unpaved: 31,038 km (1997)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 6.7%


highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Illicit drugs territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for cocaine and heroin bound for the US and Europe; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 regional transit point for heroin, methamphetamine, and precursor chemicals; transshipment point for drugs to Japan; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs
Imports $4.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002)
Imports - partners Spain 12.7%, France 6.5%, Canada 5.7%, China 5.3%, Italy 5.0% (2001) Japan 23%, China 11.9%, US 10.9%, South Korea 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.9% (2006 est.)
Independence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) -
Industrial production growth rate 0.2% (2001 est.) 6.5% (2006 est.)
Industries sugar, petroleum, tobacco, chemicals, construction, services, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, biotechnology electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Infant mortality rate 7.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 5.54 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.1% (2002 est.) 0.6% (2006 est.)
International organization participation CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICRM, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WHO (observer), WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 5 (2001) -
Irrigated land 870 sq km (1998 est.) NA
Judicial branch People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Labor force 4.3 million


note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (1999) (2000 est.)
10.52 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 24%, industry 25%, services 51% (1999) (1999) agriculture: 5.5%


industry: 36%


services: 58.5% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 29 km


border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km


note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba
0 km
Land use arable land: 33.04%


permanent crops: 7.61%


other: 59.35% (1998 est.)
arable land: 24%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 75% (2001)
Languages Spanish Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Legal system based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008)


election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609
unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats; 168 members 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 islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 8 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve three-year terms)


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


elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007)


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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.6 years


male: 74.2 years


female: 79.15 years (2002 est.)
total population: 77.56 years


male: 74.65 years


female: 80.74 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 95.7%


male: 96.2%


female: 95.3% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.1%


male: NA%


female: NA% (2003)
Location Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida 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 Central America and the Caribbean Southeast Asia
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,187 GRT/63,416 DWT


ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 6, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 (2002 est.)
total: 102 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,537,256 GRT/4,203,423 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 20, chemical tanker 2, container 21, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: 4 (Canada 3, France 1)


registered in other countries: 489 (Bahamas 1, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 1, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Italy 11, Liberia 82, Panama 306, Singapore 60, Thailand 1, UK 11, unknown 3) (2007)
Military - note Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993 -
Military branches Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) including Ground Forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), and Youth Labor Army (EJT); note - the Border Guard Troops (TGF) are controlled by the Interior Ministry 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 $NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP roughly 4% (FY95 est.) 2.2% (2006; to increase to 2.85% in 2007)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 3,102,312


females age 15-49: 3,036,549 (2002 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,915,586


females age 15-49: 1,869,867 (2002 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 17 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 86,632


females: 79,562 (2002 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Nationality noun: Cuban(s)


adjective: Cuban
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)


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


adjective: Taiwan
Natural hazards the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common earthquakes and typhoons
Natural resources cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Net migration rate -1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
People - note illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; some 3,000 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 25% of these migrants; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US; some 2,400 Cubans arrived overland via the southwest border and direct flights to Miami in 2000 -
Pipelines - condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [CHEN Shui-bian]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [HUANG Kun-hui]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or NP
Political pressure groups and leaders NA 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 the island currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future; 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 11,224,321 (July 2002 est.) 22,858,872 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 0.9% (2006 est.)
Population growth rate 0.35% (2002 est.) 0.304% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba -
Radio broadcast stations AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
Radios 3.9 million (1997) -
Railways total: 4,807 km


standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435-m gauge, in public use (147 km electrified)


note: in addition to the 4,807 km of standard-gauge track in public use, 7,162 km of track is in private use by sugar plantations; about 90% of the private use track is standard gauge and the rest is narrow gauge (2000 est.)
total: 2,502 km


narrow gauge: 1,102 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 carry products and limited numbers of passengers (2006)
Religions nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.083 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.967 male(s)/female


total population: 1.026 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 16 years of age; universal 20 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other newer, built during the period of Soviet support); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
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 473,031 (2000) 14.497 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2,994 (1997) 23.249 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 58 (1997) 29 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Total fertility rate 1.6 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.12 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 4.1% (2001 est.) 3.9% (2006 est.)
Waterways 240 km -
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