Compare Greece (2003) - Taiwan (2008)

Compare Greece (2003) z Taiwan (2008)

	Greece (2003)	Taiwan (2008)

Administrative divisions	51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos)and 1 autonomous region; Agion Oros (Mt. Athos), Achaia, Aitolia kai Akarmania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos	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 a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government Information Office in Taipei. counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung [county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]
Age structure	0-14 years: 14.7% (male 811,080; female 761,728) 15-64 years: 67% (male 3,578,320; female 3,557,800) 65 years and over: 18.3% (male 866,425; female 1,090,636) (2003 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	wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products	rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Airports	79 (note - new Athens airport at Spata opened in March 2001) (2002)	41 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 66 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 9 (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: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 10 (2002)	total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area	total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 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 Alabama	slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Background	Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of Communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. Democratic elections in 1974 and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy; Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992).	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	9.79 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	8.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $45 billion expenditures: $47.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)	revenues: $49 billion expenditures: $5.19 billion (2007 est.)
Capital	Athens	name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers	tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Coastline	13,676 km	1,566.3 km
Constitution	11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001	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: Hellenic Republic conventional short form: Greece local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia local short form: Ellas or Ellada former: Kingdom of Greece	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa
Currency	euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries	-
Death rate	9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$63.4 billion (2002 est.)	$85.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas J. MILLER embassy: 91 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 101 60 Athens mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108 telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951 FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282 consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki	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	chief of mission: Ambassador Yeoryious SAVVAIDES chancery: 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300 FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans	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	Greece and Turkey have resumed discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over its name	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	$5.4 billion from EU	-
Economy - overview	Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for half of GDP and with per capita GDP 70% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in menial jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of GDP. The economy has improved steadily with economic growth averaging 4% since 1997, exceeding EU growth by more than 1 percentage point. Remaining challenges include the reduction of the public debt, inflation, and unemployment; and further restructuring of the economy, including privatizing several state enterprises, undertaking pension and other reforms, and minimizing bureaucratic inefficiencies. The Olympic Games will be held in Athens in mid-2004.	Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by the authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the world's largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and 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 2007 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate above 5%, and unemployment is below 4%.
Electricity - consumption	48.8 billion kWh (2001)	221 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports	1.062 billion kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports	3.562 billion kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2007)
Electricity - production	49.79 billion kWh (2001)	235 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 94.5% hydro: 3.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution; water pollution	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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	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	Greek 98%, other 2% note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece	Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%
Exchange rates	euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 365.4 (2000), 305.65 (1999), 295.53 (1998) note: in January 2001, the drachma became a participating currency within the Eurosystem, and the euro market rate became applicable to all transactions	New Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 32.84 (2007), 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Konstandinos (Kostis) STEPHANOPOULOS (since 10 March 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos SIMITIS (since 19 January 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 8 February 2000 (next to be held by NA February 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Konstandinos STEPHANOPOULOS reelected president; percent of Parliament vote - 90%	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 22 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	84,720 bbl/day (2001)	289,200 bbl/day (2006)
Exports - commodities	food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles	electronic and electrical products, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals, auto parts (2002)
Exports - partners	Germany 10.4%, Italy 8.5%, UK 6.3%, Bulgaria 5.4%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 4.7% (2002)	China 24%, Hong Kong 15%, US 13.4%, Japan 6.7% (2007)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country	red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
GDP	purchasing power parity - $203.3 billion (2002 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 8.1% industry: 22.3% services: 69.3% (2002 est.)	agriculture: 1.6% industry: 26.8% services: 71.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $19,100 (2002 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	4% (2002 est.)	5.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates	39 00 N, 22 00 E	23 30 N, 121 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands	strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
Heliports	7 (2002)	4 (2007)
Highways	total: 117,000 km paved: 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,594 km (1999 est.)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.3% (1993 est.)	lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Illicit drugs	a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime	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	468,300 bbl/day (2001)	1.208 million bbl/day (2006)
Imports - commodities	machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals	electronic and electrical products, machinery, petroleum, precision instruments, organic chemicals, metals (2002)
Imports - partners	Germany 12.2%, Italy 11.5%, Russia 7.4%, South Korea 6%, France 5.7%, Netherlands 5.6%, US 4.7%, Belgium 4.3%, UK 4.1% (2002)	Japan 21%, China 12.7%, US 12.2%, South Korea 7.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.6% (2007)
Independence	1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)	-
Industrial production growth rate	7% (2000 est.)	7.5% (2007 est.)
Industries	tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum	electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Infant mortality rate	total: 6.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 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)	3.6% (2002 est.)	1.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation	Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC	ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	27 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	14,220 sq km (1998 est.)	NA
Judicial branch	Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council	Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Labor force	4.37 million (2002 est.)	10.78 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	industry 20%, agriculture 20%, services 59% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 5.3% industry: 36.8% services: 57.9% (2007 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 1,228 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 246 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 22.12% permanent crops: 8.47% other: 69.41% (1998 est.)	arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001)
Languages	Greek 99% (official), English, French	Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Legal system	based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts	based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: elections last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held by NA May 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - PASOK 43.8%, ND 42.7%, KKE 5.5%, Coalition of the Left and Progress 3.2%; seats by party - PASOK 158, ND 125, KKE 11, Coalition of the Left and Progress 6; note - seats by party as of January 2002 - PASOK 156, ND 122, KKE 11, Coalition of the Left and Progress 6, independents 5	unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for at-large seats elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2012) election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%; seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.89 years male: 76.32 years female: 81.65 years (2003 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: 97.5% male: 98.6% female: 96.5% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA% female: NA% (2003)
Location	Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey	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	Europe	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 6 NM	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 813 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,173,608 GRT/51,184,723 DWT ships by type: bulk 289, cargo 59, chemical tanker 32, combination bulk 6, combination ore/oil 4, container 47, liquefied gas 7, passenger 14, petroleum tanker 281, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 18, short-sea passenger 49, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Ireland 1, Japan 1, Liberia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, United Kingdom 1 (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 branches	Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, Police, National Guard	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	$6.12 billion (FY99/00 est.)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	4.91% (FY99/00 est.)	2.2% (2006; to increase to 2.85% in 2007)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 2,662,208 (2003 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 2,026,409 (2003 est.)	-
Military manpower - military age	21 years of age (2003 est.)	-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 74,650 (2003 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 25 March (1821)	Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Nationality	noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek	noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan
Natural hazards	severe earthquakes	earthquakes and typhoons
Natural resources	bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower potential	small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Net migration rate	1.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	gas 1,531 km; oil 108 km (2003)	condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders	Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Nikolaos KONSTANTOPOULOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Konstandinos SIMITIS]	Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Frank HSIEH or HSIEH Chang-ting] (acting); Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]
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	10,665,989 (July 2003 est.)	22,858,872 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	0.95% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate	0.19% (2003 est.)	0.304% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkyra, Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)	AM 140, FM 229, shortwave 49
Railways	total: 2,571 km (764 km electrified) standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2002)	total: 1,588 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,093 km 1.067-m gauge note: 150 km .762-m gauge (belonging primarily to Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities) (2007)
Religions	Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%	mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 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	18 years of age; universal and compulsory	20 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands international: tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)	general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; 2 satellite earth stations
Telephones - main lines in use	5.431 million (1997)	14.497 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	937,700 (1997)	23.249 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations	36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)	76 (46 digital and 30 analog)
Terrain	mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands	eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Total fertility rate	1.35 children born/woman (2003 est.)	1.12 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	10.3% (2002 est.)	3.9% (2007)
Waterways	80 km note: system consists of three coastal canals including the Corinth Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage from the Adriatic to Peiraiefs (Piraeus) by 325 km; there are also three unconnected rivers	-

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