Compare Taiwan (2002) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2003)

Compare Taiwan (2002) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2003)

	Taiwan (2002)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2003)

Administrative divisions	the central administrative divisions include the provinces of Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy and Matsu) and Taiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands); Taiwan is further subdivided into 16 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities** (chuan-shih, singular and plural); Chang-hua, Chia-i, Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung, Kao-hsiung, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei, T'ai-pei*, T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un note: Taiwan uses the Wade-Giles system for romanization	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 21% (male 2,464,290; female 2,268,627) 15-64 years: 70% (male 8,010,014; female 7,774,296) 65 years and over: 9% (male 1,053,975; female 976,807) (2002 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish	-
Airports	39 (2001)	1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 37 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2002)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)	-
Area	total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan, however it 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 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within its governing structure. This culminated in 2000, when Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island has prospered to become 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.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	14.21 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $36 billion expenditures: $36.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)	-
Capital	Taipei	-
Climate	tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	1,566.3 km	698 km
Constitution	1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Currency	new Taiwan dollar (TWD)	-
Death rate	6.08 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-
Debt - external	$40 billion (2000)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	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 located at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices located at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2709-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2702-7675; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, FAX: [886] (7) 223-8237; 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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does China	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain
Economy - overview	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. Real growth in GDP has averaged about 8% during the past three decades. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Agriculture contributes 2% to GDP, down from 35% in 1952. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being moved offshore and replaced with more capital- and technology-intensive industries. Taiwan has become a major investor in China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam; 50,000 Taiwanese businesses are established in China. 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 1998-99. The global economic downturn, however, combined with poor policy coordination by the new administration and increasing bad debts in the banking system, pushed Taiwan into recession in 2001, the first whole year of negative growth since 1947. Unemployment also reached a level not seen since the 1970s oil crisis.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - consumption	139.3 billion kWh (2000)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2000)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2000)	-
Electricity - production	149.78 billion kWh (2000)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 69% hydro: 6% nuclear: 25% other: 0% (2000)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal	NA
Environment - international agreements	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	Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%	-
Exchange rates	new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 34.6 (2002), 34.49 (yearend 2001),, 33.08 (yearend 2000),, 31.4 (yearend 1999),, 32.22 (1998),, 32.05 (1997),, 27.5 (1996)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: President Shui-bian CHEN (since 20 May 2000) and Vice President Annette Hsiu-lien LU (since 20 May 2000) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) Shyi-kun YU (since 1 February 2002) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) Hsin-yi LIN (since 1 February 2002) 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 18 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: Shui-bian CHEN elected president; percent of vote - Shui-bian CHEN (DPP) 39.3%, James SOONG (independent) 36.84%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 23.1%, HSU Hsin-liang (independent) 0.63%, LEE Ao (CNP) 0.13%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	$122 billion f.o.b. (2001)	-
Exports - commodities	machinery and electrical equipment 55%, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals	-
Exports - partners	US 23.5%, Hong Kong 21.1%, Europe 16%, ASEAN 12.2%, Japan 11.2% (2000)	-
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)	-
Flag description	red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP	purchasing power parity - $386 billion (2001 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 2% industry: 32% services: 66% (2000 est.)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	-2.2% (2001 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	23 30 N, 121 00 E	6 00 S, 71 30 E
Geography - note	strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Heliports	3 (2002)	-
Highways	total: 34,901 km paved: 31,271 km (including 538 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,630 km (1998 est.)	total: NA km paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Illicit drugs	regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin	-
Imports	$109 billion f.o.b. (2001)	-
Imports - commodities	machinery and electrical equipment 50%, minerals, precision instruments	-
Imports - partners	Japan 27.5%, US 17.9%, Europe 13.6%, South Korea 6.4% (2000)	-
Industrial production growth rate	-5% (2001 est.)	-
Industries	electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing	-
Infant mortality rate	6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.5% (2001 est.)	-
International organization participation	APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTrO	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	8 (2000)	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003, justices will be appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)	-
Labor force	9.8 million (2001 est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	services 56%, industry 36%, agriculture 8% (2001 est.)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75%	arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages	Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects	-
Legal system	based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of the proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote among the aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and unicameral National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional representation within three months of a Legislative Yuan call to amend the Constitution, impeach the president, or change national borders) elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 8 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2004); note - the National Assembly is a nonstanding body and is called into session election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 39%, KMT 30%, PFP 20%, TSU 6%, independents and other parties 5%; seats by party - DPP 87, KMT 68, PFP 46, TSU 13, independents and other parties 11	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.74 years male: 73.99 years female: 79.71 years (2002 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86% (1980 est.) male: 93% (1980 est.) female: 79% (1980 est.) note: literacy for the total population has reportedly increased to 94% (1998 est.)	-
Location	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	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Southeast Asia	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine	total: 152 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,262,451 GRT/6,596,950 DWT ships by type: bulk 40, cargo 28, combination bulk 3, container 53, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Hong Kong 3, Japan 1 (2002 est.)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$8,041.2 million (FY01)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.8% (FY01)	-
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 6,575,625 (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 5,018,882 (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - military age	19 years of age (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 198,766 (2002 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)	-
Nationality	noun: Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese	-
Natural hazards	earthquakes and typhoons	NA
Natural resources	small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-
Pipelines	petroleum products 3,400 km; natural gas 1,800 km (1999)	-
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Frank Chang-ting HSIEH, chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan, chairman]; People First Party or PFP [James Chu-yu SOONG, chairman]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [Chu-wen HUANG, chairman]; other minor parties	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	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	22,548,009 (July 2002 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960's and 1970's, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	1% (2000 est.)	-
Population growth rate	0.78% (2002 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung	Diego Garcia
Radio broadcast stations	AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	16 million (1994)	-
Railways	total: 1,108 km narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified) note: in addition to the above routes in common carrier service, there are several thousand kilometers of 1.067-m gauge routes that are dedicated to industrial use (2001)	-
Religions	mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	-
Suffrage	20 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: 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)	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	12.49 million (September 2000)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	16 million (September 2000)	-
Television broadcast stations	29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.76 children born/woman (2002 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	4.5% (2001 est.)	-
Waterways	NA	none

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