Compare Taiwan (2004) - Montserrat (2007)

Compare Taiwan (2004) z Montserrat (2007)

	Taiwan (2004)	Montserrat (2007)

Administrative divisions	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	3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter
Age structure	0-14 years: 19.9% (male 2,359,467; female 2,167,438) 15-64 years: 70.7% (male 8,149,231; female 7,924,774) 65 years and over: 9.4% (male 1,091,473; female 1,057,455) (2004 est.)	0-14 years: 23.5% (male 1,144/female 1,094) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,989/female 3,281) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 527/female 503) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk, fish	cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products
Airports	40 (2003 est.)	2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	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.)	total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy	total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined	about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	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.	English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.
Birth rate	12.7 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	17.51 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $56.58 billion expenditures: $69.21 billion, including capital expenditures of $14.4 billion (2003 est.)	revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.)
Capital	Taipei	name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat
Climate	tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year	tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	1,566.3 km	40 km
Constitution	25 December 1946, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2000	effective 19 December 1989
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: none conventional short form: Montserrat
Currency	new Taiwan dollar (TWD)	-
Death rate	6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$53.44 billion (2003)	$8.9 million (1997)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK
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 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	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 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 asserted claims to the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) with increased media coverage and protest actions	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)
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. 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 32% in 1952. While Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia, China has become the largest destination for investment and 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. Growing economic ties with China are a dominant long-term factor. Exports to China - mainly parts and equipment for the assembly of goods for export to developed countries - drove Taiwan's economic recovery in 2002. Although the SARS epidemic, Typhoon Maemi, corporate scandals, and a drop in consumer spending caused GDP growth to contract to 3.2% in 2003, increasingly strong export performance kept Taiwan's economy on track, and the government expects Taiwan's economy to grow 4.1% in 2004.	Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.
Electricity - consumption	140.5 billion kWh (2001)	18.6 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	151.1 billion kWh (2001)	20 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)
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	land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
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%	black, white
Exchange rates	new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 34.418 (2003), 34.575 (2002), 33.8 (2001), 33.09 (2000), 31.6 (1999)	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002) note: fixed rate since 1976
Executive branch	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) YEH Chu-lan (since 20 May 2004) 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%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter A. WATERWORTH (since 27 July 2007) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister
Exports	NA (2001)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)	electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle
Exports - partners	China 25.3%, US 20.5%, Japan 9.2% (2002)	US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006)
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross
GDP	purchasing power parity - $528.6 billion (2003 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 30.3% services: 67.9% (2003)	agriculture: 1.2% industry: 23.1% services: 75.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $23,400 (2003 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	3.2% (2003 est.)	-1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	23 30 N, 121 00 E	16 45 N, 62 12 W
Geography - note	strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait	the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
Heliports	3 (2003 est.)	-
Highways	total: 35,931 km paved: 31,583 km (including 608 km of expressways) unpaved: 4,348 km (2000)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
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	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	NA (2001)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002)	machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials
Imports - partners	Japan 24.2%, US 16.1%, China 7.1%, South Korea 6.9% (2002)	US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006)
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	8.4% (2003)	NA%
Industries	electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing	tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
Infant mortality rate	total: 6.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)	total: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-0.3% (2003 est.)	2.6% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IOC, WCL, WTO	Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA
Judicial branch	Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)
Labor force	10.08 million (2003)	4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 7.5%, industry 35%, services 57% (2001 est.)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005)
Languages	Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects	English
Legal system	based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	English common law and statutory law
Legislative branch	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: the number of seats in the legislature may be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with the election in 2007 if a proposed constitutional amendment is approved elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007) according to proposed constitutional amendment 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	unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 77.06 years male: 74.31 years female: 80.08 years (2004 est.)	total population: 79 years male: 76.8 years female: 81.31 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% (2003)	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 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	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,417,768 GRT/5,617,318 DWT by type: bulk 36, cargo 23, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 3, container 37, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: Cuba 1, Hong Kong 4 registered in other countries: 457 (2004 est.)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command	no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$7,611.7 million (2003)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.7% (2003)	-
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 6,556,484 (2004 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 4,992,737 (2004 est.)	-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 182,677 (2004 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality	noun: Chinese/Taiwanese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese/Taiwanese	noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian
Natural hazards	earthquakes and typhoons	severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Natural resources	small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos	NEGL
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [SU Tseng-chang, chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan, 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	Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]
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	NA
Population	22,749,838 (July 2004 est.)	9,538 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	1% (2000 est.)	NA%
Population growth rate	0.64% (2004 est.)	1.048% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	total: 2,544 km narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 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 (2003)	-
Religions	mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%	Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Sex ratio	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: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.046 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.048 male(s)/female total population: 0.955 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	20 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	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)	general assessment: modern and fully digitalized domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664
Telephones - main lines in use	13.355 million (2003)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	25,089,600 (2003)	NA
Television broadcast stations	29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west	volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Total fertility rate	1.57 children born/woman (2004 est.)	1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	5% (2003 est.)	6% (1998 est.)

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