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Compare Taiwan (2007) - Germany (2005)

Compare Taiwan (2007) z Germany (2005)

 Taiwan (2007)Germany (2005)
 TaiwanGermany
Administrative divisions 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]
13 states (Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states* (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern*, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen*
Age structure 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.)
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 6,078,885/female 5,766,065)


15-64 years: 66.7% (male 28,006,268/female 27,003,958)


65 years and over: 18.9% (male 6,359,776/female 9,216,438) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports 41 (2007) 550 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways 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)
total: 331


over 3,047 m: 13


2,438 to 3,047 m: 51


1,524 to 2,437 m: 62


914 to 1,523 m: 71


under 914 m: 134 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 219


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 31


under 914 m: 185 (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 islands
total: 357,021 sq km


land: 349,223 sq km


water: 7,798 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined slightly smaller than Montana
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 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. As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
Birth rate 8.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 8.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $73.1 billion


expenditures: $72.44 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $1.2 trillion


expenditures: $1.3 trillion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital name: Taipei


geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E


time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Berlin
Climate tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind
Coastline 1,566.3 km 2,389 km
Constitution 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
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990
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: Federal Republic of Germany


conventional short form: Germany


local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland


local short form: Deutschland


former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Death rate 6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.55 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $91.92 billion (2006 est.) NA
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, 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel R. COATS


embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground was broken in October 2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008


mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265


telephone: [49] (030) 8305-0


FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215


consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
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), 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER


chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140


FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
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 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 none
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
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 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. Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world - has become one of the slowest growing economies in the euro zone. A quick turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%, rising to 1.7% in 2004. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's aging population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the labor market - including strict regulations on laying off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis - have made unemployment a chronic problem. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are further addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3% debt limit.
Electricity - consumption 201.6 billion kWh (2005) 519.5 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 53.8 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 45.8 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 210.3 billion kWh (2005) 560 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m


highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 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 emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive
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
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2% German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)
Exchange rates new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002) euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
Executive branch 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%
chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)


head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October 1998); Vice Chancellor Joschka FISCHER (since 17 October 1998)


cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor


elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 22 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006)


election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7%
Exports NA bbl/day 12,990 bbl/day (2003)
Exports - commodities computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002) machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners China 22.5%, Hong Kong 15.7%, US 15%, Japan 7.3% (2006 est.) France 10.3%, US 8.8%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.2%, Netherlands 6.2%, Belgium 5.6%, Austria 5.4%, Spain 5% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1.5%


industry: 26.8%


services: 71.7% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 31%


services: 68% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $28,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.7% (2006 est.) 1.7% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 23 30 N, 121 00 E 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Geography - note strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
Heliports 4 (2007) 34 (2004 est.)
Highways - total: 230,735 km


paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 6.7%


highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
lowest 10%: 3.6%


highest 10%: 25.1% (1997)
Illicit drugs 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 source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial center
Imports NA bbl/day 2.135 million bbl/day (2003)
Imports - commodities machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002) machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners Japan 23%, China 11.9%, US 10.9%, South Korea 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.9% (2006 est.) France 9%, Netherlands 8.3%, US 7%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.9%, China 5.6%, Belgium 4.9%, Austria 4.2% (2004)
Independence - 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991
Industrial production growth rate 6.5% (2006 est.) 2.2% (2004 est.)
Industries electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; shipbuilding; textiles
Infant mortality rate 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.)
total: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0.6% (2006 est.) 1.6% (2004 est.)
International organization participation APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICRM, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WHO (observer), WTO AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land NA 4,850 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan) Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Labor force 10.52 million (2006 est.) 42.63 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 5.5%


industry: 36%


services: 58.5% (2005 est.)
agriculture 2.8%, industry 33.4%, services 63.8% (1999)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 3,621 km


border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Land use arable land: 24%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 75% (2001)
arable land: 33.85%


permanent crops: 0.59%


other: 65.56% (2001)
Languages Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects German
Legal system based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch 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
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (613 seats; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block)


elections: Federal Assembly - last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election


election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51; Federal Council - current composition - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.56 years


male: 74.65 years


female: 80.74 years (2007 est.)
total population: 78.65 years


male: 75.66 years


female: 81.81 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.1%


male: NA%


female: NA% (2003)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99% (1997 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
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 Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Map references Southeast Asia Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine 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)
total: 332 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,721,495 GRT/6,810,631 DWT


by type: cargo 69, chemical tanker 13, container 208, liquefied gas 3, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 5 (Finland 2, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 1, UAE 1)


registered in other countries: 2,289 (2005)
Military branches Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Service, Central Medical Service
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $35.063 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.2% (2006; to increase to 2.85% in 2007) 1.5% (2003)
National holiday Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911) Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Nationality noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)


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


adjective: Taiwan
noun: German(s)


adjective: German
Natural hazards earthquakes and typhoons flooding
Natural resources small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land
Net migration rate 0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006) condensate 325 km; gas 25,293 km; oil 3,540 km; refined products 3,827 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders 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 Alliance '90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Left Party or PDS/WASG [Oskar LAFONTAINE and Gregor GYSI]; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING]
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 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
business associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
Population 22,858,872 (July 2007 est.) 82,431,390 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 0.9% (2006 est.) NA
Population growth rate 0.304% (2007 est.) 0% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven
Radio broadcast stations AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999) AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways 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)
total: 46,142 km (20,100 km electrified)


standard gauge: 45,928 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2004)
Religions mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Sex ratio 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.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 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: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part


domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries


international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use 14.497 million (2006) 54.35 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 23.249 million (2006) 64.8 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations 29 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997) 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Total fertility rate 1.12 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.9% (2006 est.) 10.6% (2004 est.)
Waterways - 7,300 km


note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2004)
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