Uganda (2007) | Taiwan (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe
note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria, Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura, Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of ten more districts are in the process of being added |
since in the past the authorities claimed to be the government of all China, 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); note - the more commonly referenced administrative divisions are those of Taiwan Province - 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: 50.2% (male 7,646,619/female 7,538,137)
15-64 years: 47.6% (male 7,231,196/female 7,185,058) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 281,317/female 380,283) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
21.22% (male 2,470,270; female 2,276,108) 15-64 years: 69.97% (male 7,944,451; female 7,707,250) 65 years and over: 8.81% (male 1,034,230; female 938,152) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry | rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish |
Airports | 32 (2007) | 39 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 5
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
total:
35 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 27
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 9 (2007) |
total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km water: 36,330 sq km |
total:
35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon | slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined |
Background | The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. | 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. Throughout this period, the island has prospered to become one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issue continues to be the relationship between Taiwan and China and the question of eventual reunification. |
Birth rate | 48.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 14.31 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.758 billion
expenditures: $1.984 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
revenues:
$42.74 billion expenditures: $48.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | name: Kampala
geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Taipei |
Climate | tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast | tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,566.3 km |
Constitution | 8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system | 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa |
Currency | - | new Taiwan dollar (TWD) |
Death rate | 12.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 6 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.136 billion (2006 est.) | $40 billion (2000) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Steven BROWNING
embassy: 1577 Ggaba Road, Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 234-142 FAX: [256] (41) 258-451 |
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through a private corporation, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has its headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia (telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474 and FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385) and offices in Taipei at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, telephone [886] (2) 2709-2000, FAX [886] (2) 2702-7675, and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, FAX [886] (7) 223-8237, and the American Trade Center at Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei 10548, telephone [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX [886] (2) 2757-7162 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Perezi Karukubiro KAMUNANWIRE
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727 |
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through a private 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 |
Disputes - international | Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese, 27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border | involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does China |
Economic aid - recipient | $1.198 billion (2005) | - |
Economy - overview | Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid, despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Growth in 2003-06 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets. | 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 grown even faster and have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. Inflation and unemployment are low; the trade surplus is substantial; and foreign reserves are the world's fourth largest. Agriculture contributes 3% 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. The tightening of labor markets has led to an influx of foreign workers, both legal and illegal. 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. Growth in 2001 will depend largely on conditions in Taiwan's export markets and may be about 5%. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.674 billion kWh (2005) | 129.899 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 170 million kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 1.983 billion kWh (2005) | 139.676 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
67.26% hydro: 6.32% nuclear: 26.42% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m |
lowest point:
South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m |
Environment - current issues | draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; widespread poaching | 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
party to:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census) | Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2% |
Exchange rates | Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,834.9 (2006), 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002) | new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 33.082 (yearend 2000), 31.395 (yearend 1999), 32.216 (1998), 32.052 (1997), 27.5 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3% |
chief of state:
President CHEN Shui-bien (20 May 2000) and Vice President Annette LU (since 20 May 2000) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) CHANG Chun-hsiung (since NA October 2000) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) LAI In-jaw (since NA October 2000) 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: CHEN Shui-bien elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bien (DPP) 39.3%, James SOONG (independent) 36.84%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 23.1%, HSU Hsin-liang (independent) 0.63%, LEE Ao (CNP) 0.13% |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $148.38 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold | machinery and electrical equipment 51%, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals |
Exports - partners | Belgium 9.9%, Netherlands 9.4%, France 7.9%, Germany 7.7%, Rwanda 5.6%, Sudan 4.8% (2006) | US 23.5%, Hong Kong 21.1%, Europe 16%, ASEAN 12.2%, Japan 11.2% (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00) |
Flag description | six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side | red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $386 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 31.4%
industry: 24.6% services: 44% (2006 est.) |
agriculture:
3% industry: 33% services: 64% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $17,400 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.3% (2006 est.) | 6.3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 1 00 N, 32 00 E | 23 30 N, 121 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers | - |
Heliports | - | 3 (2000 est.) |
Highways | - | total:
34,901 km paved: 31,271 km (including 538 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,630 km (1998 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 37.7% (2002) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $140.01 billion (c.i.f., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals | machinery and electrical equipment 51%, minerals, precision instruments |
Imports - partners | Kenya 34.1%, UAE 8.5%, China 7.1%, India 5.6%, South Africa 5.4%, Japan 4.2% (2006) | Japan 27.5%, US 17.9%, Europe 13.6% (2000) |
Independence | 9 October 1962 (from UK) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | 5.2% (2006 est.) | 8% (2000 est.) |
Industries | sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production | electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing |
Infant mortality rate | total: 67.22 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 70.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
6.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.6% (2006 est.) | 1.3% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 8 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 90 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president) | Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003, justices will be appointed by the president with the consent of the Legislative Yuan) |
Labor force | 13.58 million (2006 est.) | 9.8 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 82%
industry: 5% services: 13% (1999 est.) |
services 55%, industry 37%, agriculture 8% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 21.57%
permanent crops: 8.92% other: 69.51% (2005) |
arable land:
24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 55% other: 15% |
Languages | English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic | Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects |
Legal system | in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly (332 seats; 215 members elected by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 13 ex officio members; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NRM 191, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 36, other 49 |
unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of the proportion of nationwide 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 seats, note - total number of seats has been reduced from 334 to 300 since the last election; members are elected by proportional representation based on the election of the Legislative Yuan and serve four-year terms)
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 5 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2001); National Assembly - last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA June 2002) election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 46%, DPP 29%, CNP 7%, independents 10%, other parties 8%; seats by party - KMT 123, DPP 70, CNP 11, independents 15, other parties 6; subsequent to the election there have been some changes in the distribution of seats in the Legislative Yuan due to new party formation and party defections, the new distribution is as follows - KMT 114, DPP 66, PFP 17, NP 9, other/independent 19; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - KMT 55%, DPP 30%, CNP 14%, other 1%; seats by party - KMT 183, DPP 99, CNP 46, other 6 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 51.75 years
male: 50.78 years female: 52.73 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
76.54 years male: 73.81 years female: 79.51 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.8% male: 76.8% female: 57.7% (2002 census) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86% (1980 est.); note - literacy for the total population has reportedly increased to 94% (1998 est.) male: 93% (1980 est.) female: 79% (1980 est.) |
Location | Eastern Africa, west of Kenya | 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 | Africa | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total:
167 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,768,145 GRT/7,508,941 DWT ships by type: bulk 45, cargo 29, combination bulk 1, container 65, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF): Army (includes Marine Unit), Air Force (2007) | Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, Coastal Patrol and Defense Command, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $8.042 billion (FY98/99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.2% (2006) | 2.8% (FY98/99) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
6,575,689 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
5,025,856 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
198,766 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 9 October (1962) | Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911) |
Nationality | noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan |
noun:
Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese |
Natural hazards | NA | earthquakes and typhoons |
Natural resources | copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land | small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos |
Net migration rate | 0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | petroleum products 3,400 km; natural gas 1,800 km (1999) |
Political parties and leaders | Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP [Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]; National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Miria OBOTE]
note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system |
Chinese New Party or CNP [HAU Lang-bin]; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Frank HSIEH, chairman]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan, chairman]; New Party or NP [LI Ching-hwa]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG, chairman]; other minor parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP | 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 reunify 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 | 30,262,610
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
22,370,461 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 35% (2001 est.) | 1% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 3.572% (2007 est.) | 0.8% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001) | AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999) |
Radios | - | 16 million (1994) |
Railways | total: 1,244 km
narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) |
total:
4,600 km (519 km electrified) narrow gauge: 4,600 km 1.067-m note: only 1,108 km of route length (including the electrified part) is used in common carrier service by the Taiwan Railway Administration; the remaining 3,492 km is dedicated to industrial use (1999) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census) | mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.014 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.006 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.004 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth:
1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 20 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: seriously inadequate; 2 cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 108,100 (2006) | 12.49 million (September 2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2.009 million (2006) | 16 million (September 2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 8 (plus 1 repeater) (2001) | 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly plateau with rim of mountains | eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west |
Total fertility rate | 6.84 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.76 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 3% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile (2005) | NA |