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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Taiwan (2002)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Taiwan (2002)

 Western Sahara (2008)Taiwan (2002)
 Western SaharaTaiwan
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
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 fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Airports 9 (2007) 39 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
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)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 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 about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. 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.
Birth rate NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 14.21 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $36 billion


expenditures: $36.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Taipei
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Coastline 1,110 km 1,566.3 km
Constitution - 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
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 NA 6.08 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $NA $40 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none 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
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria 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
Economic aid - recipient $NA -
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. 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.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 139.3 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 149.78 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 69%


hydro: 6%


nuclear: 25%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 Arab, Berber Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) 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 none 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%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) $122 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% machinery and electrical equipment 55%, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) US 23.5%, Hong Kong 21.1%, Europe 16%, ASEAN 12.2%, Japan 11.2% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar 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
GDP - purchasing power parity - $386 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 2%


industry: 32%


services: 66% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% -2.2% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
Heliports - 3 (2002)
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%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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 1,698 bbl/day (2004) $109 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery and electrical equipment 50%, minerals, precision instruments
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) Japan 27.5%, US 17.9%, Europe 13.6%, South Korea 6.4% (2000)
Industrial production growth rate NA% -5% (2001 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 0.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation none APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 8 (2000)
Irrigated land NA NA sq km
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 12,000 9.8 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
services 56%, industry 36%, agriculture 8% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 24%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 75%
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Legal system - based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 76.74 years


male: 73.99 years


female: 79.71 years (2002 est.)
Literacy NA 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 Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco 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 contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 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 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: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Chinese (singular and plural)


adjective: Chinese
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility earthquakes and typhoons
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
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 none 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 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
22,548,009 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 1% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate NA 0.78% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
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 Muslim mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Sex ratio NA 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 none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 20 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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 about 2,000 (1999 est.) 12.49 million (September 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 16 million (September 2000)
Television broadcast stations NA 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Total fertility rate NA 1.76 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 4.5% (2001 est.)
Waterways - NA
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