Taiwan
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa |
| Gevernment type | multiparty democracy |
| Capital |
name: Taipei
geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays |
| Currency | new Taiwan dollar (TWD) |
| Internet country code | .tw |
| Ports and terminals | Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung |
| Agriculture products | rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish |
| Industries | electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals |
| Geography |
| 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 |
| Coordinates | 23 30 N, 121 00 E |
| Continent | Southeast Asia |
| Area |
total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 1,566.3 km |
| Climate | tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year |
| Terrain | eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west |
| Natural resources | small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes and typhoons |
| People |
| Population | 23,036,087 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2% |
| Religions | mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% |
| Languages | Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects |
