China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; Japanese-administered
Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan
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
Land use:
arable land 24%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and
woodland 55%; other 15%; irrigated 14%
Environment:
subject to earthquakes and typhoons

:Taiwan People

Population:
20,878,556 (July 1992), growth rate 1.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
16 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
6 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
72 years male, 78 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Chinese (singular and plural); adjective - Chinese
Ethnic divisions:
Taiwanese 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 (Miu) and Hakka dialects also used
Literacy:
91.2% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Labor force:
7,900,000; industry and commerce 53%, services 22%, agriculture 15.6%, civil
administration 7% (1989)
Organized labor:
2,728,000 or about 44% (1991)

:Taiwan Government

Long-form name:
none
Type:
multiparty democratic regime; opposition political parties legalized in
March, 1989
Capital:
Taipei
Administrative divisions:
the authorities in Taipei claim to be the government of all China; in
keeping with that claim, the central administrative divisions include 2
provinces (sheng, singular and plural) and 2 municipalities* (shih, singular
and plural) - Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province
including Quemoy and Matsu), Kao-hsiung*, T'ai-pei*, and Taiwan (the island
of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands); the more commonly referenced
administrative divisions are those of Taiwan Province - 16 counties (hsien,
singular and plural), 5 municipalit