sugarcane,
sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables; livestock--hogs, poultry, beef, milk,
cattle; not self-sufficient in wheat, soybeans, corn; fish catch expanding,
1.1 million metric tons in (1987)

Aid: US, including Ex-Im (FY46-82), $4.6 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $439 million

Currency: new Taiwan dollar (plural--dollars);
1 new Taiwan dollar (NT$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: new Taiwan dollars per US$1--26.3 (March 1990),
26.156 (December 1989), 28.589 (1988), 31.845 (1987), 37.838 (1986),
39.849 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

- Communications
Railroads: about 1,075 km common carrier lines and over 3,800 km
industrial lines; common carrier lines consist of the 1.067-meter gauge 708 km
West Line and the 367 km East Line; a 98.25 km South Link Line connection
is under construction; common carrier lines owned by the government and operated
by the Railway Administration under Ministry of Communications; industrial
lines owned and operated by government enterprises

Highways: 18,800 km total; 15,800 km bituminous or concrete,
2,500 km crushed stone or gravel, 500 km graded earth

Pipelines: 615 km refined products, 97 km natural gas

Ports: Kao-hsiung, Chi-lung, Hua-lien, Su-ao, T'ai-tung

Merchant marine: 218 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,061,960
GRT/7,634,074 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 61 cargo,
13 refrigerated cargo, 71 container, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 54 bulk

Airports: 38 total, 37 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with
runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways
1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: best developed system in Asia outside of Japan;
6,000,000 telephones; extensive microwave transmission links on east and west
coasts; stations--91 AM, 23 FM, 15 TV (13 relays); 8,000,000 radio receivers;
6,000,000 TV sets (5,300,000 color, 700,000 monochrome); satellite earth
stations--1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; submarine cable
links to Japan (Okinawa), the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Garrison Command

Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,809,354; 4,534,950 fit for military
service; about 185,235 currently reach military age (19) annually

Defense expenditures: 6.8%