President: Chen Shui-bian (2000)
Prime Minister: Frank Hsieh (2005)
Area: 13,892 sq mi (35,980 sq km)
Monetary unit: Taiwan dollar

Population (2005 est.): 22,894,384
- growth rate: 0.6%);
- birth rate: 12.6/1000;
- infant mortality rate: 6.4/1000;
- life expectancy: 77.3;
- density per sq mi: 1,648

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Taipei, 7,871,900 (metro. area), 2,722,600 (city proper)
Other large cities:
- Kaohsiung, 1,514,900;
- Tai Chung, 1,069,900;
- Tainan, 755,800;
- Keelung, 410,500

Language: - Chinese (Mandarin, official), - Taiwanese (Min), - Hakka dialects

Ethnicity/race: - Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, - mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%

Religions: - mixture of Buddhist, - Confucian, and Taoist 93%, - Christian 4.5%, - other 2.5%

  
Literacy rate: 86% (1980)

Economic summary:
- GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $576.2 billion; per capita $25,300.
- Real growth rate: 6%.
- Inflation: 1.7%.
- Unemployment: 4.5%.
- Arable land: 24%.
- Agriculture: rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish.
- Labor force: 10.22 million; services 58%, industry 35%, agriculture 7% (2001 est.).
- Industries: electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing.
- Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, asbestos.
- Exports: $143 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery and electrical equipment 54%, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals.
- Imports: $119.6 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments.
- Major trading partners: Hong Kong, U.S., Japan, China, South Korea.

Communications:
- Telephones: main lines in use: 12.49 million (Sept. 2000); mobile cellular: 16 million (Sept. 2000).
- Radio broadcast stations: AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999).
- Radios: 16 million (1994).
- Television broadcast stations: 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997).
- Televisions: 8.8 million (1998).
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000).
- Internet users: 11.6 million (2001).

Transportation:
- Railways: total: 1,108 km (519 km electrified) (2002).
- Highways: total: 35,931 km; paved: 31,583 km (including 608 km of expressways); unpaved: 4,348 km (2000).
- Ports and harbors: Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung.
- Airports: 39 (2002).