34.94 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
34 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
986 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 57.6%
hydro: 42.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
433,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
261,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
254,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
160,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
7.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
4.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
NA cu m
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$908 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$11.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables,
cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners:
Iraq 30%, Lebanon 10%, Germany 9.7%, Italy 8%, Egypt 5.5%, Saudi
Arabia 5.2%, France 4.9% (2007)
Imports:
$10.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food
and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical
products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 12%, China 8.7%, Egypt 6.2%, Italy 6%, UAE 5.9%,
Ukraine 4.8%, Russia 4.8%, Germany 4.7%, Iran 4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$213 million (2008 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.046 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.633 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Syrian pound (SYP)
Currency code:
SYP
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 50.0085 (2007), 51.689 (2006),
50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), 52.8 (2003)
note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03
are the parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut; the official rate
for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during
2004-06,
Communications
Syria
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.452 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.7 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased
markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing rapidly and
teledensity about 35 wireless telephones per 100 persons; coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to
Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in
Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.05 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sy
Internet hosts:
7,857 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
3.47 million (2007)
Transportation
Syria
Airports:
90 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 64
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 52 (2007)
Heliports:
7 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 2,794 km; oil 2,000 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,711 km
standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 97,401 km
paved: 19,490 km (includes 1,103 km of expressways)
unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)
Waterways:
900 km (not economically significant) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 77
by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 65, carrier 4, container 1, petroleum
tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 7 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 3, Romania 2)
registered in other countries: 196 (Barbados 1, Bolivia 2, Cambodia
48, Comoros 4, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Georgia 49, Hong Kong 1, North
Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Libya 2, Malta 6, Moldova 1, Panama 32, Saint
Kitts and Nevis 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Sierra Leone
18, Slovakia 2, Togo 2, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Latakia, Tartus
Military
Syria
Military branches:
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab
Air and Air Defense Forces (includes Air Defense Command) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women
are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,251,875
females age 16-49: 4,966,367 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,242,401
females age 16-49: 4,218,648 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 215,734
female: 203,106 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Syria
Disputes - international:
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since
1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the
boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with
several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shaba'a
farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation
settles border dispute with Jordan; approximately two million Iraqis
have fled the conflict in Iraq with the majority taking refuge in
Syria and Jordan
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1-1.4 million (Iraq); 522,100
(Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967
Arab-Israeli War) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Syria is a destination and transit country for
women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and
forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the
large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly
forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in
some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the
Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in
Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary
servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding
of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or
sexual abuse
tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria again failed to report any law
enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in
addition, the government did not offer protection services to
victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or
deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations;
Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional
and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank
privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Taiwan
Introduction
Taiwan
Background:
In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan.
Taiwan 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 1946
constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades,
the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the
local population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan
underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist
to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the
island prospered and became 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.
Geography
Taiwan
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
Geographic coordinates:
23 30 N, 121 00 E
Map references:
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 islands
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,566.3 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Natural resources:
small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
67 cu km (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes and typhoons
Environment - current issues:
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 because of Taiwan's
international status
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of
Taiwan's international status
Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon
Strait
People
Taiwan
Population:
22,920,946 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 2,057,458/female 1,900,449)
15-64 years: 72.3% (male 8,362,038/female 8,204,834)
65 years and over: 10.5% (male 1,167,476/female 1,228,691) (2008
est.)
Median age:
total: 36 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 36.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.238% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.76 years
male: 74.89 years
female: 80.89 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan
adjective: Taiwan
Ethnic groups:
Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%
Religions:
mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Languages:
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1%
male: NA
female: NA (2003)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government
Taiwan
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
former: Formosa
Government 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)
Administrative divisions:
includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off
coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties
(hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and
plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and
plural)
note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a
modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has
adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its
boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization
systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken
from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government
Information Office in Taipei.
counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung
[county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung,
Taichung, Tainan, Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and
Yunlin
municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan
special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]
National holiday:
Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October
(1911)
Constitution:
25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on
25 December 1947
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President MA Ying-jeou (since 20 May 2008); Vice
President Vincent SIEW (since 20 May 2008)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIO
Chao-shiuan (since 20 May 2008); Vice Premier (Vice President of
Executive Yuan) Paul CHIU (CHANG-hsiung) (since 20 May 2008)
cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on
recommendation of premier)
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held 22 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012);
premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the premier
election results: MA Ying-jeou elected president on 22 March 2008;
percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%; MA
Ying-jeou takes office on 20 May 2008
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected
by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion
of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6
elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve
four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for
at-large seats
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be
held in January 2012)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT
53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%;
seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1
Judicial branch:
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of
the Legislative Yuan)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen]; Kuomintang or
KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan Solidarity
Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United Formosans for
Independence
other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business
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 the island
currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls
consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports
maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future;
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
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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), which
has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC;
there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural
Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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 at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA
22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385);
Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei,
Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2
Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886]
(7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; 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
Flag description:
red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy
Taiwan
Economy - overview:
Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing
guidance of investment and foreign trade by the authorities. In
keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned banks and
industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the
primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs a large trade
surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the world's largest.
Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the
US to become Taiwan's largest export market and its second-largest
source of imports after Japan. China is also the island's number one
destination for foreign direct investment. Strong trade performance
in 2007 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate above 5%, and unemployment
is below 4%.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$698.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$383.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 27.5%
services: 71.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
10.71 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.3%
industry: 36.8%
services: 57.9% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
0.95% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 6.7%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $76.2 billion
expenditures: $75.65 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
NA
Stock of quasi money:
NA
Stock of domestic credit:
NA
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
Industrial production growth rate:
9.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
216.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
208.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 71.4%
hydro: 6%
nuclear: 22.6%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
10,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
950,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
289,200 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports:
1.208 million bbl/day (2006)
Oil - proved reserves:
2.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
400 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
11.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
10.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.229 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$32.88 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$246.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electronic and electrical products, metals, textiles, plastics,
chemicals, auto parts (2002)
Exports - partners:
China 32.6%, US 12.9%, Hong Kong 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Singapore 5%
(2007)
Imports:
$215.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
electronic and electrical products, machinery, petroleum, precision
instruments, organic chemicals, metals (2002)
Imports - partners:
Japan 22.7%, US 13.3%, China 11.2%, South Korea 6.6%, Saudi Arabia
4.8%, Singapore 4.6% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$275 billion (31 December 2007)
Debt - external:
$97.85 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$92.83 billion (2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$108.9 billion (2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$654 billion (28 December 2007)
Currency (code):
New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Currency code:
TWD
Exchange rates:
New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 32.84 (2007), 32.534
(2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003)
Communications
Taiwan
Telephones - main lines in use:
14.313 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
24.302 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every
business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: country code - 886; numerous submarine cables provide
links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the
US; satellite earth stations - 2
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 140, FM 229, shortwave 49
Radios:
16 million (1994)
Television broadcast stations:
76 (46 digital and 30 analog) (2007)
Televisions:
8.8 million (1998)
Internet country code:
.tw
Internet hosts:
5.225 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)
Internet users:
14.76 million (2007)
Transportation
Taiwan
Airports:
41 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 38
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports:
4 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 1,588 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,093 km 1.067-m gauge
note: 150 km .762-m gauge (belonging primarily to Taiwan Sugar
Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities)
(2007)
Roadways:
total: 40,262 km
paved: 38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,091 km (2007)
Merchant marine: