Taiwan 2006
In 2006, Taiwan was a vibrant and prosperous nation located in East Asia. With a population of approximately 23 million people, the official language was Mandarin Chinese and the majority of the population practiced Buddhism or Taoism. The economy was largely based on exports, manufacturing, and technology; its main export partners included Japan, China, and the United States.
According to constructmaterials, the government at this time had been led by President Chen Shui-bian since 2000 and had been a member of the United Nations since 1971. Taiwan was considered one of the most advanced countries in Asia with relatively high standards of living and modern healthcare systems. In terms of education, access to quality education had improved significantly since 2000 but still remained unequal across different regions and socioeconomic groups.
Overall, Taiwan in 2006 was a diverse nation that embraced its cultural heritage whilst making positive strides towards economic development. Despite its turbulent past under Chinese rule, it enjoyed strong relationships with neighbouring countries as well as with other Asian nations which helped to foster an atmosphere of peace and stability. With continued investments into infrastructure development as well as education initiatives, Taiwan was quickly becoming one of the most advanced countries in East Asia.
Yearbook 2006
Taiwan. According to CountryAAH, major public holidays in Republic of China/Taiwan include Independence Day (October 10) and New Year (January 1). Prime Minister Frank Hsieh chose to resign in January after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost big in the local elections in December 2005. In addition, the DPP government in 2005 had great difficulty in enforcing its policy in parliament, which was dominated by opposition party Guomindang. President Chen Shuibian, from the DPP, appointed 59-year-old Su Tseng-chang as new prime minister – the fifth in six years. Su, like the president, advocated a tougher line against China than the outgoing Frank Hsieh had done. Su appointed a new government in January and the biggest challenges for it were expected to be to improve the country’s economy and to try to curb the stubborn political opposition in Parliament.
| Land area | 35,980 km² |
| Total population | 23,603,049 |
| Residents per km² | 656 |
| Capital | Taipei |
| Official language | Mandarin |
| Income per capita | $ 50,500 |
| Currency | Taiwan dollars |
| ISO 3166 code | TW |
| Internet TLD | .tw |
| License plate | |
| Telephone code | +886 |
| Time zone UTC | +8 |
| Geographic coordinates | 23 30 N, 121 00 O |
In February, the president scrapped the National Reunification Council. The abolition of the Council, which in theory would work for a reunification with mainland China, was symbolic, as it had been inactive for several years. However, the decision angered the Chinese leadership in Beijing, who said the measure was “catastrophic” and warned President Chen to further step up the “breaker operations”.
In May, President Chen handed over his powers of power in all areas except defense and foreign policy to Prime Minister Su. The decision was an attempt to avoid a political crisis as a result of a major corruption scandal involving family members of Chen and close associates. Among other Chen’s sons-in-law were charged with insider dealing and his wife for bribery. Guomindang demanded Chen’s departure and tried in the summer and fall to force him to leave the presidential post through parliamentary vote of no confidence, which Chen did, however. Attempts were also made to put the president before the national court. The campaign against the president continued throughout the rest of the year. In November, two DPP members in parliament jumped off in protest against Chen choosing to remain despite growing pressure on him to step down. However, the DPP as party was behind the president. The scandals surrounding Chen adversely affected Taiwanese confidence in the ruling party and the president’s popularity curve reached bottom levels. Out in the streets, hundreds of thousands of people staged demonstrations – against or for Chen.
Taiwan (China) Overview
The Republic of China is a state on the island of Taiwan in East Asia. Unofficially, though very commonly, the country is called Taiwan. From 1912 to 1949, “Republic of China” meant a state that roughly comprised the territory of present-day China. After the Chinese Civil War, the republic’s administration fled to the island of Taiwan, which it has ruled as the only territory since some of the islands in the South China Sea. Due to the Taiwan conflict, the independence of the Republic of China is controversial, and most states do not have diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. Due to the one Chinese policy pursued by the People’s Republic of China, only 23 states have diplomatic relations with the country, the only European state being the Vatican. Mainland China is now ruled by the People’s Republic of China.
- According to abbreviationfinder, TW is the abbreviation code for Taiwan.
Area: 36,193 km²
Population: 23,603,049 (estimate 7/2020)
Capital: Taipei
Population: 84% Taiwanese, 14% mainland Chinese and 2% indigenous.
Religion: 93% of the population are Buddhists, Confucians and Taoists, 4.5% are Christians and 2.5% are members of other religions.
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Currency: New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)
Main products: Semiconductors, electronics, car parts, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, rice, tea and flowers.
Form of government: Republic
