:Syria Communications
Railroads:
2,350 km total; 2,035 km standard gauge, 315 km 1.050-meter (narrow) gauge
Highways:
28,000 km total; 22,000 km paved, 3,000 km gravel or crushed stone, 3,000 km
improved earth
Inland waterways:
672 km; minimal economic importance
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,304 km, petroleum products 515 km
Ports:
Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas
Merchant marine:
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 85,417 GRT/138,078 DWT; includes 25
cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 2 bulk
Civil air:
35 major transport aircraft
Airports:
104 total, 100 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair system currently undergoing significant improvement; 512,600
telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 1 FM, 17 TV; satellite earth stations
- 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Intersputnik, 1 submarine cable; coaxial
cable and radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey
:Syria Defense Forces
Branches:
Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air
Defense Forces, Police and Security Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 3,012,671; 1,691,660 fit for military service; 145,976 reach
military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, 8% of GDP (1989)
:Taiwan Geography
Total area:
35,980 km2
Land area:
32,260 km2; includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Comparative area:
slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
1,448 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; Paracel Islands occupied by
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 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural), and 2
special municipalities** (chuan-shih, singular and plural); Chang-hua,
Chia-i, Chia-i*, Chi-lung*, Hsin-chu, Hsin-chu*, Hua-lien, I-lan,
Kao-hsiung, Kao-hsiung**, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung,
T'ai-chung, T'ai-chung*, T'ai-nan, T'ai-nan*, T'ai-pei, T'ai-pei**,
T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at
Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un; note - Taiwan uses the Wade-Giles system for
romanization
Constitution:
25 December 1947, presently undergoing revision
Legal system:
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
National holiday:
National Day (Anniversary of the Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, premier of the Executive Yuan, vice premier of
the Executive Yuan, Executive Yuan
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Yuan, unicameral National Assembly
Judicial branch:
Judicial Yuan
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President LI Teng-hui (since 13 January 1988); Vice President LI Yuan-zu
(since 20 May 1990)
Head of Government:
Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) HAO Po-ts'un (since 2 May 1990);
Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) SHIH Ch'i-yang (since NA
July 1988)
Political parties and leaders:
Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic Socialist
Party and Young China Party controlled by Kuomintang; Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP); Labor Party; 27 other minor parties
Suffrage:
universal at age 20
Elections:
President:
last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - President
LI Teng-hui was reelected by the National Assembly
Vice President:
last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - LI
Yuan-zu was elected by the National Assembly