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The population of Taiwan stood at 22.62 million at the end of 2004, making its population density second only to Bangladesh among countries with a population over ten million. With an average of 628 people per square kilometer, over 69 percent of the population lives in cities.
In the 16th century, Han people from China’s coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong began immigrating to Taiwan in large numbers. This group of early Han immigrants consisted mainly of Southern Fujianese and Hakka. Today, these two groups constitute about 85 percent of the population. When the central government relocated to Taipei in 1949, it brought a new influx of Han immigrants to Taiwan. Together, these various Han groups form the largest ethnic group in Taiwan, making up roughly 98 percent of the population. more information
The languages and dialects spoken in Taiwan have their origins in the Austronesian and Han lingual systems. The Austronesian languages are spoken by the indigenous peoples, but are slowly disappearing with cultural assimilation among the other inhabitants of Taiwan. Common Han languages include Holo-Taiwanese, and Hakka, which are spoken mainly by those whose ancestors immigrated from China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. In 1949, after the central government relocated to Taipei, Mandarin became the official language for communication and was promoted through the educational system.
Time line for the history of Taiwan
The Constitution The ROC Constitution is based on the Three Principles of the People—nationalism, democracy, and social well-being—formulated by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the republic. The three principles have extensively shaped the nation’s policies and legislation in many areas, such as education, land reforms, and social welfare. The Constitution delineates the rights, duties, and freedoms of the people; the overall direction for political, economic, and social policies; and the organization and structure of the government. Six rounds of constitutional revisions were completed by the National Assembly between 1991 and 2000, with each new round replacing previous amendments. Significant changes include direct elections of the nation’s president and vice president, regular and popular elections of the Legislative Yuan (which, hereafter, is also referred to as the Legislature), presidential authority to dissolve the Legislature, the Legislature’s power to initiate a no-confidence vote against the premier, and the streamlining of the functions and organizations of the Taiwan Provincial Government. In June 2005, through collective efforts of the governing and opposition parties, the ad-hoc National Assembly passed constitutional amendments to cut the number of legislative seats from 225 to 113, extend legislators?terms of office from three to four years, adopt a “single-district, two-vote?system for legislative elections, ensure women half of the seats for legislators from the nationwide constituency, give people referendum rights, and abolish the National Assembly. These amendments represent the latest breakthrough in Taiwan’s democratic development, and are aimed at improving the electoral system, stabilizing Taiwan’s political environment, and laying a solid foundation to strengthen Taiwan’s constitutional democracy. Government organization The central government consists of the Office of the President and five branches (called “yuan?, namely the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, the Examination Yuan, and the Control Yuan:
At the local level, two provincial governments and two special municipalities are currently operational—Taiwan and Fuchien (Fujian) provincial governments, and Taipei and Kaohsiung cities:
Government reform Structural reorganization Since assuming office in May 2000, President Chen Shui-bian has placed government reform at the top of his administration’s agenda, with the aim of establishing a highly efficient, responsible, and adaptable entity. Government reforms focus not only on reviewing organizations with overlapping or similar duties that should be eliminated, combined, or streamlined, but also on creating and upgrading agencies to meet the future developmental needs of the nation. Government transparency To curb corruptive practices in politics and create a clean political environment, a series of sunshine bills, such as the Public Functionary Assets Disclosure Act and the Political Contribution Act, have completed legislation since the 1990s. Other sunshine bills will be introduced to ensure a fair playing field for parties and politicians. Current electronic government development
Taiwan is taking advantage of the Internet and other information and communication technologies to further integrate systems and deploy online digital applications, thereby promoting electronic government (e-government) initiatives. Online services are provided in such areas as government procurement, laws and regulations database, taxation, motor vehicle and driver information, etc. Taiwan’s efforts to cultivate an e-generation among its people placed it at the top of 198 countries on the Brown University e-government performance list in 2002, 2004, and 2005, and at number 15 in terms of “networked readiness?in the Global Information Technology Report 2004-2005.
With economic and social development, democratic change became inevitable. Increases in educational standards and a growth in overseas travel led to a rise in political and civic awareness, and, consequently, to increased expectations of government. On September 28, 1986, opposition leaders took advantage of liberalization of the political environment to launch the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), albeit in defiance of martial law’s ban on forming political parties. The ban was formally rescinded in early 1989. Currently around 100 political parties have registered with the central government. Liberalization An almost 40-year freeze on cross-strait exchanges ended in November 1987, when Taiwan’s people were allowed to visit relatives in China. This led to growth in indirect trade, investment, tourism and other exchanges in China’s favor. Following the lifting of martial law in 1987, constant censorship lost its legitimacy. In January 1988, restrictions on newspaper licensing and publishing were eased. Not only was there increased news coverage and greater access to information, but previously marginalized groups such as indigenous peoples also gained a voice. By the end of June 2005, there were 2,495 newspapers; 4,506 magazines; 7,954 book publishers; 5 terrestrial, 142 satellite, and 63 cable television stations; and 172 radio stations, with more under construction. Elections
Human rights As a member of the world community, Taiwan is committed to meeting international standards of human rights while upholding its people’s traditional values. For example, the Human Rights Advisory Committee under the Office of the President is working on a human rights bill intended to make up for the insufficiency of current rights-protection legislation and bring Taiwan’s protection mechanisms in line with international standards. An inter-ministerial Human Rights Protection and Promotion Committee was also formed under the Executive Yuan to formulate human rights policies and review related laws. In June 2003, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy was established as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization to advocate democracy and human rights in Taiwan, while promoting exchange of experiences in democratic development with other countries. Taiwan also spearheaded the establishment of the Democratic Pacific Union in August 2005 to consolidate democratic achievements of countries in and around the Pacific region.
Education is a top priority in Taiwan. The National Education Act, promulgated in 1979, stipulates that all school-age children (between six and 15) must attend six years of elementary school and three years of junior high school. In the 2004 school year, almost all (99.99 percent) children eligible to begin the first year of elementary school were enrolled that year, and 99.42 percent of all elementary school graduates went on to junior high. At of the end of 2004, literacy rate for those over the age of 15 was 97.16 percent. Secondary school in Taiwan is a comprehensive system that provides students a wide range of educational programs for intellectual and career development. The vast majority of students in the mainstream educational system will enter either college preparatory or vocational schools after junior high school. Programs vary in length, though those oriented toward college entrance are usually the longest and most difficult, terminating with rigorous examinations in the student’s late teens. Higher education includes a variety of programs provided by junior colleges, colleges, universities, and graduate institutes. Junior colleges focus primarily on applied sciences, producing well-trained technicians for the labor market. Universities and colleges offer a wide variety of master’s and doctoral programs, which are entered through either an examination or application process. Cultural exchange agreements have been signed with other countries to strengthen scholastic exchanges. In SY2003, a total of 7,844 foreign students from more than 80 countries studied in Taiwan. Likewise, a total of 13,767 and 9,548 students from Taiwan were studying in the US and the UK, respectively. Since then, however, the number of students studying abroad has dropped by about 2,000 from the average of the past three years, probably because of the fast increase in the number of higher education institutions at home.
The quality of education in Taiwan is constantly improving. The numbers of schools and teachers have increased annually, as has funding. In SY2004, more than 5.37 million students were enrolled in a total of 8,184 schools throughout Taiwan. The student-teacher ratio stood at 19.59:1. Life-long education Life-long education programs include support for supplementary education, adult education, and other services, such as museums, libraries, exhibition centers, social education centers, cultural centers, parks, zoos, orchestras, memorial halls, observatories, and institutes. Supplementary schools may be private or public. Most students receive certificates upon completion, and some may receive diplomas equivalent in level to those in the mainstream system by passing examinations. The top schools in the supplementary system are open universities. National Open University has been in operation since 1987, while the new Open University of Kaohsiung began enrolling undergraduates in 1997.
English proficiency is encouraged in Taiwan, and the number of English language schools has grown rapidly. Many people also attend supplementary computer classes to gain an edge in the competitive job market. Schools offering extracurricular classes in non-academic subjects, such as musical instruments, chess, painting, or dancing, are also popular. Best viewed with IE 4.0 or higher at 800 x 600 resolution. Copyright © 2006 Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) 2 Tianjin St. Taipei, 100, Taiwan, R.O.C. |
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of Taiwan
