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Capital
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Taipei
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Climate
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Tropical; marine; rainy season during south-west monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year.
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Race
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84% Taiwanese (including Hakka), 14% mainland Chinese, 2% aborigine.
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Official Language
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Mandarin Chinese
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Common Language
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Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects. Frequent use of English and Japanese in business settings.
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Religion
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93% mixture of Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist, 4.5% Christian, 2.5% other.
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Government
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Multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly elected president.
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Population
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21.9
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Literacy Rate
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93.2%
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Visa Requirement
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A visa, which allows a 60-day stay is required.
Visitors have to get their visa from a Taiwanese ‘pseudo embassy’ i.e. trade offices, travel services or friendship associations as the Republic of China (Taiwan) is not recognised by most countries.
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Immunisation
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Consider vaccinations for hepatitis.
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Time Zone
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GMT/UTC plus eight hours
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Power Supply
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110V, 60 Hz
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Weights & Measures
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Metric
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Currency
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New Taiwan dollar (NT$)
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Travellers Cheque
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Both forms of monetary exchange can be used at international airports and large banks.
US dollars can also be used.
There are no legal private money changers in the country but some jewellery shops do provide money changing.
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Credit Cards
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Major international credit cards can be used at big hotels and restaurants.
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Tipping Practices
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Expect to tip hotel bellhops and airport porters.
A bout $1 for a bag.
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Shopping Tips
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Taiwan's Country Information