Land area

36,188 sq km

Population

23.1m (end-2009)

Main towns

Population in '000 (end-2009; not including surrounding counties)

Taipei (capital): 2,607

Kaohsiung: 1,528

Taichung: 1,074

Tainan: 771

Climate

Subtropical

Weather in Taipei (altitude 9 metres)

Hottest month, July, 24-33°C (average daily minimum and maximum); coldest month, February, 12-18°C; driest month, November, 66 mm average rainfall; wettest month, August, 305 mm average rainfall

Languages

Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka

Measures

Metric system; some Chinese, Japanese and British measures are also in use

Currency

New Taiwan dollar (NT$); NT$1 = 100 cents. Average exchange rate in 2010: NT$31.7:US$1

Time

8 hours ahead of GMT

Public holidays

Founding Day of the Republic of China, January 1st-3rd; Chinese New Year, February 3rd-5th; Peace Memorial Day, February 28th; Ching Ming (Tomb-sweeping Day), April 5th; Labour Day (a holiday for workers only), May 1st; Dragon Boat Festival, June 6th; Mid-autumn Festival, September 12th; National Day, October 10th