Basic Data

Area: 35,563 sq km

Population: 23 million

People: Taiwanese (84%), Aboriginal (2%), Chinese (14%)

Time Zone: GMT/UTC +8

Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism

Climate

Taiwan's climate is subtropical, with average annual temperatures of 21.7 ℃ (71.2℉) in the north and 24.1℃ (75.7℉) in the south. The rainy season, in May and June, typically heralds the start of summer. Summers, which last from May through September, are usually hot and humid with daytime temperatures from 27℃ to 35℃ (In general, visitors should wear lightweight clothing from April through November, sweaters and coats are necessary only from December through March and in air-conditioned restaurants, cinemas, etc.

Language

The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese (Guoyu), but because many Taiwanese are of southern Fujianese descent, Min-nan (the Southern Min dialect, or Holo) is also widely spoken. The smaller groups of Hakka people and aborigines have also preserved their own languages. Many elderly people can also speak some Japanese, as they were subjected to Japanese education before Taiwan was returned to Chinese rule in 1945 after the Japanese occupation which lasted for half a century.

The most popular foreign language in Taiwan is English, which is part of the regular school curriculum. However, to be on the safe side, when taking a taxi in Taiwan it is advisable to prepare a note with your place of destination written in Chinese to show the taxi driver.

Taiwan is also the most ideal place to learn Chinese. There are numerous language schools that offer Chinese classes, ranging from hourly-based classes to recognized university programs. Many foreigners from Europe and the United States, as well as other areas, come to Taiwan to spend their holidays, or one or two years, studying Chinese.

Electricity & Water

Electric current is 110 volts, 60 cycles, AC. Drinking water served at hotels and restaurants is distilled or boiled.

Currency

Taiwan's unit of currency is the New Taiwan dollar (NT$), which has five denominations in paper money and five in coins. Paper money comes in NT$2000, NT$1000, NT$500, NT$200, and NT$100. Coins are NT$1, NT$5, NT$10 and NT$50 denominations. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at government-designated and private banks and hotels. Receipts are given when currency is exchanged, and must be presented in order to exchange unused NT dollars before departure.

Major credit cards are accepted and traveler's checks may be cashed at some tourist-oriented businesses and by room guests at most international tourist hotels.

The exchange rate approximately US$1.00 = NT$32. You may change your money at hotel counter or bank at the same rate.

Post Service

The rate for domestic express letters are NT$5, and NT$12 for prompt delivery. There is also a domestic super-express mail, which is expensive, but your letter is guaranteed to be delivered anywhere in just a few hours. International express mail service is available. For further information, please check with Directorate General of Posts, or contact the Post Service Line : 0800-099246.

Telecommunications

Public phones in Taiwan are divided primarily into two types, coin and card. Coin phones accept coins in denominations of NT$1, NT$5, and NT10. For local calls, NT$1 buys one minute of phone time. Phone cards are divided into magnetic strip stored value cards and IC stored value cards, and can be used all over Taiwan. Magnetic strip cards sell for NT$100 each, and IC cards are available in NT$200 and NT$300 versions. The cards are sold in railway stations, bus stations, scenic spots, and convenience stores.

International calls can be made from private cell phones, public IDD phones, or hotel IDD phones. International calls are charged in units of six seconds.

Dress

Black tie/formal — Men: dark suit. Women: dress (knee-length, long).

Smart casual — Men: collared shirt, khakis. Women: dressy pants or skirt.

Casual — anything goes.

Health

For the early detection and prevention of communicable diseases, all arriving passengers should have their body temperature checked by infrared thermal scan. Arriving passengers who show symptoms are required to fill out the "Communicable Disease Survey Form".

Individuals reporting possible symptoms would either be required to have a specimen taken on site depending on the severity of the symptoms and their travel history or will be followed up by local health authorities about their symptoms.

Arriving passengers who become ill after entry are encouraged to seek medical advice, and inform their doctors of their recent travel history. A nationwide toll-free hotline has been set up by the Center for Disease Control at 1922 for consulting purposes.

Health education and campaign materials are available free of charge on display rack throughout major international airports, where a variety of health education materials are on hand to provide comprehensive references.

Tipping

The standard tip is about NT$50 per piece of luggage. A 10% service charge is automatically added to room rates and meals. All other tipping is optional.

Business Hours

Bus

Air-conditioned city buses are frequent and plentiful, and fares differ according to the distance traveled. A single section fare is NT$12-15. Pay upon boarding or getting off according to instructions.

Taxi

Charges are NT$70 (Taipei) for the first 1.5km and NT$5 for each additional 300 meters. An additional NT$5 is charged for every two minutes of waiting, and a 20% surcharge is added to fares between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., NT$10 dollars tip needed for cab dispatched by phone and for luggage placed in taxi trunk. Most drivers do not speak English, so it is a good idea to have hotel personnel write both your destination and your hotel's name and address.

MRT

(Tel Metro Taipei Service Hot Line :0800-033-068; (02) 2536-3001 (8:30 -17:30)

http://english.trtc.com.tw/

The MRT system in Taipei includes lines of Mu-Cha, Tamsui, Shing-Tien, Ban-Chao, and Nan-Kang. With a one-day ticket, you can take the MRT as many times as you like to visit different stops within the same day. Auto ticketing slots can be found in MRT stations, providing ticketing services (Coin changers are equipped in all stations.) "Single-journey Ticket" price ranging from NT$20 to NT$65 depending on travel distance. MRT running hours is 6:00~24:00.

Taipei MRT Map