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Taiwan
Taiwan is 1 of the Asian tigers & is a small island with a population of 20 mlln & an extremely high
population density. There is very little flat land & so industry locates in the W near the capital Taipei.
This is also near to the main highway for transport. The island is very mountainous with very few
natural resources.
Taipei
Taichung
Pacific
Ocean
Taiwan Strait
Tainan
N
Tropic of
Cancer
Kaohsiung
Principal North-south
Highway
The land of Taiwan has hindered development as there is little flat land & so trade is difficult. Also
there are few natural resources to encourage the development of heavy industry. Taiwan is a small
island, which is isolated from trade & can make infrastructure difficult.
Employment structure
Taiwan’s employment structure has changed dramatically. Primary industry has fallen & a lot of
farmland is being developed for industry. TNCs from Japan & USA have moved to Taiwan to set up
factories, as there is cheap labour & skilled workers. Tertiary employment has also increased as people
have more disposable income & have more free time.
Taiwan contains mainly global companies & medium sized firms located there. TNCs have the
resources to locate in Taiwan to access foreign markets. However, the work is likely to be low skilled.
Therefore it is more likely to be branch plants & heavy industry rather than hi-tech industries. There
may be problems in the future as Taiwan may be too dependent on medium sized firms. They are
vulnerable in times of economic crisis, as they do not have the resources to survive & so may close
down. Medium sized firms are able to pull out at any time.
Negative effects of industrialisation
Environmental problems:
Taiwan is 1 of the most polluted countries on Earth with slack environmental controls. Many factories
use toxic substances which have leaked into the soil & entered the food chain e.g. metals in oysters.
There is little sewage treatment & air pollution in Taipei is a big problem.
Economic problems:
This is due to a lack of investment in infrastructure. There are inadequate roads, ports & airports & a
huge density of cars. Investment is now going into coastal industrial zones & technological parks, new
& improved roads, harbours & airports and better telecommunications.