Population: about 23 million

Area: 36,000 square kilometers (about 13,900 square miles)

Area Code
Taipei: 02
Jilong: 02
Kaohsiung: 07
Tainan: 06

Language: Chinese is the official language with a variety of dialects used in middle and southern Taiwan. English is a foreign language. You can expect most of the population only able to speak Chinese.

Credit Card: credit cards are commonly used in Taiwan, especially in restaurants, hotels and shopping malls. American Express is not very popular while Eurocard and Carte Blue are not available in Taiwan.

Currency: NTD (local currency) is used throughout Taiwan. Remember to change your dollars in hotels or banks.

Voltage: 110 V, some hotels offer 220 V

Tips: generally speaking you can expect to pay an additional 5 to 10 percent of the bill.

Time Zone: Taiwan time is the same as Beijing Time. Within Taiwan, there is no time difference.

Tap Water: undrinkable

Emergence Number
Police: 110
Fire: 119
Inquiring of Phone number: 106

Public Phone: it is easy for you to find phone booths along streets, roads or in some public places. There are NT$ 100, NT$ 200 and NT$ 300 phone cards sold in some convenience-shops.
Office hours of government: 08:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17:30 from Monday to Friday.

Mobile phone: if your mobile phone is served by an international roam card, it will be no problem to use it in Taiwan. Be sure to check the voltage of the charger is 110 V.

Hospitals

Taipei

Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Address: 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei
Tel: 02-28712121

Taipei Show Chwan Hospital
Address: 1, Lane 116, Kung-Fu S. RD, Taipei
Tel: 02-2771-7172-66

Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital (Managed by Taipei Medical University)
Address: 111, Sec. 3 Xinglong Rd. Wenshan Dist. Taipei

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiaokang Hospital
Address: 482, San-ming Rd, Hsiaokang, Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital
Address: 386, Ta-Chung 1st RD. Kaohsiung
Tel: 07-342-2121

Famous Universities
National Taiwan University
Address: 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei

National Tsing Hua University
Address: 101, Section 2 Kuang Fu Road, Hsinchu

National Chiao Tung Univesity
Address: 1001, Ta-Hsueh Rd., Hsinchu

National Cheng Kung University
Address: 1, Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan