The major businesses of Territorial Administration include administration divisions, the management of geographic names, the regulation of sea area as well as the compilation and review of maps.
Creating Taiwan geographic names information system
This Ministry started in the second half of 1999 a plan to create a “Taiwan Geographic Names Information System” and this plan will attempt to computerize the control of relevant names by creating a database to facilitate administration, local education and map production. Up to the end of 2009, we had finished the information system and its related sub-systems. Furthermore, we have established a database which contains 48,000 items of geographic names selected from 5 special municipalities and 17 counties and cities, and uploaded those geographic names into the website http://placesearch.moi.gov.tw/
Drafting the Law of Administrative Division
The administrative division of the Taiwan Area remains generally intact since 1950 when the system of autonomy was implemented for the local governments.. However, the development that this country has seen for the last 50 years has changed on a large scale the population distribution and urban characteristics everywhere. Such situation makes it hard for the financial resources of the central government to be fairly distributed and effectively utilized. As a consequence, the administrative organization of the local government and the distribution of human resources fail to meet the real demands of this country. At the same time, the difference in the development between the urban and rural areas continues to grow, whereas the discrepancy in space enjoyed by the people has been enlarged constantly. In order to meet the demands for economic and social development, to avoid waste of resources in our country, and to reduce the administrative costs, the idea of administrative division has drawn general attention from our society. It has become a necessity for this Administration to undertake a partial modification of the current administration division, so as to ensure the sustainability of our national territory and the appropriate development for various regions in our country.
In the past, the implementation of administration division had been based on the resolutions of the meetings of the Executive Yuan, but not based on law. However, according to Article 108(1)(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of China, the matters of administration division shall be governed by the laws promulgated and implemented by the Central Government, or to be implemented by the Provincial Government. As the consciousness of democracy and the rule of law is held dearly by the people in Taiwan, the administration division should follow the wills of the people, taking account of economic efficiency, the balanced development for various regions, and the need for maintaining stability. On the other hand, in order to set up a procedure to attain the fair and reasonable results for administration division, the Government of the Republic of China hereby sees fit to promulgate the Law on Administration Division to establish the competent agency, to identify related factors to be considered, and to provide the ways and procedure of such modification.
Examining the Application for Delineation of the Courses for Laying and Maintaining Submarine Cables or Pipelines on the Continental Shelf of the ROC
According to Regulations of Permission on Delineation of Courses for Laying, Maintaining, or Modifying Submarine Cables or Pipelines on the Continental Shelf of the Republic of China, the MOI has completed the following courses of action: seven examination meetings were held in 2012, during which, five surveying applications, two laying applications, one modifying application and six cases regarding maintenance for a one-year-time period were approved. In addition, we also endorsed fourteen cases for emergency maintenance, one application for extending emergency maintenance, nine reports relevant to emergency maintenance, two applications for extension of laying and three survey reports of submarine cables.
Continental Shelf Survey Project
To preserve our maritime sovereignty rights and sustainable resource development, Ministry of the Interior has drafted a five-year plan (2006-2010) namely ‘Continental Shelf Survey Project’ which was submitted to Executive Yuan on August 17th, 2005 and approved. East Sea, southern and southeastern maritime area of Taiwan and Dongsha are three primary investigation areas, in which we collect scientific data in order to claim outer limits of continental shelf as well as preparation works. We have started the five-year plan in 2006 and completed the work by 2011.
In light of the threat from our neighboring countries challenging the sovereignty over continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of Republic of China remains, Ministry of the Interior therefore initiated another five-year follow-up plan (2011-2015) namely ‘Continental Shelf, Islands and Reefs Surveys‘ submitted to Executive Yuan in July 1st , 2010 and approved, continuing on conducting scientific research on continental shelf, legal and political analysis and maritime delimitation information analysis. In addition, we collect high resolution satellite images in surrounding maritime areas, completing basic measuring and mapping works on each island, and routine surveillance on natural changes and humanitarian activities on certain crucial islands.
Future envision
According to ‘Continental Shelf, Islands and Reefs Surveys’, Ministry of the Interior will carry on updating and gathering information concerning topography, geology, geography and resources in surrounding waters, combine with scientific research on continental shelf, legal and political analysis on International Law of Sea and analysis on maritime mappings in order to provide the government references on delimitation decision making, international maritime matters negotiation, maritime administration and management and sustainable resource development.
Creating Taiwan geographic names information system
This Ministry started in the second half of 1999 a plan to create a “Taiwan Geographic Names Information System” and this plan will attempt to computerize the control of relevant names by creating a database to facilitate administration, local education and map production. Up to the end of 2009, we had finished the information system and its related sub-systems. Furthermore, we have established a database which contains 48,000 items of geographic names selected from 5 special municipalities and 17 counties and cities, and uploaded those geographic names into the website http://placesearch.moi.gov.tw/
Drafting the Law of Administrative Division
The administrative division of the Taiwan Area remains generally intact since 1950 when the system of autonomy was implemented for the local governments.. However, the development that this country has seen for the last 50 years has changed on a large scale the population distribution and urban characteristics everywhere. Such situation makes it hard for the financial resources of the central government to be fairly distributed and effectively utilized. As a consequence, the administrative organization of the local government and the distribution of human resources fail to meet the real demands of this country. At the same time, the difference in the development between the urban and rural areas continues to grow, whereas the discrepancy in space enjoyed by the people has been enlarged constantly. In order to meet the demands for economic and social development, to avoid waste of resources in our country, and to reduce the administrative costs, the idea of administrative division has drawn general attention from our society. It has become a necessity for this Administration to undertake a partial modification of the current administration division, so as to ensure the sustainability of our national territory and the appropriate development for various regions in our country.
In the past, the implementation of administration division had been based on the resolutions of the meetings of the Executive Yuan, but not based on law. However, according to Article 108(1)(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of China, the matters of administration division shall be governed by the laws promulgated and implemented by the Central Government, or to be implemented by the Provincial Government. As the consciousness of democracy and the rule of law is held dearly by the people in Taiwan, the administration division should follow the wills of the people, taking account of economic efficiency, the balanced development for various regions, and the need for maintaining stability. On the other hand, in order to set up a procedure to attain the fair and reasonable results for administration division, the Government of the Republic of China hereby sees fit to promulgate the Law on Administration Division to establish the competent agency, to identify related factors to be considered, and to provide the ways and procedure of such modification.
Examining the Application for Delineation of the Courses for Laying and Maintaining Submarine Cables or Pipelines on the Continental Shelf of the ROC
According to Regulations of Permission on Delineation of Courses for Laying, Maintaining, or Modifying Submarine Cables or Pipelines on the Continental Shelf of the Republic of China, the MOI has completed the following courses of action: seven examination meetings were held in 2012, during which, five surveying applications, two laying applications, one modifying application and six cases regarding maintenance for a one-year-time period were approved. In addition, we also endorsed fourteen cases for emergency maintenance, one application for extending emergency maintenance, nine reports relevant to emergency maintenance, two applications for extension of laying and three survey reports of submarine cables.
Continental Shelf Survey Project
To preserve our maritime sovereignty rights and sustainable resource development, Ministry of the Interior has drafted a five-year plan (2006-2010) namely ‘Continental Shelf Survey Project’ which was submitted to Executive Yuan on August 17th, 2005 and approved. East Sea, southern and southeastern maritime area of Taiwan and Dongsha are three primary investigation areas, in which we collect scientific data in order to claim outer limits of continental shelf as well as preparation works. We have started the five-year plan in 2006 and completed the work by 2011.
In light of the threat from our neighboring countries challenging the sovereignty over continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of Republic of China remains, Ministry of the Interior therefore initiated another five-year follow-up plan (2011-2015) namely ‘Continental Shelf, Islands and Reefs Surveys‘ submitted to Executive Yuan in July 1st , 2010 and approved, continuing on conducting scientific research on continental shelf, legal and political analysis and maritime delimitation information analysis. In addition, we collect high resolution satellite images in surrounding maritime areas, completing basic measuring and mapping works on each island, and routine surveillance on natural changes and humanitarian activities on certain crucial islands.
Future envision
According to ‘Continental Shelf, Islands and Reefs Surveys’, Ministry of the Interior will carry on updating and gathering information concerning topography, geology, geography and resources in surrounding waters, combine with scientific research on continental shelf, legal and political analysis on International Law of Sea and analysis on maritime mappings in order to provide the government references on delimitation decision making, international maritime matters negotiation, maritime administration and management and sustainable resource development.
Update：107-08-03
