East Asian financial instability led portfolio investors to pull their funds out of the island in 1997 and early 1998. Quality of Infrastructure Taiwan has an extensive infrastructure system. Two international airports are located at the north and south ends of the island. Fourteen domestic airports connect major cities and key offshore islets. Five international harbors facilitate import and export trade.
Toll highways form an extensive inland transport network, including a north-south freeway.
The average family has more than one telephone. Pagers, cellular phones, fax machines, and personal computers are common for business firms. Virtually every family has access to electricity and household tap water, except in mountainous and remote areas. Traffic congestion on public roads and freeways however has been common. Air traffic has nearly quintupled over the past decade, and delays in domestic flights are common.