So, I'm going through U.N. data from various agencies to gather data. Now, I'm immensely greatful that they're offering this for free to poor students like myself and even the usability is pretty good. I'm not even bitching (much) about the fact that all this statistics gathering is taxpayer-funded. Here's the thing though: they keep calling countries these weird names. They can't just call it Lybia, they have to call it "Libyan Arab Jamahiriya". Mostly amusing and not really annoying. One thing pisses me off though: they exclude Taiwan. This is obviously for political reasons because Taiwan isn't officially a part of the U.N. but come one, please. So, in conclusion, U.N. data excludes Taiwan (which has pretty good data available from other sources) but includes bullshit countries like Palau or Vanuatu.
China isn't in the United Nations because the Nationalists and the Communists both assert they are the legitimate government of one state. Logically under that system, Taiwan's data should be included under the "China" entry. Personally, I think the political realities of today should be recognized and the Republic given a separate seat, but the UN is spineless and the PRC has their hands in many dishes.
