New Taipei City
New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, behind Kaohsiung. The top-level administrative divisions bordering New Taipei City are Keelung to the northeast, Yilan County to the southeast, and Taoyuan to the southwest, and it completely encloses the capital city of Taipei. Banqiao District is its municipal seat and biggest commercial area.
Before the establishment of Spanish and Dutch outposts in Tamsui in 1626, the area of present-day New Taipei City was mostly inhabited by Taiwanese indigenous peoples, mainly the Ketagalan people. From the late Qing era, the port of Tamsui was opened up to foreign traders as one of the treaty ports after the Qing dynasty of China signed the Treaty of Tientsin in June 1858. By the 1890s, the port of Tamsui accounted for 63 percent of the overall trade for entire Taiwan, port towns in the middle course of Tamsui River had also developed into bustling business and transportation centers. During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the entire area of New Taipei City was organized as part of the Taihoku Prefecture. After the Republic of China took control of Taiwan in 1945, the present-day New Taipei City was designated on 7 January 1946 as Taipei County in Taiwan Province, which was constituted from the former Taihoku Prefecture, but not including present-day divisions of Taipei City, Keelung and Yilan County, the latter of which became detached from Taipei County on 10 October 1950. Its county status remained until 25 December 2010 when it was promoted to special municipal status and renamed as "New Taipei City".
New Taipei City is a conurbation which was merged from numbers of regiopolis, suburban business districts or commuter towns to form one continuous polycentric urban area. Together with cities of Taipei and Keelung, New Taipei City constitutes a substantial part of the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area which spans from the island's northern coastline to the mountainous Xueshan Range, and encompasses the entire Taipei Basin within its boundaries. The city is well-connected to other major cities in proximity or other parts of the island by various public transports such as Metro services, high-speed rail and an airport line commuting to Taoyuan International Airport, a major hub airport in northern Taiwan. The Port of Taipei, an artificial international seaport, is situated in the northwestern coast of the city in Bali District.
Name
New Taipei City was formerly known as Taipei County before its promotion to special municipality status in 2010. The name of the new municipality was initially rendered in English as Xinbei City via pinyin romanization, but both candidates for the city's first mayoral election opposed the name. Consequently, citing public opinion, the inaugural mayor, Eric Chu, requested and received approval from the Ministry of the Interior to render the name in English as New Taipei City. This rendering became official on 31 December 2010.History
Early history
Archeological records show that New Taipei City had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, with artifacts dug in Bali District having shown remains as early as 7000 to 4700 BC. The region around New Taipei City area was once inhabited by Ketagalan plains aborigines, and evidence shows that the Atayal had inhabited Wulai District. The earliest recorded migration by people from mainland China dated back as early as 1620, when the local tribes were driven into the mountain areas. Over the years, many of the aborigines have assimilated into the general population.Qing dynasty
During the Qing Dynasty rule of Taiwan, the Han Chinese people began to settle in the area now designated as New Taipei City in 1694 and the number of immigrants from mainland China had further increased. After decades of development and prosperity, Tamsui had become an international commercial port by 1850. British consulate and stores were established in the region, which helped promote the local tea business, resulting in massive tea leaf exports to Europe. In 1875, Shen Baozhen called for the establishment of Taipeh Prefecture. Fujian-Taiwan-Province was declared in 1887 and the present-day New Taipei City area fell under the jurisdiction of Taipeh Prefecture.Japanese rule
In 1895, Taiwan was ceded by the Qing dynasty to the Empire of Japan. During Japanese rule, the New Taipei City area was administered under Taihoku Prefecture together with modern-day Taipei, Keelung and Yilan County. Gold and other mineral deposits were discovered at Keelung Mountain, triggering a mining boom in the region. In October 1896, Japanese government divided the mining area around Keelung Mountain into two districts: an eastern district, designated as Kinkaseki, and a western district, designated as Kyūfun. Both districts are now parts of Ruifang District. They also issued regulations barring local Taiwanese mining companies from mining in the area, giving the mining rights to Japanese companies instead.Republic of China
After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in October 1945, from 25 December of the same year, the present New Taipei City area was administered as Taipei County with Banqiao City as the county seat. In July 1949, the size of Taipei County was reduced when Beitou and Shilin townships were put under the jurisdiction of the newly created Caoshan Administrative Bureau, which would later be renamed the Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau. The southeastern part of Taipei County, became Yilan County on 10 October 1950, while Taipei City was detached from Taipei County from a provincial city to a special municipality on 1 July 1967. On 1 July 1968, the size of Taipei County was further reduced by when Jingmei, Muzha, Nangang and Neihu townships, along with Beitou and Shilin, were merged into Taipei City.The county afterward had ten county-administered cities ; four urban townships ; and fifteen rural townships. It was further divided into 1,017 villages and 21,683 neighborhoods. In August 1992, due to the adjustment of the demarcation line between Taipei City and Taipei County around Neigou and Daking Creeks, the area of Taipei County was decreased by. On 25 December 2010, Taipei County was upgraded to a special municipality as New Taipei City consisting of 29 districts with the modern Banqiao District as the municipal seat.
Geography
New Taipei City is located at the northern tip of Taiwan Island. It covers a vast territory with a varied topology, including mountains, hills, plains and basins. In the northern part lies of coastline with gorgeous shorelines and beaches. The Tamsui River is the main river flowing through New Taipei City. Other large tributaries are the Xindian, Keelung and Dahan rivers, sections of which constitute riverside parks. The tallest peak in the city is Mount Zhuzi, standing at 1,094 m and located in the Sanzhi District.Climate
The climate of the city is characterized as a humid subtropical climate with seasonal monsoons and ample rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year. Seasonal variations of temperatures are noticeable although temperatures typically varies from warm to hot throughout the year, except when cold fronts strikes during the winter months when temperatures can sometimes dip below. January is typically the coolest month and July is usually the warmest.Cityscape
Government
New Taipei City is a special municipality directly under the central government of the Republic of China. The New Taipei City Government is headed by an elected mayor and is headquartered at the New Taipei City Hall at Banqiao District. The current mayor of New Taipei City is Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang.Municipal administration
New Taipei City controls 28 districts and 1 mountain indigenous district. The sub-city entities consists of 1,017 villages, which in turn are divided into 21,683 neighborhoods. The municipal seat is located at Banqiao District.| Region | Name | Chinese | Taiwanese | Hakka | Formosan | Population | Area |
| Tamsui River South | Banqiao | Pang-kiô | Piông-khièu | 554,008 | 23.1373 | ||
| Tamsui River South | Zhonghe | Tiong-hô | Chûng-fò | 414,356 | 20.1440 | ||
| Tamsui River South | Yonghe | Éng-hô | Yún-fò | 225,353 | 5.7138 | ||
| Tamsui River South | Tucheng | Thô͘-siâⁿ | Thú-sàng | 238,646 | 29.5578 | ||
| Tamsui River South | Shulin | Chhiū-nâ | Su-nà | 184,329 | 33.1288 | ||
| Tamsui River South | Sanxia | Sam-kiap | Sâm-hia̍p | 112,775 | 191.4508 | ||
| Tamsui River South | Yingge | Eng-ko | Yîn-kô | 87,931 | 21.1248 | ||
| Tamsui River North | Xinzhuang | Sin-chng | Sîn-chông | 413,443 | 19.7383 | ||
| Tamsui River North | Sanchong | Sam-tiông/Saⁿ-tēng-po͘ | Sâm-chhùng | 388,386 | 16.3170 | ||
| Tamsui River North | Luzhou | Lô͘-chiu | Lù-chû | 200,055 | 8.321 | ||
| Tamsui River North | Wugu | Gō͘-kó͘ | Ńg-kú | 82,983 | 34.8632 | ||
| Tamsui River North | Taishan | Thài-san | Thai-sân | 78,801 | 19.1603 | ||
| Tamsui River North | Linkou | Nâ-khàu | Nà-khiéu | 100,554 | 54.1519 | ||
| North Western Coast | Tamsui | Tām-chuí | Thâm-súi | 162,441 | 70.6565 | ||
| North Western Coast | Bali | Pat-lí | Pat-lî | 37,711 | 39.4933 | ||
| North Western Coast | Sanzhi | Sam-chi | Sâm-chṳ | 23,452 | 65.9909 | ||
| North Western Coast | Shimen | Chio̍h-mn̂g | Sa̍k-mùn | 12,645 | 51.2645 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Jinshan | Kim-san | Kîm-sân | 22,273 | 49.2132 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Wanli | Bān-lí | Van-lî | 22,634 | 63.3766 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Xizhi | Se̍k-chí | Sip-chṳ | 196,150 | 71.2354 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Ruifang | Sūi-hong | Lui-fông | 40,922 | 70.7336 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Gongliao | Kòng-liâu | Kung-liàu | 12,858 | 99.9734 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Pingxi | Pêng-khe | Phìn-hâi | 4,872 | 71.3382 | ||
| North Eastern Coast | Shuangxi | Siang-khe | Sûng-hâi | 9,233 | 146.2484 | ||
| Southern | Xindian | Sin-tiàm | Sîn-tiam | 300,283 | 120.2255 | ||
| Southern | Shenkeng | Chhim-kheⁿ | Chhṳ̂m-hâng | 23,614 | 20.5787 | ||
| Southern | Shiding | Chio̍h-tēng | Sa̍k-tàng | 7,857 | 144.3498 | ||
| Southern | Pinglin | Pêⁿ-nâ | Phiâng-lìm | 6,503 | 170.8350 | ||
| Mountain indigenous district | Wulai | U-lai | Vû-lòi | UlayAtayal | 6,182 | 321.1306 |
Colors indicates the common languages status of Formosan languages within each division.