Taipei Facts

Taipei 101 TowerTaipei 101 Tower
  • Name: Taipei (臺北市; Táiběi Shì /teye-bay-shrr/)
  • Meaning: 'Taiwan north city'

Features

  • A world class city
  • Asia's 2nd richest city per capita
  • One of the world's leading electronics and R & D centers.
  • Capital of Taiwan
  • Great museums

Main Attractions

  • Museums: National Palace Museum, National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, National Taiwan Museum
  • Taipei 101 (world's 3rd tallest building)
  • Most popular souvenirs and local products: electronics, local fruit and seafood
  • Most popular local food: Taiwanese beef noodles (niúròu miàn), aiyu (àiyù) jelly, Taiwanese
  • oranges (liŭdīng), Taiwanese porridge (zhōu)
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial HallChiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

History

  • The city started as village.
  • 1624 The Dutch land on Taiwan and set up a colony and defeated a small Spanish fort.
  • 1662 A anti-Qing army under Koxinga conquered the island and drove out the Dutch.
  • 1895 The Empire of Japan conquered the island. Japanese colonial capital and an industrial center.
  • 1930s The Japanese implemented a program of industrialization and Japanese education. Taipei developed a high level of human skills and important infrastructure such as roads, railroads, and hydroelectric power resources.
  • 1945 The Kuomingtang (Chinese Nationalists) government took over the country, and direct foreign investment, privatization and government supported pioneering research in electronics and information technology has transformed Taipei to one of the world’s leading IC manufacturing and high-tech research centers.
  • 1948–1950 Millions of mainland Chinese fled to the territory.
  • 1991 Taiwan held its first election for the legislature.
  • 1996 The first presidential election was held, and Taiwan became a democracy.

Geography

  • Significance of the city: It is the capital of Taiwan. It is an economically pioneering city, an East Asian transportation hub, and now leads the world in some sectors of electronics manufacturing and information technology.
  • Nearby cities: Kaoshiung (200 km/125 mi), Quanzhou (280 km/174 mi), Shanghai (550 km/340 mi)
  • Elevation: 7 m (23 ft)
  • Municipality terrain: lowland coastal area between two rivers.

Location Information

  • Municipality location: northern Taiwan
  • Municipality population: 2,618,772
  • Municipality area: 271 sq km (104 sq mi)
  • Municipality population density: 9,600/sq km (25,000/sq mi)
  • Urban population: 7,000,000
  • North to south distance of main municipality: 19 km (11 mi)
  • East to west distance of main municipality: 15 km (9 mi)
  • City Center: Xinyi Planned Area Central Business District (25.02N, 121.34E)
Alishan National ParkAlishan National Park

Climate

  • Annual average low temperature in January: 14 °C (57 °F)
  • Annual average high temperature in July: 34 °C (93.7 °F)
  • Humid subtropical climate; annual precipitation: 2,405 mm (94.7 in)
  • Monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and humid with occasional typhoons. Winters are short, mild, and often foggy.

Economy

  • GDP per capita: 48,400 USD, 2nd among Asian cities
  • Development: advanced; companies lead the world in some areas of electronics and optronics.
  • Industry: 89% tertiary industry (services), 11% secondary (industry, construction), .1% primary (agriculture)
  • CBD: Xinyi Planned Area Central (25.02N, 121.34E)
  • Shopping Streets: Shilin Night Market, Raohe Street Night Market

Transportation

  • Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is 20 kilometers from central Taipei.
  • 1 high-speed train line to cities on the western coast
  • 10 line MRT subway
Hi, I'm Gavin Van Hinsbergh
I updated this article on March 18, 2013
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Q: c. l. soong Asked on 2012-12-08 Reply
I am planning for a holiday with my family to taiwan on Chinese New Year Day. Can i know what is the temperature over there?

 The weather is changeable and varies in different parts of Taiwan. In the south it is mostly sunny and warm with temperature of about 25 °C (77 °F), while in the north there are several days of rain and it is colder with temperature of 10 °C (50 °F).

A shirt, a sweater and a coat are enough to deal with winter in Taiwan. Bring an umbrella. Water-proof jackets are recommended if you travel to the north, because it is damp with occasional rainfall. In the south you only need a shirt and a coat or a sweater.

Nora Ou Replied on 2012-12-09