*** Welcome to piglix ***

New Taipei City

New Taipei
新北市
Special municipality
New Taipei City
Skyline of Banqiao District
Skyline of Banqiao District
Flag of New Taipei
Flag
Official logo of New Taipei
Logo
Etymology: Chinese: xīnběi (new north)
Location of New Taipei
Coordinates: 25°00′40″N 121°26′45″E / 25.01111°N 121.44583°E / 25.01111; 121.44583Coordinates: 25°00′40″N 121°26′45″E / 25.01111°N 121.44583°E / 25.01111; 121.44583
Country Taiwan
Region Northern Taiwan
Seat Banqiao District
Districts
Government
 • Type New Taipei City Government
 • Mayor Eric Chu (KMT)
 • Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi
Area
 • Special municipality 2,052.57 km2 (792.50 sq mi)
 • Urban 1,140 km2 (440 sq mi)
Area rank 9 out of 22
Population (June 2016)
 • Special municipality 3,972,204
 • Rank 1 out of 22
 • Density 1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
 • Urban 8,500,000
 • Urban density 7,500/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
Time zone National Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code 207, 208, 220 – 224, 226 – 228, 231 – 239, 241 – 244, 247 – 249, 251 – 253
Area code(s) (0)2
ISO 3166 code TW-NWT
Website foreigner.ntpc.gov.tw (English)
New Taipei City
Chinese
Literal meaning New North City

New Taipei, also known as Xinbei (Chinese: 新北市; pinyin: Xīnběi Shì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-pak-chhī), is a special municipality and the most populous city in Taiwan. Located in northern Taiwan, the city includes a substantial stretch of the island's northern coastline and surrounds the Taipei Basin, making it the second largest special municipality by area, behind Kaohsiung. New Taipei City is bordered by Keelung to the northeast, Yilan County to the southeast, and Taoyuan to the southwest. It completely surrounds Taipei. Banqiao District is its municipal seat and biggest commercial area.

New Taipei City was known as Taipei County before its upgrade in 2010. After the county's population overtook that of Taipei City, it was decided that the county should be upgraded to city status but could not be renamed "Taipei City".

The name of the new entity (新北市; "new north city") was at first rendered in English as Xinbei 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 (MOI) to render the name in English as New Taipei City. This rendering became official on 31 December 2010.

Archaeological records had shown 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.


...
Wikipedia

...