New Taipei City

New Taipei City was formerly known as Taipei County before its promotion to special municipality status in 2010. The name of the new municipality (新北市, literally "New Northern City") 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 (MOI) to render the name in English as New Taipei City. This rendering became official on 31 December 2010.

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. 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. …

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 120 km (75 mi) 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. The climate of the city is characterized as a humid subtropical climate with seasonal monsoons and ample rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year. …

The city is home to 952 registered temples and 120 churches, including 160 Buddhist-Taoist temples and more than 3,000 Taoist shrines. The city also houses five major Buddhist monasteries, such as the Dharma Drum Mountain in Jinshan District and Ling-jiou Mountain Monastery in Gongliao District. On average, there are two worship places in every square kilometer around the city. Xizhi District and Sanxia District have the highest number of registered temples, while Wulai District has the fewest. New Taipei City houses the Museum of World Religions in Yonghe District.

Due to its strategic location, New Taipei City is the second major city of business industries after Taipei, with over 250,000 privately owned companies (including Acer Computers Inc.) and 20,000 factories scattered around five industrial parks with a total capital of NT$1.8 trillion. There are also many high technology industry, service industry and tourism industry, contributing a significant amount of GDP to Taiwan. The five major industries in the city are information technology (IT), telecommunications, digital contents, biotechnology and precision instruments. The city is among the top three cities in the global market in terms of IT product production volume, securing more than 50% of the global market share for products such as motherboards, notebooks, LCD monitors and CRT monitors. …

New Taipei City has a wide range of historical, natural and cultural attractions for tourists. Tourism-related industries in the city are governed by the Tourism and Travel Department of New Taipei City Government. Historical attractions include Bitoujiao Lighthouse, Chin Pao San, Fort Santo Domingo, Hobe Fort, Ōgon Shrine, Tamsui Old Street, Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Fuguijiao Lighthouse, Cape San Diego Lighthouse, Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery and Qing dynasty remnants in Tamsui and the old mining towns of Jiufen, Jinguashi and Jingtong in the east. Sanxia houses the historic Sanxia Old Street. Temples in the city include the Changfu Temple in Sanxia District, Gongbei Temple in Xizhi District and Temple of the Eighteen Lords in Shimen District. …