Taipei

Taipei City is the capital city of the Republic of China. It is Republic of China's center of politics, commercial, mass media, education, and pop culture, and today also is widely considered to be one of the 'Gamma world cities'.

Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan and is bordered on the south by the Sindian (Hsintien) River, and the Danshuei (Tamsui) River on the west. The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park.

Because of its location in a valley, the city commonly experiences high temperatures and humidity during the summer months, a problem enhanced by the high population density and the use of air conditioning. The climate is subtropical.

The City of Taipei, Taipei County surrounding it, and nearby Keelung City form Taipei metropolitan area but are administered under different local government bodies. Taipei City is a special municipality administered directly under the ROC central government, while Taipei County and Keelung City are administered as part of Taiwan Province. Therefore, although Taipei is used to refer the whole metropolitan area, Taipei City specifically means the city proper only.

According to the census data collected in July 2006, the total population in Taipei City (excluding Taipei County) is 2,625,757. The major industries in the city include electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, metals, ship-building, and motorcycles.

It's worthwhile spending at least your first day exploring on foot. While the architecture is rarely impressive, you'll discover plenty of colourful temples, inspiring monuments and fascinating museums.

Taipei is a noisy and expensive city and it's packed full of people, cars and smog. It's not a relaxing stopover, but the food is excellent, the people are friendly and there are some beautiful sights.