Taipei, officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about 25 km (16 mi) southwest of the northern port city of Keelung. Most of the city rests on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed. The basin is bounded by the relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city’s western border.

The city of Taipei is home to an estimated population of 2,646,204 (2019), forming the core part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, which includes the nearby cities of New Taipei and Keelung with a population of 7,047,559, the 40th most-populous urban area in the world roughly one-third of Taiwanese citizens live in the metro district. The name “Taipei” can refer either to the whole metropolitan area or just the city itself.

Kaohsiung City, a special municipality in south Taiwan, is one example. It stretches from the urban center to the Yushan Range in the rural countryside. It covers an area of 2,952km2 (1,140 sq mi). Kaohsiung is home to approximately 2.77 million people. It is also Taiwan’s third-most populous and largest city in Southern Taiwan.

Kaohsiung was established in 17th century as a small trading settlement. It has since grown to be the political and economic center of southern Taiwan with key industries like steel-making, shipping, and oil refining. Globalization and World Cities Research Network has designated it a “Gamma-” global city. It boasts some of the most important infrastructures in Taiwan. Kaohsiung International Airport, which is second in passenger traffic, is the busiest airport in Taiwan. It is easily connected to major cities via high-speed and conventional rail as well as many national freeways.

Tainan (officially Tainan City) is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait, on its west coast. Tainan, the oldest city of the country, is also known as “Capital City” because of its 200-year history as Taiwan’s capital under Qing and Koxinga rule. Tainan’s complicated history of redefinitions, renewals and comebacks has earned it the nickname “the Phoenix City”. Globalization and World Cities Research Network has classified Tainan as a “Sufficiency Level” global city.

Taichung City is the name of a special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan’s second-most populous city with a population of 2.82 million. It is the heart of Taichung-Changhua, Taiwan’s second largest metropolitan area. On 25 December 2010, Taichung County and the original Taichung City merged to create the current city. The Globalization and World Cities Research Network has designated it a “Gamma-level global city.”

Keelung is also known as Keelung City. It’s a major port in the northeastern region of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei, which forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan region. The city, also known as the Rainy Port because of its frequent rains and maritime role is Taiwan’s second-largest seaport.