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This article is part of
Administrative divisionsa series on the of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |
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| 1st | Provinces (省 shěng) (streamlined) |
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| Special municipalities (直轄市 zhíxiáshì) |
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| 2nd | Counties (縣 xiàn) |
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| Provincial cities (市 shì) |
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| 3rd | Districts (區 qū) |
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| County-controlled cities (縣轄市 xiànxiáshì) |
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| Urban townships (鎮 zhèn) |
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| Rural townships (鄉 xiāng) |
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| 4th | Urban villages (里 lǐ) |
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| Rural villages (村 cūn) |
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| 5th | Neighborhoods (鄰 lín) |
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Suspended
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Special municipalities (Chinese: 直轄市; pinyin: zhíxiáshì) are one of first-level divisions in the Republic of China (ROC). As of now there are five special municipalities in Taiwan, namelyTaipei, Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan.
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Special municipalities are the highest level cities in Taiwan. Some cities of lower levels may also refer to themselves as municipalities [1] , however, refers to them using the following conventional terms:
Three levels of cities in the Republic of China (Taiwan):
The first municipalities were the 11 cities when the Republic of China government ruled mainland China. They are
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They were established in 1927 soon after they were designated as "cities" during the 1920s. Nominally Dalien (Dalian) was a municipality as well, although it was under Japanese Occupation. These cities were first called special municipalities/cities (Chinese: 特別市; pinyin: tébíeshì), but were later renamed Yuan-controlled municipalities (Chinese: 院轄市; pinyin: yùanxíashì), by the Central Government.
Five special municipalities in Taiwan were created after the Republic of China government took control following World War II. Taipei was made a Yuan-controlled municipality in 1967; Kaohsiung was elevated in 1979; New Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan also elevated to special municipality in 2010. Since 1994, Yuan-controlled municipalities (院轄市 yuànxiáshì) have been officially called special municipality (直轄市 zhíxiáshì) to emphasize their autonomy. Besides significant political, economic, and cultural development, the ROC law dictates that a municipality must have population of over 1,250,000.
In Taiwanese municipalities, the mayor is the highest ranking official in charge. The mayor is directly elected by the people registered in the municipality for a duration of four years.
| No. | Name | Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Abbr. | Seal | Population | Area (km²) | Date of establishment |
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| 1 | Kaohsiung City | 高雄市 | Gāoxióng shì | 高 gāo | 2,769,072 | 2,946.2527 | Jul. 1, 1979 |
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| 2 | New Taipei City | 新北市 | Xīnběi shì | 新北 xīnběi | 3,849,492 | 2,052.5667 | Dec. 25, 2010 | ||
| 3 | Taichung City | 臺中市 台中市 |
Táizhōng shì | 中 zhōng | 2,629,323 | 2,214.8968 | Dec. 25, 2010 | ||
| 4 | Tainan City | 臺南市 台南市 |
Táinán shì | 南 nán | 1,873,681 | 2,191.6531 | Dec. 25, 2010 | ||
| 5 | Taipei City | 臺北市 台北市 |
Táiběi shì | 北 běi | 2,622,933 | 271.7997 | Jul. 1, 1967 |
| Changes | June 2009 Combined population |
Combined area (km²) | Map (before) | Map (after) | ||
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| Taipei City + New Taipei City + Keelung City → Taipei City (臺北市 + 新北市 + 基隆市 → 臺北市) |
6,854,715 | 2,457.1244 | ||||
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