Taiwan is a single long island with a mountain range down its spine, so the first
question about any place on it is which coast it is on. The first tier is a mix
of counties and cities that were once much more clearly different from each other,
and it includes three groups of islands that are nowhere near the main island.
- The quiz
- Name to place, on the map
- Grouped by
- Region: northern, central, southern, eastern and the outlying islands
- In the game
- 22 county or cities
What you are looking at
The first tier below the central government: six special municipalities
(Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung), three provincial
cities (Keelung, Hsinchu and Chiayi) and thirteen counties. A special
municipality is much larger than a city in the ordinary sense, because several of
them took in the county around them. Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung each merged
with the county of the same name in 2010, which is why they now stretch from the
western plain into the mountains.
Two of the provincial cities are the trap. Hsinchu City and Chiayi City are
small, and each is surrounded on every side by a county that shares its name
(Hsinchu County and Chiayi County). They are not part of it, and they are answers
of their own.
The groups follow the regions the Executive Yuan uses for its statistics, with
Yilan counted in the north. The eastern region is only Hualien and Taitung, and
the outlying islands are the three counties that are not on the main island:
Penghu in the strait, and Kinmen and Lienchiang (the Matsu Islands) just off the
coast of Fujian.
The map shows the counties as one shape each, and they are the townships of
Taiwan Townships dissolved, so the borders of the two maps
match exactly. Pratas and Taiping, the two islands far to the south that Kaohsiung
administers, are left off so that the rest of the map can be drawn larger.
Every name can also be shown in traditional Chinese: switch on the local name in
the start dialog.
How to place one
- Start with the three that are not on the island. Penghu is a scatter of
islands in the middle of the strait, and Kinmen and Lienchiang sit in the far
west and north west of the map, against the Chinese coast.
- Find the capital region. Taipei City is the small shape inside New Taipei
City, with Keelung to its north east on the coast.
- Split the rest by coast. The west is a line of counties and cities from
Taoyuan down to Pingtung, and the east is only Yilan, Hualien and Taitung,
each a long strip against the mountains.
- Look for the small cities. Hsinchu City and Chiayi City are the two small
shapes on the west coast, and each has a county wrapped around it.
Every county and city, by region
- Northern7 county or cities
- Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Keelung City, New Taipei City, Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Yilan County
- Southern5 county or cities
- Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Tainan City
- Central5 county or cities
- Changhua County, Miaoli County, Nantou County, Taichung City, Yunlin County
- Eastern2 county or cities
- Hualien County, Taitung County
- Outlying Islands3 county or cities
- Kinmen County, Lienchiang County, Penghu County
Worked examples
Taipei CityThe capitalTaipei City is small and entirely surrounded by New Taipei City, apart from a
short stretch against Keelung. It is the one place the map shows as a hole
inside another, which is also what makes it easy to find.
Chiayi CityThe city inside the countyChiayi City is a provincial city of its own, with a single county around it.
Both appear on the map, and the name is the only thing that separates them.
The city is the small one.
Kinmen CountyThe one on the other coastKinmen is a small group of islands a few kilometres off the Chinese port of
Xiamen, much nearer to it than to Taiwan. It is the western edge of the map,
and nothing else is anywhere near it.
Frequently asked questions
How many counties does Taiwan have?
Thirteen counties, plus nine cities: three provincial cities and six special municipalities. Together they are the 22 first-level divisions drawn here.
What is the difference between a county and a city?
A special municipality is run directly by the central government and is the largest kind of city. A provincial city is smaller and sits inside a county's territory without belonging to it. A county is the rest of the country. All three are answers here.
Why are Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung so large?
In 2010 each of them merged with the county of the same name. Taoyuan was upgraded to a special municipality in 2014, and the county that was Taipei County became New Taipei City.
Are Kinmen and Matsu on the map?
Yes, as Kinmen County and Lienchiang County. Both are administered by Taiwan from just off the coast of Fujian, and both are answers in the outlying islands group.
The tier below this one is Taiwan Townships, which groups its
368 answers by these counties. For another island country at this level, see
Philippines Provinces.
Sources
