[2] Its name is a transliteration of the Hoanya word Ramtau with its first character (南; "south") chosen to complement that of Beitou's (北; "north"), a district in Taipei, even though there is no relation between the aboriginal names.

[3] The Han Chinese began arriving in the area during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of Qing Dynasty.

In 1901, during Japanese rule, Nanto Chō (南投廳) was one of twenty local administrative offices established.

[1] Due to its location along the Chelungpu Fault,[4] Nantou was strongly affected by the 1999 Jiji earthquake: 92 people died[5] and over 1,000 buildings were damaged[6] Nantou City's economy is based on agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing.

[8] Longquan, Kangshou, Sanmin, Renhe, Nantou, Zhangren, Chongwen, Sanxing, Sanhe, Jiaxing, Jiahe, Pinghe, Zhenxing, Qianqiu, Jungong, Tungshan, Yingnan, Yingbei, Neixing, Neixin, Guanghui, Guangrong, Guangming, Guanghua, Zhangxing, Zhanghe, Pingshan, Xinxing, Yongfeng, Fuxing, Fengshan, Yongxing, Fengming and Fushan Village.