Before the Spanish and Dutch started arriving in Taiwan and set up small outposts in Tamsui in 1626, the area of present-day New Taipei City was mostly inhabited by Taiwanese indigenous peoples, mainly the Ketagalan people.
During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the entire area of New Taipei City was organized as part of the Taihoku Prefecture.
New Taipei City is a conurbation which was merged from numbers of regiopolis, suburban business districts or commuter towns to form one continuous polycentric urban area.
The Port of Taipei, an artificial international seaport, is situated in the northwestern coast of the city in Bali District.
Consequently, citing public opinion, the inaugural mayor, Eric Chu, requested and received approval from the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to render the name in English as New Taipei City.
Archeological records show that New Taipei City had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, with artifacts dug in Bali District having shown remains as early as 7000 to 4700 BC.
The earliest recorded migration by people from mainland China dated back as early as 1620, when the local tribes were driven into the mountain areas.
[10] During the Qing Dynasty rule of Taiwan, the Han Chinese people began to settle in the area now designated as New Taipei City in 1694 and the number of immigrants from mainland China had further increased.
Fujian-Taiwan-Province was declared in 1887 and the present-day New Taipei City area fell under the jurisdiction of Taipeh Prefecture.
Gold and other mineral deposits were discovered at Keelung Mountain, triggering a mining boom in the region.
[13] After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in October 1945, from 25 December of the same year, the present New Taipei City area was administered as Taipei County with Banqiao City as the county seat.
The county afterward had ten county-administered cities (Banqiao, Luzhou, Sanchong, Shulin, Tucheng, Xizhi, Xindian, Yonghe, Zhonghe); four urban townships (Ruifang, Sanxia, Tamsui, Yingge); and fifteen rural townships (Bali, Gongliao, Jinshan, Linkou, Pinglin, Pingxi, Sanzhi, Shenkeng, Shiding, Shimen, Shuangxi, Taishan, Wanli, Wugu, Wulai).
It covers a vast territory with a varied topology, including mountains, hills, plains and basins.
In the northern part lies 120 km (75 mi) of coastline with gorgeous shorelines and beaches.
Other large tributaries are the Xindian, Keelung and Dahan rivers, sections of which constitute riverside parks.
The tallest peak in the city is Mount Zhuzi, standing at 1,094 m and located in the Sanzhi District.
New Taipei City is a special municipality directly under the central government of the Republic of China.
[18] The sub-city entities consists of 1,017 villages (里; lǐ), which in turn are divided into 21,683 neighborhoods (鄰; lín).
Due to its strategic location, New Taipei City is the second major city of business industries after Taipei, with over 250,000 privately owned companies (including Acer Computers Inc.) and 20,000 factories scattered around five industrial parks with a total capital of NT$1.8 trillion.
[12][20] The five major industries in the city are information technology (IT), telecommunications, digital contents, biotechnology and precision instruments.
[27] The Port of Taipei located in Bali District has the capability of fitting container ships weighing up to 80,000 tons and transporting more than 2 million TEUs annually.
The company produces 450 to 550 bikes a day for brands like Felt, Canyon (Germany), Kona, Willier and others as an OEM.
The city provides a Carbon Reduction Clinic for houses and businesses with general consultation and on-site inspections for greener equipment, in which it is helped by the low-carbon community subsidies.
The city government also actively promoting green energy industries and smart electric vehicles.
[33] New Taipei City has a wide range of historical, natural and cultural attractions for tourists.
Historical attractions include Bitoujiao Lighthouse, Chin Pao San, Fort Santo Domingo, Hobe Fort, Ōgon Shrine, Tamsui Old Street, Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Fuguijiao Lighthouse, Cape San Diego Lighthouse, Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery and Qing dynasty remnants in Tamsui and the old mining towns of Jiufen, Jinguashi and Jingtong in the east.
Natural attractions include the Golden, Lingjiao, Shifen and Wulai waterfalls, Bitan, Wulai Hot Spring, Stone Sculpture Park, Cape Santiago, Twin Candlestick Islets, Xinhai Constructed Wetland, hoodoo geological formations at the Yehliu seacoast, and hiking in Mount Guanyin, Wulai, Pingxi and the northeast coast.