Literally, Zhúnán (竹南) means "bamboo south" but in this context, zhú is short for "Hsinchu".

The township comprises 25 villages:[2] Dacuo, Dapu, Dingpu, Gangqi, Gongguan, Gongyi, Haikou, Jiaxing, Kaiyuan, Longfeng, Longshan, Qiding, Shanjia, Shengfu, Tianwen, Xinnan, Yingpan, Zhaonan, Zhengnan, Zhonggang, Zhonghua, Zhongmei, Zhongying, Zhunan and Zhuxing.

The township is part of Miaoli County Constituency I electoral district for Legislative Yuan.

Zhunan is now part of Taiwan's computer sector and has a large Science Park.

It is a favourite spot among locals for surfing, kiteboarding, and windsurfing due to the year-round winds.