Provincial city (Taiwan)

Provincial City

Shì
Category Unitary State
Location Taiwan, Republic of China
Number 3
Populations 270,883 (Chiayi) – 431,988 (Hsinchu)
Areas 40.1918 square miles (104.096 km2) (Keelung) – 7,300 square miles (19,000 km2) (Hsinchu)
Government Local government, Central Government
Subdivisions District
This article is part of a series on
Administrative divisions
of Taiwan
First-level
Second-level
Third-level
Fourth-level
Fifth-level
  • Neighborhoods
Historical divisions of
Republic of China (1912–49)
Taiwan (1895–1945)

Provincial cities (Chinese: ; pinyin: shì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhī), sometimes translated provincial municipalities, are cities lesser in rank than special municipalities of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The divisions' level are equivalent to counties in Taiwan's administrative structure.

In the early 20th century, the criteria of being a provincial municipality, as stated in Laws on the City Formation (市組織法) of the Republic of China, included being the provincial capital as well as having a population of over 200,000, or over 100,000 if the city had particular significance in politics, economics, and culture.

After relocating the government to Taiwan, where many cities considered to be insignificant had large populations, the Republic of China government raised the limit to 500,000 in 1981 in the Scheme on the Local Rules in Various Counties and Cities of Taiwan Province (臺灣省各縣市實施地方自治綱要). It was later raised again to 600,000.

Currently, the Local Government Act of the Ministry of the Interior applies for the creation of a provincial city, in which a city needs to have a population between 500,000 and 1,250,000 and occupies major political, economical and cultural roles.[1]

Provincial cities in Taiwan

There are currently three provincial municipalities, administered by the Republic of China:

Romanization[2]ChinesePinyin[2]Wade–GilesPe̍h-ōe-jīPha̍k-fa-sṳAreaCity SeatEstablishmentMayor
Chiayi嘉義市Jiāyì ShìChia¹-i⁴Ka-gīKâ-ngi60.03 km²East District東區1982-07-01Twu Shiing-jer
Hsinchu新竹市Xīnzhú ShìHsin¹-chu²Sin-tekSîn-tsuk104.10 km²North District北區1982-07-01Lin Chih-chien
Keelung基隆市Jīlóng ShìChi¹-lung²Ke-lângKî-lùng132.76 km²Zhongzheng District中正區1945-10-25Lin Yu-chang

Timeline

Date Addition Removal No. Description
October, 1945 Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu,
Kaohsiung, Keelung, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei[3]
9Reform from the prefecture-controlled cities in the period under Japanese rule.
August 16, 1950 Chiayi 8 merged into Chiayi County and became a county-controlled city
December 1, 1951 Changhua, Hsinchu, Pingtung 5 downgraded to county-controlled cities
July 1, 1967 Taipei 4 upgraded to a special municipality
July 1, 1979 Kaohsiung 3 upgraded to a special municipality
July 1, 1982 Chiayi, Hsinchu 5 upgraded from county-controlled cities
December 25, 2010 Taichung, Tainan 3 merge with Taichung County and Tainan County, and upgraded to special municipalities
Provincial cities in existence: Chiayi, Hsinchu, Keelung (3).
Pingtung City Kaohsiung City Tainan City Chiayi City Changhua City Taichung City Hsinchu City Hsinchu City Keelung City Taipei City
Sources:

See also

References

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