Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung (Chinese高雄市, Pinyin Kaohsiung Shì, Tongyong Pinyin Gaosyóng Shih, W.-G. Kao -hsiung shih, PEH oē - jī Co- Hiong - chhi, Japanese: Takao ), is the second largest city of the Republic of China on Taiwan. She is one of five centrally-administered cities of the Republic of China and divided into 38 districts.

Kaohsiung is located in southwestern Taiwan in the South China Sea and has the most important port in the country. Here, most of the Taiwanese oil imports is handled, processed by the surrounding industry.

Geography

Kaohsiung is located in the southwest of the island of Taiwan. The actual core city located on the coast of the Taiwan Strait and encompasses the island Qijin in the west; in the north is bordered Kaohsiung to Tainan City, in the south and southeast by the Pingtung County. To the east and northeast, the ranges in 2010 extended urban area in the districts Namasia, Taoyuan and Maolin to the Taiwanese central mountains into where it borders the counties Chiayi, Nantou, Hualien and Taitung.

Due to its large area from southwest to northeast are found in the territory of the city of Kaohsiung very different landscapes. While the West is relatively flat and is excreted in Pingdong level in the southeast, the terrain in the east and north-east rises steeply, reaching in the district of Taoyuan on the south peak of Yu Shan a height of 3844 m. The area between the industrially shaped core city in the west, and the largely forested mountains is intensively used for agriculture.

The area is crossed by numerous Kaohsiung coming from the mountains streams, the largest of which the Gaoping River ( Chinese:高屏溪Gāopíngxī ) which also forms the border of the Pingtung County. The most famous is due to its tourist importance of the core city flowing through Love River ( Chinese:爱河AIHE )

Economy and Transport

Previously, among other things, aluminum, wood and paper products, fertilizers, cement and various metals were produced in Kaohsiung, most of which were destined for export. Today you can find mainly engineering and shipbuilding industries.

The metro system of the city, the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit ( KMRT ), started its operations in 2008. The first line, which runs in the north-south direction " Red Line", was opened on 9 March, the second line running east -west direction " Orange Line ", followed on September 14.

Furthermore, an annular tram ( Light Rail ) planned around the city center around. Since the end of 2012, this route is advertised as catenary free project. In January 2013, the Spanish rail manufacturer CAF was with Evergreen Construction consortium to secure the first phase of the tram project, where CAF low-floor trams of the vehicle family Urbos contributes.

The new high-speed rail (Taiwan High Speed Rail ), which shortens the travel time to the capital Taipei to 90 minutes has been operating since January 2007 by the provisional terminus Zuoying in the north of the city.

The Kaohsiung International Airport in the southern district Xiaogang is Taiwan's second largest airport. Both the train station and airport are connected to the KMRT network.

Port

The managing authority for the port is not under the city, but the Ministry of Transport. In the harbor there is a special economic zone for trade with the People's Republic of China, who came in April 1997 with certain restrictions in motion. For political reasons, it is not possible a direct goods and goods between the two countries. The existing in Kaohsiung Offshore Transshipment Center is responsible for the shipping traffic with the two ports Xiamen and Fuzhou in mainland China. Freight to Taiwan or vice versa from Taiwan to the Special Economic Zone is intended excluded. After about 48 years of deadlock in trade relations across the Taiwan Strait across met on 20 April 1997, the previously started in Xiamen on the day container ship Sheng Da in Kaohsiung in order for third countries to discharge cargo and take charge.

In 2007, the port had reached a turnover of 10.2 million TEUs and is now among the ten largest container ports in the world.

History

The town developed from a village which was called in the 17th century Tá ⁿ - Kau, which as much as bamboo forest meant in the language of the local Taiwanese aborigines. That name is the name Tá Kau was (written with the characters打狗) in Minnan dialect of Chinese immigrants. In 1624, the Penghu beaten by Chinese troops Dutch built a fortress in the village. 1630 began the first organized immigration of Chinese Fujian province to Taiwan. Kaohsiung was one of the main settlement goals. 1661 the Dutch were expelled by the Chinese people under the leadership of General Zheng Chenggong. The place was named after万年, Wan Nian ten thousand years / eternity ', and was thus one of the two municipal districts. After the name was changed in the 1670s again in Takao, finally began a steady growth of the place, caused by the constant immigration of Chinese settlers from the mainland. In 1684 the name was again in凤山, Fengshan Mountain of the Phoenix ' changed, the place was part of Taiwan Prefecture. During this time, the port of the city became important for the first time.

1895 was ceded in the Treaty of Shimonoseki Taiwan to Japan. In Japanese, now the name of打狗changed ( Tá - chewing in Taiwanese ) to高雄( Takao in Japanese ) and, even though both words are pronounced the same, the meaning of the characters used by the dog changed beating High hero, which in turn is pronounced in standard Chinese as Kaohsiung ( Kaohsiung = ), whereby the current name originated. The Japanese promoted the expansion of the town, especially the harbor.

The city was dissolved on 1 July 1979 from the province of Taiwan and upgraded to centrally-administered city. In December 1979, here Kaohsiung Incident, in which pro-democracy tendencies in the population broke way occurred.

The city was from 16 to July 29, 2009 host of the 8th World Games.

A local government reform of the Republic of China was incorporated into the city of Kaohsiung County under On December 25, 2010. The metropolitan area grew by from 154 to 2946 km ², its population of approximately 1.5 to 2.7 million.

Districts

Kaohsiung is divided into 38 districts (区, Qū ). Located in the southwest of the extended urban area " core city " includes the following eleven districts:

Qijin (旗津区, Qijin - qū ) ( Administratively include the Dongsha Islands and Taiping Dao Qijin to the district. )
Gushan (鼓山区, Gǔshān - qū )
Yancheng (盐埕区, Yancheng qū )
Zuoying (左营区, Zuǒyíng - qū )
Xinxing (新兴区, Xinxing qū )
Qianjin (前金区, Qianjin - qū )
Lingya (苓雅区, Língyǎ - qū )
Sanmin (三民区, sanmin - qū )
Nanzi (楠梓区, Nánzǐ - Qū )
Qianzhen (前镇区, Qianzhen - qū )
Xiaogang (小港区, Xiǎogǎng - qū )

In addition, the following 27 districts, which have emerged from the cities and towns of 2010 incorporated into the city of Kaohsiung Kaohsiung county:

Alian (阿莲区)
Daliao (大寮区)
Dashe (大社区)
Dashu (大树区)
Fengshan (凤山区)
Gangshan (冈山区)
Hunei (湖内区)
Jiading (茄萣区)
Jiaxiang (甲仙区)

Linyuan (林园区)
Liugui (六龟区)
Luzhu (路竹区)
Maolin (茂林区)
Meinong (美浓区)
Mituo (弥陀区)
Namaxia (那玛夏区)
Neimen (内门区)
Niaosong (鸟松区)

Qiaotou (桥头区)
Qishan (旗山区)
Renwu (仁武区)
Shanlin (杉林区)
Taoyuan (桃源乡区)
Tianliao (田寮乡区)
Yanchao (燕巢乡区)
Yong'an (永安区)
Ziguan (梓官区)

Tourism

While Kaohsiung during the period became important after the Second World War, mainly by its port and its heavy industry, it is more recently also increasingly a tourist destination, mainly for visitors from China and Japan. Popular destinations in the field of nuclear city include the Love River, the Lotus Lake, Chengching Lake of Shou Shan ( 356 m the highest point of the core city), the Xiziwan Bay, the island Qijin, the Liuhe Night Market and the tallest building in the city, the Tuntex Sky Tower. In the extended urban area, especially the mountain is a popular destination for hiking and swimming in thermal springs. The district Meinong is famous for its traditional culture of the Hakka ethnic group.

The ten tallest skyscrapers in the city

Tuntex Sky Tower (东帝士八五大楼, Dongdi shì bāwǔ DALOU ) ( rank 21 of the world's tallest building), 347 m
Grand 50 Tower
Far Eastern Ding Ding Hotel
Grand Hi- Lai Hotel
Asia- Pacific Financial Plaza
Linden Hotel
Xin Fu Hwa
Bao- Cheng Enterprise Tower (宝成企业大楼, Bǎochéng qǐyè DALOU )
Shr -Hwa Financial Center (世华商业中心, Shihua Shangye Zhongxin )
Kaohsiung Twin Towers

Colleges and Universities

In Kaohsiung, there are a number of public and private colleges and universities with a variety of degree programs and specializations:

Twin Cities

Kaohsiung has international partnerships with the following cities:

United States Colorado Springs, USA
United States Fort Lauderdale, United States
United States Honolulu, United States
United States Knoxville, United States
United States Little Rock, USA
United States Macon, United States
United States Miami, United States

United States Mobile, United States
United States Pensacola, United States
United States Plains, United States
United States Portland, United States
United States San Antonio, United States
United States Seattle, United States
United States Tulsa, United States

Flag of South Korea Busan, South Korea
Japan Hachioji, Japan
Philippines Cebu, Philippines
Vietnam Da Nang, Vietnam
Malawi Blantyre, Malawi
Kanifing Gambia, Gambia
South Africa Durban, South Africa

Belize Belize City, Belize
Costa Rica Cartago, Costa Rica
Colombia Barranquilla, Colombia
Australia Brisbane, Australia
Germany Landkreis Annaberg, Germany

Personalities

Shih Ming -teh (* 1941), civil rights activist and politician
Fan Chung ( born 1949 ), mathematician
Lung Ying -tai (* 1952), writer and Minister of Culture of the Republic of China
Lu Chen (born 1976 ), magician
Chuang Chia -jung ( born 1985 ), tennis player
Kuei Ya Chen (* 1990), badminton player
Tai Tzu -ying (* 1994), badminton player

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