T'ai-pei

▪ county, Taiwan

      northernmost hsien (county), Taiwan, occupying an area of 792 square miles (2,051 square km). It is bordered by I-lan hsien (southeast), T'ao-yüan hsien (southwest), and the East China Sea (north). Taipei (q.v.) shih (municipality) and Chi-lung (Keelung) shih, administratively independent cities, are located within the northern part of the hsien. The Hsüeh-shan Mountain Range in the southeast, with an average elevation of 4,590 feet (1,400 m), gradually gives way to the alluvial river basins and coastal plains in the north. In the extreme north the Ch'i-hsing Mountains rise to 3,675 feet (1,120 m). The T'ai-pei basin, drained by the Tan-shui (Tamsui) River, is fertile; citrus fruits, tea, rice, and sweet potatoes are grown. The Chi-lung and T'ai-pei coalfields are in the central part of the county; bauxite, clay, sulfur, iron-ore, copper, and mercury deposits are also worked. Industries produce wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, chemicals, canned food, and fertilizers. Three nuclear reactors are located in the northern coastal belt and provide a major portion of Taiwan's electricity. The hsien developed rapidly after it became the refuge and headquarters of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Chinese regime in 1949 following its defeat in the Chinese revolution. The Lin-k'ou and Jui-fang industrial parks are near Taipei city. The Yeh-liu Sea Park is on the northern coast of the county, and the Wu-lai Forest Recreational Area, with Taiwan's only passenger cableway, is 18 miles (30 km) south of Taipei city. Pan-ch'iao is the administrative seat. Pop. (1989 est.) 2,903,199.

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