What is the capital city of Taiwan?

Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan. It sits in northern Taiwan, in the Taipei Basin, and serves as the island’s political, economic, educational, and cultural center.

The city’s modern importance grew during the late Qing period, when it became the seat of Taiwan’s provincial government. Japan retained it as an administrative center after taking control of Taiwan in 1895. In December 1949, after the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan, Taipei became the seat of the central government.

Taipei is sometimes confused with New Taipei City, the much larger municipality that surrounds it, but they are separate administrative areas. Taipei City contains 12 districts, including the government district of Xinyi, where Taipei 101 stands. The city is also home to the Presidential Office Building, National Palace Museum, and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

There is a constitutional nuance: Taiwan’s legal documents do not name a city in exactly the same way modern quizzes do, and Nanjing once held the Republic of China’s formal-capital designation. In ordinary geography and current usage, however, Taipei is the accepted answer.