Taipei Basin

Taipei is the bright blue and red area in the lower center of the image. A portion of the city sits on an island surrounded by the Keelung River and Tamsui River. Space Radar Map by NASA

Taipei Basin (Traditional Chinese: 臺北盆地/台北盆地) is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the second largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by Yangmingshan to the north, Linkou mesa to the west, and the Ridge of Xueshan Range (Traditional Chinese: 雪山山脈) to the southeast. The shape of the basin is close to a triangle. The three vertices are Nangang, Huilong of Xinzhuang, and Guandu of Beitou.

The main rivers in Taipei Basin include Tamsui River, Keelung River, Dahan River, and Xindian River.

In the prehistoric era, Taipei Basin was home to Ketagalan tribes. Han Chinese did not settle in the region until the 18th century. Today, Taipei Basin is within the boundaries of Taipei City and New Taipei City and is the largest metropolitan area in Taiwan.

Pollution

The Taipei Basin rivers are heavily polluted by both raw sewage and industrial pollution from illegal industry. The natural river restortion is in the agenda of the Taipei City Government, Taipei Central Government and several citizen organizations.