In 1961, Taipei was the first city to establish a sister city relationship with Houston and vice versa. Once a prehistoric lake, Taipei is now a modern city with a population over 2.6 million. Originally the area was inhabited by plain-dwelling people. Approximately three hundred years ago the first Chinese settlers arrived on the island, founding a community that flourished. In 1882, construction began on Taipei; originally the city was built as a square, surrounded by stone walls and a moat with five gates. The western area of Taipei retains the old architecture and customs.
Recently Taipei has experienced a massive economic boom. It has many monorails and one of the best telecommunication systems in the world. Opened in 2004, the Taipei 101 is the tallest building in the world, as well as having the world’s fastest double-deck elevators worth approximately $2 million each.
Houston’s business ties to Taiwan continue to strengthen. In 2006, trade between Houston and Taiwan was valued at more than $1.2 billion. There are 11 Houston companies with subsidiaries in Taiwan and 5 Taiwan-owned companies with offices in Houston.
Fast Facts:
Population: 2.62 million
Geographical Entity: Taiwan
Continent: Asia
Latitude & Longitude: 25˚05’ N, 121˚32’ E
GMT Time Difference: GMT + 8
Time Difference from Houston: + 13
Distance from Houston: 7935 miles/ 12770 km
Climate: Temperatures vary from 60˚ F (15.5 C) in January to 82.4˚ F (28 C) in July. On average Taipei gets 160 mm of rain; the wettest months are June and August.
Language: Mandarin Chinese (official)
Governmental Structure: 12 districts with the executive of the Mayor who controls the city’s bureaucracy.
Current Mayor: The Honorable Hau Lung-pin, Mayor of Taipei
Other Sister Cities:
Atlanta, USA
Asuncion, Paraguay
Banjul, Gambia
Bissau, Republic of Guinea
Bissau Boston, USA
Cleveland, USA
Cotonou, Benin
Dakar, Senegal
Dallas, USA
Gold Coast, Australia
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Indianapolis, USA
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Johannesburg, South Africa
La Paz, Bolivia
Lilongwe, Malawi
Lome, Republic of Togo
Los Angeles, USA
Majuro, Marshall Islands
Managua, Nicaragua
Manila, Republic of the Philippines
Marshall, Texas, USA
Mbabane, Kingdom of Swaziland
Monrovia, Liberia
Oklahoma City, USA
Panama City, Panama
Phoenix, USA
Pretoria, South Africa
Quezon City, Rep. of the Philippines
Riga, Latvia
San Francisco, USA
San Jose, Costa Rica
San Nicolas, Mexico
San Salvador, El Salvador
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Territory of Guam, USA
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Ulan-ude, Russian Federation
Versailles, France
Vilnius, Lithuania
Warsaw, Poland
Additional Information:
City of Taipei Website
Visitors to Taipei