Taipei City ("Northern Taiwan City") is the largest city of Taiwan and the capital of the Republic of China (commonly known as "Taiwan"). Situated at the tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Danshui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean. Another coastal city, Danshui, is about 20 km northwest at the river's mouth on the Taiwan Strait. It lies in the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Danshui River along the city's western border. The city proper (Taipei City) is home to an estimated 2,607,428 people. Taipei City, Taipei County, and Keelung City together form the Taipei metropolitan area with a population of 6,776,264. However, they are administered under different local governing bodies. "Taipei" sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while "Taipei City" refers to the city proper.

Taipei is the political, economic, and cultural center of Taiwan. The National Taiwan University is located in Taipei, as well as the National Palace Museum, which has one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world. Considered to be a global city, Taipei is part of a major industrial area. Railways, high speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by two airports - Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan.

Taipei was founded in the early 18th century and became an important center for overseas trade in the 19th century. The Chinese government, then the Qing Dynasty, made Taipei the provincial capital of Taiwan in 1886. When the Japanese acquired Taiwan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War, they retained Taipei as the capital of the island. The Republic of China took over the island in 1945 after Japan's defeat in World War II. After losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communists, Chiang Kai-shek and his government retreated to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the Republic of China in December 1949.