Port of Taichung

The Port of Taichung (Chinese: 台中港; pinyin: Táizhōng Gǎng), also Taichung Port, is a port located in Wuqi District, Taichung City, Taiwan. It is the second-largest port in Taiwan after Kaohsiung Port and operated by Taiwan International Ports Corporation, the Taiwan's only state-owned harbor management company.

Overview

The port covers an area of 3,793 ha (9,370 acres), and includes industrial, fishing, and business ports. It is 12.5 km (7.8 mi)-long and 2.5 to 4.5 km wide. It can accommodate vessels of up to 60,000 tons, and in June 2000 earned an ISO-9001 rating. The port still has hundreds of hectares left of undeveloped space.

The harbor is located 110 nautical miles from Keelung Port and 120 nautical miles from Kaohsiung Port. In 2010, the harbor surpassed Keelung Port to become the second-largest port in Taiwan. Total investment has topped NT$457.5 billion (US$15.3 billion) by 59 companies, while thirty firms have established operations within its free-trade zone. Compared to 2010, total cargo processed has grown 21% while containers handled grew 13.92%. The port has seen growing luxury car shipments in 2010, indicating signs of economic recovery for the island.

Taichung

Taichung ("臺中" or "台中"; literally "Central Taiwan"), officially known as Taichung City, is a special municipality located in center-western Taiwan. Taichung has a population of over 2.7 million people, making it the third largest city on the island after New Taipei City and Kaohsiung. On 25 December 2010, Taichung County merged with the original provincial Taichung City to form the special municipality. The city's motto is "economic, cultural and international city."

History

Early history

The Atayal Taiwanese aborigines as well as several Taiwanese Plains Aborigines tribes (including the Taokas, Papora, Pazeh, Hoanya and Babuza people) populated the plains that make up modern Taichung. They were originally hunter gatherers who later lived by cultivating millet and taro. Several local names in central Taiwan, such Lukang in Changhua County contain "鹿," the word for “deer.” In the 17th century, the Papora, Babuza, Pazeh, and Hoanya established the Kingdom of Middag, occupying the western part of present-day Taichung.