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Taiwan 2002 |
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Government |
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County and Provincial Municipality GovernmentsTaiwan Province has 16 counties 縣: Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Nantou, Ilan, and Penghu; and five provincial municipalities 省轄市: Keelung, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan. Each county/city has a county/city government and a county/city council to check and balance the county/city government. County governments are headed by magistrates, and city governments are headed by mayors who are directly elected for up to two four-year terms. County and city councilors are elected for four-year terms. The number of county or city councilors is determined by the population of each county, and several county and city council seats are reserved for women and aborigines.
City RankingThere are three levels of cities in the Taiwan area: special municipalities 直轄市, which, like provinces, fall under the direct jurisdiction of the central government; provincial municipalities 省轄市, which are under direct provincial jurisdiction; and county municipalities 縣轄市, which are under direct county jurisdiction.The Taiwan area currently has two special municipalities: Taipei City, which was elevated to this status in 1967; and Kaohsiung City, which gained similar status in 1979, when its population exceeded one million. The Municipal Self-governance Law passed in July 1994 raised this population requirement to 1.5 million.
Under Article 3 of the Self-governance Law for Provinces and Counties, an area with a population of over 600,000, which is politically, economically, and culturally important, shall be considered a provincial municipality. There are five such cities directly under Taiwan Province: Keelung City, Hsinchu City, Taichung City, Chiayi City, and Tainan City. These cities are equivalent to counties in status. There are 29 county municipalities in the Taiwan area. According to the Self-governance Law for Provinces and Counties, an area with a population of over 150,000 may become a county municipality, if it is industrially and commercially developed and has sufficient financial resources, convenient transportation links, and complete public facilities. Special and provincial municipalities are subdivided into districts 區. Each district has an office headed by a chief administrator, who is appointed by the mayor. Districts and county municipalities are subdivided into boroughs 里. Each borough has a borough office headed by a chief, who is elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The chief is assisted by an executive officer. Boroughs are subdivided into neighborhoods 鄰, which are the basic unit of urban governance. Each neighborhood is represented by a warden, who is nominated by the borough chief and contracted to a four-year term by the district office.
Cities and Townships under County GovernmentsCounties are subdivided into county municipalities, rural townships 鄉, or urban townships 鎮, depending on population density. Each city, rural township and urban township has a magistrate, who is popularly elected for up to two four-year terms. Taiwan currently has 29 county municipalities, 220 rural townships, and 60 urban townships under county jurisdiction.
Villages and BoroughsRural townships are subdivided into villages 村, and urban townships are subdivided into boroughs 里. The residents of each village or borough elect their own chiefs for four-year terms of office. The chiefs work with executive officers to handle the administrative affairs of their village or borough. Villages and boroughs are subdivided into neighborhoods 鄰. Heads of neighborhoods are routinely recommended by chiefs for appointment to the rural township or urban township office.
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