Tamsui (淡水) saw the biggest population growth among New Taipei City’s (新北市) districts last year, while Yonghe (永和) recorded the lowest, statistics from the municipality’s Civil Affairs Department show.
The population in Tamsui increased by 4,554 people last year, while Yonghe lost about 1,700 residents.
Overall, the municipality’s population reached 3,954,929 by the end of last month, an increase of about 15,600 people compared with 2012.
Officials estimate that the population will reach 4 billion in three years.
Banciao (板橋) is New Taipei City’s most densely populated district, with 556,920 people, while Pingsi (平溪) has the fewest people of the districts, with 5,002.
The districts with the top five highest growth rates are Tamsui, Linkou (林口), Sinjhuang (新莊), Sansia (三峽) and Sijhih (汐止), in that order.
The districts with the highest population growth rate are Linkou with 4.7 percent, Tamsui with 3 percent, Sansia with 2.1 percent and Bali (八里) with 1.3 percent, followed by Sijhih and Shulin (樹林) both with 0.8 percent.
Thirteen of the 29 districts in the city showed a negative population growth rate, with Pingsi (minus-2.1 percent) topping the list.
Civil Affairs Department senior executive official Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之) said Tamsui, Linkou and Sansia showed higher population growth in recent years because the housing prices in these more recently developed areas are more affordable than in older districts, and also because people are attracted by the convenience of the MRT lines, expressways and other transportation infrastructures in these areas.
Tamsui District Administrator Tsai Yeh-wei (蔡葉偉) said the housing prices in his area are relatively low for the Greater Taipei area, and construction will start this year on a light rail transit system and the Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋), so it is not surprising to see more people moving into the district.
“High housing prices in Yonghe could account for its population loss because many residents who want to buy new homes are more likely to invest in new developments,” Yonghe District Administrator Wu Hsin-bon (吳興邦) said.
New Taipei City Councilor Chiang Yung-chang (江永昌) said that although Yonghe is close to Taipei City, it is densely populated and its limited space for development with attractive living environments could impact people’s decision to move there.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS