Nantou County

Nantou County
南投縣
Nan-t'ou
Top:Shuili Water Creek in Shuili Township, 2nd left:Mount Yu, 2nd right:Nantou County Museum of History in Nantou City, 3rd left:View of Sun Moon Lake, from Xuanzang Temple in Yuchi Township, 3rd right:Evergreen Glassland in Renci Township, Bottom left:Tou George Pond in Taiwan Educational University of Nature, Bottom right:Mount Hehuan
Top:Shuili Water Creek in Shuili Township, 2nd left:Mount Yu, 2nd right:Nantou County Museum of History in Nantou City, 3rd left:View of Sun Moon Lake, from Xuanzang Temple in Yuchi Township, 3rd right:Evergreen Glassland in Renci Township, Bottom left:Tou George Pond in Taiwan Educational University of Nature, Bottom right:Mount Hehuan
Flag of Nantou County
Official seal of Nantou County
Map
Coordinates: 23°54′55.28″N 120°41′4.32″E / 23.9153556°N 120.6845333°E / 23.9153556; 120.6845333
Country Republic of China (Taiwan)
ProvinceTaiwan (de facto defunct)
SeatNantou City
Largest cityNantou City
Boroughs1 city, 12 (4 urban, 8 rural) townships
Government
 • Body
 • County MagistrateHsu Shu-hua (KMT)
Area
 • Total4,106.436 km2 (1,585.504 sq mi)
 • Rank2 of 22
Population
 (January 2023)
 • Total479,666
 • Rank15 of 22
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (National Standard Time)
ISO 3166 codeTW-NAN
Websitewww.nantou.gov.tw
Symbols
FlowerPlum blossom (Prunus mume)
TreeCamphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora)
Nantou County
Traditional Chinese南投
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinNántóu Xiàn
Bopomofoㄋㄢˊ   ㄊㄡˊ   ㄒㄧㄢˋ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhNantour Shiann
Wade–GilesNan²-tʻou² Hsien⁴
Tongyong PinyinNántóu Siàn
MPS2Nántóu Shiàn
IPA[nǎn.tʰǒʊ ɕjɛ̂n]
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳNàm-thèu-yen
Southern Min
Hokkien POJLâm-tâu-koān
Tâi-lôLâm-tâu-kuān

Nantou County (Chinese: 南投縣; pinyin: Nántóu Xiàn; Hokkien POJ: Lâm-tâu-koān; Hakka PFS: Nàm-thèu-yen) is the second largest county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country.[1] It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau.[2]

Its mountainous area makes it a tourist destination. The largest natural lake in Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake, is located in this county. Other well-known tourist sites of the county including Aowanda, Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, Hehuanshan, Paper Dome, Qingjing Farm, Shanlinxi, Shuiyuan Suspension Bridge and Xitou. Notable cities in Nantou are Nantou City and Puli Town. The official butterfly of Nantou County is the broad-tailed swallowtail butterfly (Agehana maraho). Nantou's tung-ting tea is one of the most famous and high-quality oolong teas grown in Taiwan.[3]

  1. ^ See List of administrative divisions of Taiwan
  2. ^ 南投的地方起源與變遷 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. 此地原本為平埔族Arikun族南投(Ramtau)社之故址所在,此「南投」之地名即翻譯自平埔族語。
  3. ^ "Dong Ding Oolong Tea: Product Description" Archived 2016-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. The Brixton Tea Party. 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.