Geography

The city of Taipei, as seen from Maokong. Tracks of all Pacific typhoons between 1980 and 2005.

Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan. It is bordered by the Xindian River on the south and the Tamsui River on the west. The generally low-lying terrain of the central areas on the western side of the municipality slopes upward to the south and east and especially to the north, where it reaches 1,120 metres (3,675 ft) at Cising Mountain (七星山), the highest (inactive) volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park. The Taipei city limits cover an area ranked sixteenth of twenty-five among all counties and cities in Taiwan.

Two peaks, Cising Mountain and Mt. Datun, rise to the northeast of the city. Cising Mountain is located on the Tatun Volcano Group and the tallest mountain at the rim of the Taipei Basin, with its main peak at 1,120 metres (3,670 ft). Mt. Datun's main peak is 1,092 metres (3,583 ft). These former volcanoes make up the western section of Yangmingshan National Park, extending from Mt. Datun northward to Mt. Caigongkeng (菜公坑山). Located on a broad saddle between two mountains, the area also contains the marshy Datun Pond.

To the southeast of the city lie the Songshan Hills and the Qingshui Ravine, which form a barrier of lush woods.

Climate

Taipei has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) which is slightly short of a true tropical climate. Summers are very hot, humid, and accompanied by occasional heavy rainstorms and typhoons, while winters are short, mild and generally very foggy due to the northeasterly winds from the vast Siberian High being intensified by the pooling of this cooler air in the Taipei Basin. Due to Taiwan's location in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by the Pacific typhoon season, which occurs between June and October.

Climate data for Taipei (1981–2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °C (°F) 19.1 (66.4) 19.6 (67.3) 22.1 (71.8) 25.7 (78.3) 29.2 (84.6) 32.0 (89.6) 34.3 (93.7) 33.8 (92.8) 31.1 (88) 27.5 (81.5) 24.2 (75.6) 20.7 (69.3) 26.6 (79.9) Daily mean °C (°F) 16.1 (61) 16.5 (61.7) 18.5 (65.3) 21.9 (71.4) 25.2 (77.4) 27.7 (81.9) 29.6 (85.3) 29.2 (84.6) 27.4 (81.3) 24.5 (76.1) 21.5 (70.7) 17.9 (64.2) 23 (73.41) Average low °C (°F) 13.9 (57) 14.2 (57.6) 15.8 (60.4) 19.0 (66.2) 22.3 (72.1) 24.6 (76.3) 26.3 (79.3) 26.1 (79) 24.8 (76.6) 22.3 (72.1) 19.3 (66.7) 15.6 (60.1) 20.4 (68.7) Rainfall mm (inches) 83.2 (3.276) 170.3 (6.705) 180.4 (7.102) 177.8 (7) 234.5 (9.232) 325.9 (12.831) 245.1 (9.65) 322.1 (12.681) 360.5 (14.193) 148.9 (5.862) 83.1 (3.272) 73.3 (2.886) 2,405.1 (94.69) Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 14.1 14.6 15.5 14.9 14.8 15.5 12.3 14.0 13.8 11.9 12.4 11.7 165.5  % humidity 78.5 80.6 79.5 77.8 76.6 77.3 73.0 74.1 75.8 75.3 75.4 75.4 76.6 Mean monthly sunshine hours 80.6 71.3 89.6 92.6 113.7 121.7 179.0 188.9 153.7 124.0 99.4 90.7 1,405.2 Source: Air quality

Motor vehicle engine exhaust, particularly from motor scooters, is a source of air pollution in Taipei. The levels of fine particulate matter, including PAHs, are consistently more serious in the mornings as there is less air movement; sunlight helps clear up some pollutants, which tend to be trapped close to the ground. When compared to other Asian cities, however, Taipei has "excellent" capabilities for managing air quality in the city. Occasionally, dust storms from Mainland China can temporarily bring poor air quality to the city.