Tainan, officially known as Tainan City, is a special municipality located on the western coast of southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait. It holds the distinction of being the oldest city on the island.
The city is frequently referred to as the "prefectural capital" due to its 263-year history as the capital of Taiwan under various administrations, including Dutch rule, the Kingdom of Tungning, and the Qing dynasty until 1887. Because of its complex history of renewals and redefinitions, Tainan is commonly known by the nickname "the Phoenix City."
In terms of global classification, Tainan was designated as a "Sufficiency"-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network in 2020, though it did not receive this classification in 2022 or 2024.