The Keelung River () is a river in northern

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. The Keelung River originates in the mountains west-northwest of the town of

Jingtong Jingtong () is a locale in Pingxi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Originally a coal mining town, today it is known mostly for tourism, with numerous souvenir shops and exhibits on the history of the area and the coal mining industry. Touris ...

Pingxi District Pingxi District (; also spelled Pinghsi), is a rural district in New Taipei, Taiwan. The source of the Keelung River is in Jingtong, which is inside Pingxi District. It was an important coal mining town in the early 20th century. Its populatio ...

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

, flows down to a

rift valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear dep ...

and then flows ENE to Sandiaoling. Then it flows northward to a point between

Jiufen Jiufen, also spelled Jioufen or Chiufen (), is a seaside mountain area in Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. History During the first years of the Qing Dynasty, the isolated village housed nine families, thus the village would request "n ...

and

Keelung City Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...

, and then heads back in a general WSW direction to

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, where it joins the

Tamsui River The Tamsui River (alternatively Danshui River, ) is third longest river in Taiwan after Zhuoshui River and Gaoping River, with a total length of , flowing through Hsinchu County, Taoyuan, Taipei and New Taipei City. It is located in northern p ...

and flows out to sea. The land around the Keelung river was rich in gold and coal, and many areas were mined.

Geology

Park along the river is

Dajia Riverside Park The Dajia Riverside Park () is a park located in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. Located between Zhongshan Bridge and Dazhi Bridge in Zhongshan District, Dajia Riverside Park is a metropolis-type greening park developed and constructed by ...

Pollution

The Keelung River is heavily polluted by both raw sewage and industrial pollution from illegal industry. The restoration of the natural river is on the agenda of the Taipei City Government and several citizen organizations.

Events

During the 1880s, the French general

Jacques Duchesne General Jacques Charles René Achille Duchesne (3 March 1837 – 27 April 1918) was a 19th-century French military officer. He was born at Sens and entered École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, Saint-Cyr in 1855, aged 18, and became a lieuten ...

fought the Keelung campaign in the river basin, defeating the Chinese. On 4 February 2015,

TransAsia Airways Flight 235 TransAsia Airways Flight 235 was a TransAsia Airways domestic flight from Taipei to Kinmen (Quemoy). On , the aircraft serving the flight, a 10-month-old ATR 72-600, crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Air ...

, an

ATR-72 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, Flight length, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by Aerospace manufacturer, aircraft manufacturer ATR (aircraft manufacturer), ATR (french: Avions de transport région ...

operated by

TransAsia Airways TransAsia Airways (TNA, until January 1992 known by its Chinese-translated name Foshing Airlines;For historical pictures with "Foshing Airlines" on it, see: ) was a Taiwanese airline based in Neihu District in Taipei. Though the company starte ...

, crashed into the river, close to the Nanhu Bridge in Taipei, resulting in 43 fatalities and 17 injuries, including two on the ground.

River straightening

In the second half of the 20th century, the Keelung river has undergone several manmade changes to reduce flooding and accommodate growth of the Taipei. These include straightening of the river's path near the districts of Nangang, Neihu and Shilin.

References

Rivers of Taiwan Landforms of New Taipei Landforms of Keelung Landforms of Taipei {{Taiwan-river-stub

Geology

Pollution

Events

River straightening

See also

References