Kaohsiung City (; old names:
Takao,
Takow,
Takau) is a
special municipality in
Taiwan. Located in southern-western Taiwan and facing the
Taiwan Strait, it is by area the largest municipality, at , and
second most populous (by urban area) with a population of approximately 2.77 million. Since its start in the 17th century, Kaohsiung has grown from a small trading village, into the
political,
economic,
transportation,
manufacturing,
refining,
shipbuilding, and
industrial center of
southern Taiwan. It is a
global city with
sufficiency as categorized by
Globalization and World Cities Research Network in 2012.