The economic and historical backgrounds of a city have a direct bearing on its development. Structure, type and functions of a city in the old agricultural countries of the Orient, are quite different from those of a city in the industrial and commercial countries in Europe and America. In Europe or America a place with a population of 2, 000 can well be a city. However, in China where big villages can often be found in the country such a standard does not fit, and a village with as many inhabitants as over 5, 000 can still be a village. The same is true in Taiwan (Formosa). Therefore, to use population as the sole criterion to ascertain the status of a place, whether a town or a village is highly irrelevant.
The urbanization in Formosa can be classified into two groups. Those of larger size are called cities, such as Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, etc. those of smaller size, rural towns, such as Tamsui, Fungyuan, Huwei, Fungshan, etc. In this classification, there are altogether 12 cities and 88 towns in Formosa. Classified population statistics of these cities and towns are, however, unavailable to date, not to mention any scientific study and analysis of such statistics. As demarcated by the government for administrative purpose, there are now in Formosa five cities which are under the direct control of the Provincial Government. They are Taipei, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. And there are six cities under the jurisdiction of hsien governments, namely, Hsinchu, Changhua, Chiayi, Pingtung, Ilan, and Hualien. Most of these Provincial and Hsien cities possess, as their limits dictate, big stretches of lands which are, for a great part, still farm lands. The real built-up areas in these cities occupy but a small fraction of the total terrtiory. Consequently, the population statistics of these cities which are officially released by the government do not in effect represent a true picture of the population of the built-up area of these cities. Take Taichung for example the area of Taichung City is nominally as large as 165 square kilometers, and within it dwells a populaiton of 211, 200. As a matter of fact, however, the built-up area of the city covers only a very small part of it, lese than 10 square kilometers in size, and with a population of 148, 970. Indiscriminative reference of such statistics is bound to fail the purpose for which they were originally intended.
This Institute of Agricultural Geography has, during the past few years shown much interest in the study of demographical geography of Formosa. The author recorded whatever he observed on this subject during his several islandwide tours of inspecton of land utilization of Formosa, which fami-liarized himself with every corner of the island. Furthermore, this Institute has mede a detailed study of several leading cities of Formosa. From February to May 1952, the author leading a group of assistants and students again visited every rural town in North Formosa to make a better and closer observation of them. At the end of June, we mailed over 100 copies of some survey forms to all the governments or administrative centers of these towns for them to fill out and mail back.
