Keelung [key], city (2010 pop. 381,809), N Taiwan, on the East China Sea. Because of its excellent harbor it is an important port, naval base, and fishing port. It has several large shipyards. Chemicals, machinery, fertilizers, and marine products are also produced. Coal and gold are mined nearby. The city has extensive rail connections and is a major commercial center. Occupied by the Spanish in 1626, it passed (1641) to the Dutch, who lost it to invading Chinese under Koxinga in 1662. It passed to the Manchus in 1683. The port was opened to Western trade in 1860. Captured by the Japanese in 1895 and renamed Kirun, Keelung remained under their rule until 1945.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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