The second-largest city and also an industrial city. It has a busy sea port (the Port of Kaohsiung) along with the island nation's second-largest airport, Kaohsiung International Airport. The city is often known as Taiwan's 'Harbor Capital' because of its close connection and heavy reliance on the ocean and maritime transportation. It is also one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Taiwan, with numerous designated bike paths running through the city's many parks.

Kaohsiung began in the 17th century as a small fishing village named 'Takao', derived from the local aboriginal name meaning "bamboo forest". The name was changed to 'Kaohsiung' (meaning: "high hero" in Mandarin) by the Japanese in 1921, also pronounced "Takao" in Japanese, as they found the original name of  ('beating the dog' in Mandarin) to be vulgar. 

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