Nantou City is a county-administered city located in the northwest of Nantou County, Taiwan. It lies between the Bagua Mountains and the Maoluo River and is the county seat of Nantou County. Freeway No. 3 serves Nantou City. Its name is a transliteration of the Hoanya word Ramtau with its first character chosen to complement that of Beitou's, a district in Taipei, even though there is no relation between the aboriginal names.