Banqiao District is the city seat of New Taipei in northern Taiwan (Republic of China). It has the third highest population density in Taiwan. It was formerly the 22nd densest city in the world, with over 24,000 people per square km. Until the December 25, 2010 creation of New Taipei, Banqiao was itself a city (Bǎnqiáo Shì; Pang-kiô Chhī; Postal map spelling: Panchiao) and the former seat of Taipei County.

Banqiao is located in western part of the Taipei Basin of northern Taiwan, in the subtropical climate zone.

Banqiao is surrounded by Taipei to the east, Sanchong to the north, Xinzhuang to the northwest, Shulin to the southwest, Tucheng to the south, and Zhonghe to the southeast. Banqiao is also bordered by two rivers, Xindian River (新店溪) to the northeast and Dahan River (大漢溪) to the northwest.

The city's old name was "Pang-kio" (Chinese: 枋橋; pinyin: Fāng-qiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pang-kiô; literally "timbered bridge"), which dates back to the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735 - 1796 AD). A wooden bridge was built for pedestrians to cross a brook located in the west of today's Banqiao. In 1920, the Japanese government modified the name (Chinese: 板橋; pinyin: Bǎnqiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pán-kiô; literally "planked bridge"), which is read "Itabashi" in Japanese. The same name is still used today, but is called "Banqiao" in Mandarin Chinese. However, in Taiwanese Hokkien, the old name "Pang-kiô" is still the norm.

Taiwan (ⁱ/ˌtaɪˈwɑːn/ TY-WAHN; Chinese: 臺灣 or 台灣; pinyin: Táiwān; see below), officially the Republic of China (ROC; Chinese: 中華民國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó), is a state in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China now governs the island of Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa), which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other minor islands. Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taipei is the capital city and economic and cultural centre of the country, and New Taipei is the most populous city.

The earliest evidence of inhabitation of Taiwan dates back to the late Paleolithic era. The island of Taiwan was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before being colonized in the 17th century by the Dutch and the Spanish Empire. The first Han Chinese polity on Taiwan began when Koxinga's troops defeated Dutch forces and established the Kingdom of Tungning. The island was subsequently ruled by the Qing Dynasty after the kingdom's defeat in the Battle of Penghu in 1683, a period that lasted for over 200 years. Following Japan's victory over the Qing Dynasty in the first Sino-Japanese war, Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895.