The days of the sailing ships Pali was originally called Palifen, a transliteration of the place name used by the Ketagalan indigenous people. Located on the northwest corner of Taiwan, Pali faces the Taiwan Strait to the northwest, rests against Mt. Kuanyin to the southeast, and looks across the river toward Tanshui to the northeast.
八里，原名八里坌，是凱達格蘭族居住地名之音譯，位於台灣西北端，西北臨台灣海峽，東南背觀音山，東北隔淡水河與淡水鎮對望。