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Anhui Province

Population: 64,610,000

GDP: CNY734.6 billion (2007)

Nationalities: Han (99%), Hui (0.6%) and She (0.4%)

Area: 139,400 km²

Local Weather:

Climatic features: Warm-temperate, semi-humid, monsoonal climate north of the Huaihe River with frequent spring droughts and summer floods; subtropical, humid, monsoonal climate in the south; clear-cut seasons; plum rains between spring and summer, sometimes followed by summer droughts.

Average temperature: -In January around -1⁰C-2⁰C north of the Huai He, and 0⁰C-3⁰C south of the Huai He. in July,27⁰C or above.

Annual average rainfall: 700 - 800 mm north of the Huaihe River, 800 - 1,700 mm south of the precipitation in the mountain areas.

Physical features: Mainly plains and hills; the alluvial plain of the Huaihe River and its tributaries, 20 - 40 meters in altitude, makes up half of the province's farmland; hills line both sides of the Yangtze River.

Mountains: Dabie Mountains in Southwestern Anhui; and the Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountains in Southeastern Anhui.

Rivers: Yangtze in South Anhui and Huaihe Rivers in North-Central Anhui

Lakes: Chaohu Lake in the center; Longgan and Pohu Lakes in the southwest; Nanyi Lake in the east.

Products: rice, wheat, sorghum, corn, millet, potatoes, soybeans, peanuts, sesame, rape, peas; silk cocoons, cotton, ambary hemp, Chinese tallow tree, ramie; tobacco; apples, pears, yangtao gingko; iron, coal copper.

Specialties: Qimenhong, Tunxilu, Huangshan Maofeng, and Liu'an Guapian teas.

Administrative divisions: 16 cities and 65 counties.

Capital: Hefei

Neighboring areas: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan, and Shandong Provinces.

Major cities: Hefei, Huainan, Bengbu, Wuhu, Tongling, Anqing, Ma'anshan, Huaibei, Tunxi.

Tourist attractions: Huangshan Mountain, famous for its sea of clouds, hot springs, precipitous rocks, and pines; Jiuhua Mountain, famous for its Buddhist temples; Mount Tianzhu in the Dabie known scenic.

Topography: Anhui has a complex topography. With Yangtze River and Huaihe River running through the province from west to east, Anhui is divided into three regions, including Huaibei (North of Huaihe), Jianghuai (Between Yangtze and Huaihe), and Jiangnan (South of Yangtze). The North of Huaihe River, as part of the North China Plain, is a vast expanse of flatland. The middle area between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River is a chain of undulating hills. The lands by the two sides of the Yangtze River and around the Chaohu Lake are low and flat, belonging to the well-known Middle-Lower Yangtze River Plain. The south is mainly covered by hills.

Generally: The province can be divided into five topographical zones: plain north of Huaihe River, hilly land between the Huaihe and Yangtze, Dabieshan mountainous area of West Anhui, plains along the Yangtze River and the hilly area in southern Anhui. Located in the transition region of the warm-temperate zone and subtropical zone, the climate of Anhui is warm and humid with distinctive seasons. The province's annual rainfall differs greatly and its weather is very changeful, with frequent spring droughts and summer floods.

Climate: The annual average temperature of Anhui is between 14 to 17 centigrade. The average annual sunshine hours are 1,800-2,500. The average frost-free period is 200 to 250 days. The annual average rainfalls are 800 to 1,800 millimeters.

Natural resources: Covering a total area of 4.33-million-hectare fertile farmland, Anhui is suitable for the growth of various crops.

The total water reserve of Anhui is about 68 billion cube meters. Bishihang Irrigation Project and Simashan Diversion and Irrigation Project are two key irrigation projects of the province.

Forested areas amounted to 3.6 million hectares at the end of 2005. Anhui is rich in plants and animals. It has a total of 1,300 woody plants and 2,100 more herbaceous plants. Among its more than 500 species of animals, 54 are listed as rare ones under state protection, including the Yangtze alligator and white-fin dolphin. By the end of 2005, a total of 31 nature reserves had been established, including 5 at the national level, 25 at the provincial level and 1 at the county level.

Anhui has a rich mineral resource, which is great in variety and concentrated in distribution. Among the 138 discovered minerals, 104 have had their reserves proved.