Anhui China
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?ˉs 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??C to 17??C 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.
The land for forestry is 41,800 square kilometers, accounting for 12 percent of the total land of the province.
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.
Anhui has a rich mineral resource, which is great in variety and concentrated in distribution. Among the 130 discovered minerals, 67 have had their reserves proved, 49 have been exploited, and 38 rank among the first 10 in the country in terms of reserve. According to the calculation based on the fixed price in 1990, the potential value of the province?ˉs mineral reserves reach 1,920 billion yuan, ranking the tenth in China. Among them, the reserves and potential values of 11 minerals, including coal, iron, copper, sulphur and alum stone, rank among the top ones in eastern China and even in the country.
Total Population:Anhui registered a birth rate of 11.15?? in the year 2003, 0.05 permillage points lower than that of the previous year. The mortality was 5.2??, up 0.03 permillage points from the previous year. The natural growth rate of the
Population was 5.95??, down 0.08 permillage. At the end of 2003, the province had a total registered
Population of 64.1 million.
Ethnicity:
There are 59.484 million Han people, accounting for 99.37 percent of the total
Population. People of other ethnic groups are 376,000, accounting for 0.63 percent of the total
Population. In addition to the main minority ethnic group of the Hui, there are 52 other ethnic groups, including the Man, Zhuang and She.
Literacy:
There were 73 institutes of higher learning, 521 secondary technical schools, 3,820 middle schools, and 22328 primary schools with a total amount of 11.73 million students by the end of 2003.
Railways
The railways in operation total 3,080 kilometers. The
Beijing-Kowloon Railway runs through the province, with Fuyang and Hefei serving as its major transition hubs.
Anhui has become one of the railway transport centers in central China. The year 2003 saw the completion of the Hefei-Xi?ˉan section of the Nanjing-Xi?ˉan Railway line.
Highways
A total of 39,264 kilometers of highways are open to traffic. The Hefei-Nanjing-
Shanghai expressway is a thoroughfare linking up cities in the Yangtze River Delta. In 2003, the northern section of the Hefei-Xuzhou Expressway was completed and open to traffic.
Waterways
The four cities on the Yangtze River including Wuhu, Maanshan, Tongling and Anqing, have all established nationally first-class ports. Wuhu and Tongling ports have been approved to open to foreign vessels. From these
Anhui river ports, ships can go to
Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
Airports
The province has six airports, including Hefei, Huangshan, Fuyang, Wuhu, Anqing, and Bengbu, from where flights go to 29 large and medium-sized cities in China. From Hefei and Huangshan, one can take a direct flight to
Hong Kong.
