Zhejiang Facts

Zhejiang lies in the southern part of the Yangtze River Delta on the southeast coast of China. It faces the East China Sea on the east and neighbors Fujian on the south; and it shares borders with Jiangxi and Anhui on the west and Shanghai, China's largest city, and Jiangsu on the north.

The whole province has a land area of 101,800 km². Hills and mountains occupy 70.4% of the total area in the province, while plains and basins account for 23.2% and the rest is water area composed of rivers and lakes. Zhejiang is a province with the most islands in China, having 3,061 islands with a total area of 1,670 square kilometers; among which, Zhoushan Archipelago is definitely the largest. Also, it has a lot of bays with more than 60 natural ports of various sizes, constituting a port-cluster.

This province is abundant in non-metallic mineral reserves, 12 of which taking the first three places in China, such as reserves of stone coal, pyrophyllite, alunite, etc... Furthermore, abundant deposits of oil and natural gas in the continental shelf are awaiting exploitation. Also, it is rich in fishery resources. Zhoushan Archipelago is the largest base for marine fishery in China.

Because of its long history, uniquely favorable natural environment, splendid culture, Zhejiang has vairous titles like "the home of silk, a paradise for tourists, a land full of cultural heritage, a region of fish and rice, etc... "

Provincial capital: Hangzhou

Area: Zhengjiang has a land of 104,141 km2

Geography
Zhejiang lies between 27°12' and 31°31' north latitude and 118°00' and 123° 00' east longitude. It has picturesque and rich landscapes. From dense alluvial plain in the north area, to the mountains in eastern Zhejiang coastal areas, and to the island landform in Zhoushan City, this province owns mountains, rivers, lakes as well as sea. It boasts renowned mountains, like Xuedou Mountain and Tiantai Mountain; as well as well known lakes, like Hangzhou West Lake and Ningbo Dongqian Lake. Major rivers in this province are the Qiantang River, the Oujiang River as well as the Nanxi River.

Population: a population of almost 54 millions

Administrative Division:
Zhejiang is divided into eleven prefecture-level divisions, all prefecture-level cities: 

#	Name	Hanzi	Administrative Seat	Population (2010)
1	Hangzhou	杭州市	Gongshu District	8.7 million
2	Ningbo	宁波市	Haishu District	7.6 million
3	Wenzhou	温州市	Lucheng District	9.5 million
4	Jiaxing	嘉兴市	Nanhu District	4.5 million
5	Chaozhou	潮州市	Renhuangshan New District	2.9 million
6	Shaoxing	绍兴市	Yuecheng District	4.9 million
7	Jinhua	金华市	Wucheng District	5.4 million
8	Quzhou	衢州市	Kecheng District	2.1 million
9	Zhoushan	舟山市	Dinghai District	1.1 million
10	Taizhou	台州市	Jiaojiang District	6.0 million
11	Lishui	丽水市	Liandu District	2.1 million

Climate:Under subtropical and monsoon conditions, Zhejiang has four distinct seasons as well as plentiful sunshine. It has an average annual temperature of 15.3-17.9℃, 230-270 frost-free days and an average annual rainfall of 1000-1900 mm.


Culture
Hemudu Culture in Zhejiang, which dates back 7000 years ago, is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Hemudu was the world's origin of paddy rice cultivation.

Liangzhu Culture, dating back 4,200-5,300 years ago, found near the Taihu Lake and the Qiantang River, was another major peak of proto-Chinese civilization. The inventions of silk and jade carving were Liangzhu man's most significant contributions to mankind.

Zhejiang also enjoys high reputation in Buddhism culture. During the 4th century, Ningbo Tiantong Temple and Hangzhou Lingyin Temple were well known. Tiantong Temple was the cradle of the Soto-shu Sect of Japanese Buddhism. Nowadays, over one millennium later, they remain outstanding representatives of Buddhism culture.


Transportation
Airways: There are 7 civil airports in Hangzhou, Ningbo, and other cities in Zhejiang, carrying 185 domestic and international flight routes.
　　
Highways: A "4-hour road traffic circle" has been established, linking the capital city Hangzhou to all the other cities in Zhejiang within 4-hour reach.

Railways: A railway transportation network has been formed in Zhejiang by railway lines including Shanghai-Hangzhou,Xiaoshan-Ningbo, Xuancheng (Anhui)-Hangzhou, etc...