(including information on Hong Kong and Macao)

Population: 66.1 million
Urban population: 17 million
Nationalities: Han, Yao, Zhuang, Hui, Manchu and She

Area: 180,000 square kilometers
Coastline: 4,300 kilometers long

Climatic features: subtropical-tropical, humid monsoon climate; rainy season from April to September; typhoons from May to November

Average temperature: 8^oC to17^oC in January, 27^oC to 29^oC in July

Annual average rainfall: over 1,500 mm; high precipitation on the southern side of mountains; 40 percent of the rain falls during the summer

Physical features: situated on the Tropic of Cancer; hills in the north and lowlands in the south; hills scattered along the coastline; faces the South China Sea; includes the Pearl (Zhujiang) River Delta; the Leizhou Peninsula extends to the southwest

Mountains: from west to east arranged in an arc, are the Yunwu, Nanling, Jiulian, and Lianhua Mountains.

Rivers: Pearl River, which is the confluence of the Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang Rivers from the west, north, and east, respectively

Products: rice, potatoes, corn, sorghum, millet, wheat, sugar cane, peanuts, soybeans, sesame, tea; silk cocoons, ambary hemp, jute; sun-cured tobacco; bananas, oranges, lychees, pineapples, tongans, and other tropical and subtropical fruits; rubber, oil palm, sisal hemp; coffee, cocoa, lemongrass, pepper; oyster, abalone, pearl, sea horse, and other sea products; timber; wolfram, tin, antimony, bismuth, molybdenum, copper, lead, zinc, oil shale, salt, sulphur

Administrative divisions: 15 cities, 73 counties, and 3 autonomous counties

Capital: Guangzhou

Neighboring areas: Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Hainan Provinces; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hong Kong and Macao

Major cities: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan, Zhanjiang, Shaoguan

Tourist attraction: Seven Star Crags in Zhaoqing

Special Note: Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou are three of China's four special economic zones established in early 1980's

Pearl River Delta

The Pearl River Delta covers an area of 11,000 square kilometers and includes the cities of Xinhui, Gaoming, Sanshui, Zencheng, Dongguan, and Shenzhen. It is a densely populated, economically prosperous, and fertile region. Originally a bay with many islands, the delta was formed by sand brought down by the tributaries of the Pearl River. Gradually an alluvial plain accumulated in the bay, and the original islands became hills on the delta. Today the land continues to grow into the sea, pushing back the water 10-15 meters every year. The plain is crossed in the west by the Xijiang and Beijiang Rivers and in the east by the Dongjiang and the Pearl Rivers.

The saying "four seasons of flowers and three winters without snow" accurately describes this region. The temperature seldom drops below 0ºC, even when the region is struck by a cold wave from the north. However, flooding is frequent, especially from May to July.

In addition to being a fishing region, the delta is an important production base for sugar cane and a major silkworm base. Other delta products include rice, wheat, potatoes, peanuts, jute, lychees, longans, and ornamental plants and flowers.

Hong Kong

Situated to the east of the mouth of the Pearl River, Hong Kong is a key outpost; it guards international navigation lines and is the gate to South China. It is composed of Kowloon Peninsula, its adjacent islands including Hong Kong and Dahao, and part of the Dapeng and Shenzhen Bays. Hong Kong has an area of 1,062 square kilometers with a population of 5.6 million (1988). Its urban core covers the northern part of Hong Kong Island and the southern part of Kowloon Peninsula. A deepwater port lies between the two areas.

In 1898, Britain obtained from China's Qing government a 99-year lease on Hong Kong. On December 19, 1984, the Chinese and British Governments signed a joint declaration concerning Hong Kong stating that Britain would restore Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997.

Macao/Macau

Macao is located on the tip of Macao Peninsula in the southern part of the Pearl River Delta and includes Dangzai and Luhuan Islands in its domain. The territory's 16 square kilometers are inhabited by 426,400 (by the end of 1986) people, 96 percent of which are Chinese. It has been a Portuguese colony since the 16th century when some Portuguese businessmen made a landing on the pretext of sunning their water-soaked goods. The Chinese and Portuguese Governments signed a joint declaration on April 13, 1987 concerning Macao, stating that Portugal would restore Macao to China on December 20, 1999.