Brief Introduction To Hubei Province

    Brief Introduction: Hubei, which lies in the middle Yangtze River valley, derived its name from its location north of the Dongting Lake. It is also known as the "thoroughfare of nine provinces": with the Yangtze River flowing from west to east and the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway running from north to south, Hubei is located right in the middle of the country's main water and land transport artery. It has an area of 185,900 sq km and a population of 56,540,000. The provincial capital is Wuhan.

    Climate: Hubei has a sub-tropical monsoonal climate, with distinct contrast between the eastern plain and the western mountainous area. It has a mean annual temperature of 15°－17°C. and sticky weather in the height of summer. With its absolute maximum temperature exceeding 40°C, Wuhan is one of the hottest places in China. The mean annual precipitation increases from 800 mm in the northwest to 1,500 mm or more in the southeast.

    Topography: With mountains in the west, north and east and low, humid plains in the central south, Hubei is like a basin with a slightly irregular shape and can be divided into four topographical zones: 1) The Jianghan Plain in the central south forms part of the Lianghu Plain together with the Dongting Lake Plain of Hunan Province. Low and flat and crisscrossed by rivers and lakes, it is the major farming area of the province. 2). The western Hubei mountainous area includes the Wudang, Jingshan, Daba and Wushan Mountains. Its main peak, the 3,053-meter Dashennongjia, is the highest peak in central China. A primeval forest area known as the "green Treasure-house", it teems with animals and plants. 3). The northeastern Hubei hilly area on the Hubei-Henan-Anhui border consists mainly of the Tongbai and Dabei ranges and is the watershed of the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers. 4). The southeastern Hubei hilly area includes the northern sloping foothills of the Mufu Mountains.

    Hubei has more than 1,000 rivers, with the Yangtze River serving as the backbone into which its tributaries flow from two directions to form the single Yangtze River System. Hubei has more lakes than any other province in China, with most of them in the Jianghan Plain. The best-known lakes are Hong, Liangzi and Changhu lakes.