Guangxi

From New World Encyclopedia
Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih  (Zhuang)
广西壮族自治区  (Chinese)
Abbreviations: 桂 (Pinyin: Guì)
Guangxi is highlighted on this map
Origin of name 广 guǎng - region name
西 xī - west
"western Guang"
Administration type Autonomous region
Capital
(and largest city)
Nanning
CPC Ctte Secretary Liu Qibao
Chairman Lu Bing
Area 236,700 km² (9th)
Population (2004)
 - Density
48,890,000 (10th)
207/km² (20th)
GDP (2006)
 - per capita
CNY 480.2 billion (16th)
CNY 10,240 (27th)
HDI (2005) 0.731 (medium) (22nd)
Major nationalities Han - 62%
Zhuang - 32%
Yao - 3%
Miao - 1%
Dong - 0.7%
Gelao - 0.4%
Prefecture-level 14 divisions
County-level 109 divisions
Township-level 1396 divisions
ISO 3166-2 CN-45
Official website
http://www.gxzf.gov.cn
(Simplified Chinese)
Source for population and GDP data:
《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005
ISBN 7503747382
Source for nationalities data:
《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China
ISBN 7105054255
As at December 31, 2004

Guangxi, full name Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is a Zhuang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China.

"Guang" itself means "expanse", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in 226 C.E. "Guangxi" and neighbouring Guangdong literally mean "Guang West" and "Guang East". Together, Guangdong and Guangxi are called the "Two Guangs" (两广, Liǎng Guǎng).

The abbreviation of the province is 桂 (Gui), which comes from Guilin, a major city in the autonomous region.


History

Geography

Located in the southern part of the country, Guangxi is bordered by Yunnan to the west, Guizhou to the north, Hunan to the northeast, and Guangdong to the southeast. It is also bounded by Vietnam in the southwest and the Gulf of Tonkin in the south.

Guangxi is a mountainous region. The Nanling Mountains are found in the northeast border, with the Yuecheng Mountains (越城岭) and Haiyang Mountains (海洋山) being its shorter branching ridges. Nearer to the center of the region are the Dayao Mountains (大瑶山) and the Daming Mountains (大明山). To the north there are the Duyao Mountains (都阳山) and the Fenghuang Mountains (凤凰山), while on the southeast border there are the Yunkai Mountains (云开大山). The highest point is Mount Mao'er (猫儿山) located in the Yuecheng Mountains, at 2141 m.

Many rivers cut valleys through the mountains. Most of these rivers from the tributary basin of the West River:

Guangxi has a short coastline on the Gulf of Tonkin. Important seaports include Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang.

Guangxi has a subtropical climate. Summers are generally long and hot. Average annual temperature is 17 to 23°C, while average annual precipitation is 1250 to 1750 mm.

Major cities include: Nanning, Beihai, Guilin, Liuzhou.

Notable towns include: Longmen, Sanjiang, Yangshuo.

Administrative divisions

Guangxi is divided into fourteen prefecture-level cities, fifty-six counties, thirty-four districts, twelve ethnic autonomous counties and seven county-level cities. The fourteen prefecture-level cities are:

  • Baise (百色市)
  • Beihai (北海市)
  • Chongzuo (崇左市)
  • Fangchenggang (防城港市)
  • Guigang (贵港市)
  • Guilin (桂林市)
  • Hechi (河池市)
  • Hezhou (贺州市)
  • Laibin (来宾市)
  • Liuzhou (柳州市)
  • Nanning (南宁市)
  • Qinzhou (钦州市)
  • Wuzhou (梧州市)
  • Yulin (玉林市)

Economy

Important crops in Guangxi include rice, maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Cash crops include sugar cane, peanuts, tobacco, and kenaf.

Guangxi has more tin, manganese, and indium deposits than any other province of China.

In recent years Guangxi's economy has languished behind that of its wealthy neighbour and twin, the province of Guangdong.

Guangxi's 2006 nominal GDP was about 480.2 billion yuan (US$62.1 billion) and ranked sixteenth in China. Its per capita GDP was 10,240 yuan (US$1,330).

Demographics

The region has a high concentration of Zhuang, over 14 million, one of the major minority ethnicities of China. Over 90% of Zhuang in China live in Guangxi, especially in the central and western regions. There is also a significant number of both Dong and Miao minority peoples. Other ethnic groups include: Yao, Hui, Yi (Lolo), Shui, and Gin (Vietnamese).

Education

Colleges and Universities

  • Guangxi University
  • Guangxi Medical University
  • Guangxi Normal University
  • Guilin University of Electronic Technology

Culture

Guangxi is known for its linguistic diversity. In the capital of Nanning, for example, four dialect-languages are spoken locally: Southwestern Mandarin, Cantonese, Pinghua, and Zhuang.

Tourism

The major tourist attraction of Guangxi is Guilin, a town famed across China and the world for its spectacular setting by the Lijiang River (Li River) amongst severe karst peaks. It also used to be the capital of Guangxi, and Jingjiang Princes City, the old princes residence, is open to the public. South of Guilin down the river is the town of Yangshuo, which has become a favourite destination for foreign tourists, particularly backpackers.

Ethnic minorities native to Guangxi, such as the Zhuang and Dong, are also interesting for tourists. The northern part of the province, bordering with Guizhou, is home to the Longshen rice terraces, said to be some of the steepest in the world. Nearby Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County.

See also

  • Prefecture Apostolic of Kwang-si (historic Catholic mission)
  • HIV/AIDS in China
  • HIV in Yunnan
  • Gao Yaojie

External links

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