Guangdong
- Total - Contribution to PRC
187.8 thousand km ² 1.94%
- Total 2009 - Density
104 300 000 inhabitants 514 inhabitants / km ²
Guangdong (广东 省/广东 省, Guǎngdōng Sheng ) is a province in the south of the People's Republic of China. Guangdong is with 104.3 million inhabitants, China's most populous province. Her name means further east and comes from the time when Guangdong was just settled by the Chinese and was still a vast, uninhabited area. The derived from this name Name Canton is used in the West for capital Guangzhou, rare for the province itself Other major cities in Guangdong are Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhanjiang and Zhuhai. The short name for Guangdong粤Yue and is used in car plates.
Geography
Guangdong is located on the coast of the South China Sea and is bordered to the north by the Nan Ling mountains. At the western end is the Leizhou Peninsula, before whose southern tip of Hainan Island. The neighboring provinces are Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan ( belonged until 1988 to Guangdong), Hunan, Jiangxi, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The latter cities are also part of the historic cultural area of Guangdong, but the younger management division is a direct result of colonialism.
The southern territory of the province is divided into the midst of the Pearl River. Although he is only 177 km long, but one of the major waterways of China; it arises under other by three major rivers: the case of Guǎngzhōu the West River is ( 2197 km long), opens into the Sanshui at the North River ( 468 km long), in the Perlfuss over; south of Guangzhou East River empties ( 523 km long) in the estuary one. The huge flood plain of the Pearl River has formed here at its mouth, is an important agricultural region and in the last 20 years, a focal point of the economic boom.
The surface shape of Guangdong is approximately one quarter indicated, particularly in the coastal regions. Another quarter is rolling hills. The remaining half consists of mountains and high plains, especially in the north. The highest elevation of the province is the Shikengkong on the border of Hunan with 1,902 meters.
History
The largest part of today's province, who had initially belongs to the realm of non-Chinese Nan- Yue, was already at the time of the Qin dynasty in the 3rd century BC, the first time under Chinese rule.
After the fall of the Empire and the collapse of state authority in the early 20th century, Guangdong was first stronghold of the Kuomintang and the center of its counter-government, 1929-1936, however, the warlord Chen Jitang ruled the territory autonomously, while in 1931 Wang Jingwei in Canton formed a rival government before in 1936 the national government was able to prevail again. During World War II the Japanese occupied the provincial capital and parts of the province, 1945, the Kuomintang won back the province, but lost it in 1949 to the Communists.
Climate
The climate is humid Guangdong in tropical to subtropical temperatures. The mountainous north has a mean annual temperature of 19 ° C, in the south of 23 ° C. The coldest month in Guangzhou is February with an average of 14 ° C, while it is warm in the summer months average of 29 ° C. Rainfall is distributed very unevenly, in the north there are regions in which annual precipitation less than 1200 mm. The wettest regions, however, bring it to more than 2800 mm per year. Since then, the precipitates are also unevenly distributed. The winter months are relatively dry, but it sounds almost no longer in the spring rain ( plum rain). Regularly in summer is Taifungefahr, with August and September are a further two months with high rainfall.
Population
Guangdong is one of the most densely populated provinces in China. The population increases very strong, so it was between 1990 and 2000, an increase of 36.7 %. The one-child policy is also in Guangdong, the growth is due for the most part to immigration from other provinces. The total population in Guangdong 110 million people, which means a further rise by 38.3 % since 2000. Since the last census in 2010 is no longer Henan, Guangdong but as the most populous province in the country.
The population density is relatively thin in the northern mountainous areas. Metropolitan areas with very high population density there is in the Pearl River Delta, in the region around Shantou and Chaozhou and to a lesser extent in the region around Zhanjiang.
Ethnically, the population is composed 98.6 % of Han Chinese. On the other hand, almost all of the national minorities of China are represented in Guangdong, especially the Zhuang, Miao, Yao, She, Li, Yi and gin are home for a long time in the region, sometimes longer than the Han. Other groups such as Hui and Manchu are migrated later.
The urbanization is estimated at about 55%; largest city of Guangzhou, in the Greater officially about eight million people.
Administrative Divisions
The province is divided into 21 prefecture-level cities:
Chaozhou (潮州 市), Dongguan (东莞 市), Foshan (佛山 市), Guangzhou (广州 市), Heyuan (河源 市), Huizhou (惠州 市), Jiangmen (江门 市), Jieyang (揭阳 市), Maoming ( 茂名 市), Meizhou (梅州 市), Qingyuan (清远 市), Shantou (汕头 市), Shanwei (汕尾 市), Shaoguan (韶关 市), Shenzhen (深圳 市), Yangjiang (阳江 市), Yunfu (云浮 市 ), Zhanjiang (湛江 市), Zhaoqing (肇庆 市), Zhongshan (中山 市), Zhuhai (珠海 市)
These cities are subdivided in turn into 54 districts, 23 county-level cities, 41 counties and three autonomous counties.
Language
Guangdong is home to the Cantonese language or Yue. In the east, on the border with Fujian dialects are spoken, which are attributable to the Min, especially Teochow (潮州 话chaozhouhua ) in the prefecture-level cities of Chaozhou and Shantou; also Hakka are represented in Guangdong, who have their own language. Most people in Meizhou Hakka speak. Even the Cantonese is divided into several sub- dialects.
The massive immigration from other provinces Mandarin Chinese has established itself beside the Cantonese language and is understood by almost all residents of the province as well, also spoken by all people who have a certain level of education.
Economy
Guangdong is the strongest economic province of the People's Republic. Since 1989 Guangdong has established its leading position in the People's active shaft, and since 2001 is its share of the GDP of the Volksrepukblik more than 11 %. Calculated per head is behind Guangdong Zhejiang and Jiangsu, the third richest province of the People's Republic. Thus, the GDP per capita was in the year 2009 40.748 yuan (about € 4421 ) and was one of the highest nationwide. She has achieved a consistently high economic growth for about 25 years. The cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen are amongst the most active economic centers, while the GDP of each of the two cities lies behind that of Shanghai, but before Beijing or Tianjin.
History
Until the 1970s, Guangdong was neither very poor nor very rich province. The residents of the area but have a long tradition in the ( external ) trade and apply within China to be particularly good at business.
When, after the death of Mao, the economy was handled liberal, Guangdong was the first province, was experimenting in the unofficial market mechanisms. In 1980, four Special Economic Zones were introduced in China, among which were with Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong three. Other cities in Guangdong were the first officially introduced markets, where prices were not required by the state. By the year 1988, the Hainan Island belonged to Guangdong, but was then made by the central government against the fierce resistance to self Guangdong Province and the fifth and largest special economic zone of the country.
While many of the reforms that have been tried in Guangdong first, are now introduced in all of China, the province is still on the way towards capitalist market economy, the most advanced, outside the special economic zones. The boom, in which the province is since, could not even be slowed down by the SARS crisis, whose epicenter was located in Guangdong.
In May 1982, more than 430 people died in the province by a tsunami. Tens of thousands were left homeless.
Agriculture
Agriculture accounts for 2.5% of GDP and 40% of employment, both very low values for China. About half of the usable area is cultivated with rice, another quarter with vegetables, the rest is used for the cultivation of fruits, sugar cane and peanuts. Peanuts are the most important oil crops in southern China; Guangdong is within the country 's leading producer of bananas, citrus and mangoes.
Livestock farming is also important, it holds a total of more than 20 million pigs and more than 4 million cattle. Contrary to some reports, the breeding of dogs, cats or rats for consumption has a negligible economic importance. In fisheries originate 94 % of all fresh water and about 50% of all saltwater catches farmed.
Mining
Guangdong has some offshore oil fields for the production of crude oil in China is of great importance. The bergbauerische for the stranger most visible activity is the breakdown of rock for the booming construction industry; one is about to blow up whole mountains and reduce to gain rock for the construction activities.
Industry
The industry accounts for about half of the GDP of the province and employs 26 % of the workforce. Guangdong is the province with the highest number of industrial enterprises, as has the proportion of private enterprises in Guangdong is the highest, in 2000 only 17 % of companies were state (33% of the national average ). It dominates the light industry, which represents more than half of the total production value. This illustrates the importance of Guangdong as the backyard of Hong Kong and, to a lesser extent, Macao and Taiwan. Almost the entire industry of Hong Kong has moved to Guangdong since the 1980s.
Main products are textiles, paper, building materials, food, electronics and appliances. A major growth spurt is currently experiencing the automotive industry. The energy suppliers bring 10 % of total production in all provinces of China the highest proportion of electricity on the market; this happens mostly with thermal power plants.
Services and Tourism
With services about 49.1 % of GDP is earned. Most important economic sectors are transport, telecommunications and postal and increasingly financial services. Tourism also plays a significant role; as Guangdong has the highest number of tourists and also the highest-grossing boast to have no particular attractions. This illustrates the role of day-trippers from Hong Kong and the role of foreign business people who declare themselves for bureaucratic reasons, mostly as tourists.
Foreign trade
No province imported and exported as much as Guangdong. Specifically, the Special Economic Zones were initially set up with the aim to export cheap to produce and thereby make the economy much-needed foreign currency available. So is produced in Guangdong for the American and European market, where the raw materials are imported for it not infrequently from the target markets. About 30 % of exports come from the People's Republic of Guangdong. Import and Export Commodities Fair in Guangzhou is the largest in the country. It takes place every year in April and September.
Infrastructure
For transport, the road network has the highest importance in Guangdong. The density of motorways and highways first class is as high as in Guangdong in any other province of China; in the road network huge amounts of money continue to be invested. On navigable waterways, there are a total of about 13,700 km.
The railway network is, however, very thin; the existing routes, but are used very strong. Most important lines are the North -South connection ( Beijing - Guangzhou railway, which continues to Shenzhen and Hong Kong) and the east-west connection, especially the Guangzhou - Shantou Railway and the route from Guangzhou to Nanning. The distance between Guangzhou and Shenzhen is one of the most modern railway lines in China.
The international ports of Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, Shantou and Shenzhen are amongst the most important of the whole country; especially Guangzhou is the third largest port in China, and the fast-growing port is Shenzhen occurs more and more in competition with the Hong Kong harbor.
The density at international airports is immense in the Pearl River Delta; with Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao are four airports within a radius of about 200 kilometers. Other notable airports are located in Shantou, Meizhou and Zhanjiang.
The coverage of the telecommunications equipment is so advanced as in Guangdong almost anywhere in China; even in remote areas you can easily find IDD telephones and almost the whole territory of the province is covered by mobile network.
Education
Despite the high level of immigration from much poorer areas, especially also the rural population, the illiteracy rate with less than four percent is very low.
Guangdong has a high number of universities. The Sun Yat -sen University in Guangzhou is ranked among the ten best universities in the country.