- Beijing Municipality

Population: 9.8 million

Urban population: 6.6 million

Nationalities: Han, Hui, Manchu and Mongolian.

Area: 16,800 square kilometers

Climatic features: Warm-temperate, semi-humid, monsoonal climate; hot, rainy summers; cold, dry winters; short springs and autumns; frequent spring droughts and summer flooding.

Average temperature: -7 C to -4 C in January, 25 C to 26 C in July.

Average annual rainfall: 600 mm, over 700 mm on the seaward side of the mountains; 75 percent of the rain falls in summer.

Physical features: Mountains in the north and west; flatlands in the southeast.

Mountains: Western Hills, which belong to the Taihang Range.

Rivers: Yongding River, a branch of the Haihe River.

Products: Wheat, corn, millet, potatoes, rice, peanuts, soybeans, sesame, cotton, silk, tobacco, pears, grapes, coal, iron, marble, asbestos.

Specialties: Miyun dates, Jingbai pears, Liangxiang chestnuts, Beijing duck.

Administrative divisions: 10 districts and 2 counties.

Neighboring areas: Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality.

Tourist Attractions: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, Summer Palace.

Comments: The capital of the Peoples Republic of China, Beijing is a political, economic, cultural, and transportation center.

Source: Atlas of the Peoples Republic of China, Beijing, 1989.

Last modified: Tuesday, December 16, 2003