China is administratively divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 centrally administrative municipalities and 2 special administrative regions. Municipalities are directly under the administration of central government. A municipality has the same political, economical and jurisdictional rights as a province. The statistics of areas are from official information issued in mid 1997 (CHINA 1997, Published by New Star Publishers.).

     Anhui Province   
     Area: 139,000 square kilometers
     Population: 60.70 millions
     Capital: Hefei
     Major Cities: Huangshan; Bengbu; Tongling; Ma'anshan

     Beijing
     Area: 16,800 square kilometers
     Population: 12.59 millions

     Chongqing (Municipality) (Newly Promoted as Municipality in 1997)
     Area: 82,000 square kilometers
     Population: 30.02 millions

     Fujian Province
     Area: 120,000 square kilometers
     Population: 32.61 millions
     Capital: Fuzhou
     Major Cities: Xiamen; Zhangzhou

     Gansu Province
     Area: 450,000 square kilometers
     Population: 24.67 millions
     Capital: Lanzhou
     Major Cities: Dunhuang; Jiayuguan; Jiayuguan

     Guangdong Province
     Area: 186,000 square kilometers
     Population: 69.61 millions
     Capital: Guangzhou
     Major Cities: Chaozhou; Dongguan; Shantou; Shenzhen; Shunde; Zhuhai;

     Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
     Area: 236,300 square kilometers
     Population: 45.89 millions
     Capital: Nanning
     Major Cities: Beihai; Guilin; Liuzhou

     Guizhou Province
     Area: 170,000 square kilometers
     Population: 35.55 millions
     Capital: Guiyang
     Major Cities: Anshun; Zunyi

     Hainan Province
     Area: 34,000 square kilometers
     Population: 7.34 millions
     Capital: Haikou
     Major Cities: Sanya

     Hebei Province
     Area: 190,000 square kilometers
     Population: 64.84 millions
     Capital: Shijiazhuang
     Major Cities: Cangzhou; Chengde; Qinhuangdao(Including Beidaihe and Shanhaiguan); Tangshan; Baoding; Zhangjiakou

     Heilongjiang Province
     Area: 469,000 square kilometers
     Population: 37.28 millions
     Capital: Harbin
     Major Cities: Hailaer; Mohe; Mudanjiang; Qiqihar; Suifenhe

     Henan Province
     Area: 167,000 square kilometers
     Population: 91.72 millions
     Capital: Zhengzhou
     Major Cities: Anyang; Kaifeng; Luoyang; Sanmenxia

     Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
     Area: 1,092 square kilometers
     Population: 6.31 millions

     Hubei Province
     Area: 187,400 square kilometers
     Population: 58.25 millions
     Capital: Wuhan
     Major Cities: Huangshi; Shiyan; Shashi; Xiangfan; Yichang;

     Hunan Province
     Area: 210,000 square kilometers
     Population: 64.28 millions
     Capital: Changsha
     Major Cities: Changde; Dayong; Hengyang; Xiangtan; Zhangjiajie

     Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
     Area: 1,183,000 square kilometers
     Population: 23.07 millions
     Capital: Hohhot
     Major Cities: Baotou; Chifeng; Wuhai

     Jiangsu Province
     Area: 102,600 square kilometers
     Population: 71.10 millions
     Capital: Nanjing
     Major Cities: Lianyungang; Xuzhou; Suzhou; Wuxi; Zhenjiang

     Jiangxi Province
     Area: 166,600 square kilometers
     Population: 41.05 millions
     Capital: Nanchang
     Major Cities: Jiujiang; Lushan; Jian, Jinggangshan

     Jilin Province
     Area: 187,000 square kilometers
     Population: 26.10 millions
     Capital: Changchun
     Major Cities: Jilin; Tuman; Yanji

     Liaoning Province
     Area: 145,700 square kilometers
     Population: 41.16 millions
     Capital: Shenyang
     Major Cities: Dalian; Dandong; Anshan, Wafangdian

     Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region   
     Area: 66,400 square kilometers
     Population: 5.21 millions
     Capital: Yinchuan
     Major Cities: Shizuishan

     Qinghai Province
     Area: 720,000 square kilometers
     Population: 4.88 millions
     Capital: Xining

     Shaanxi Province
     Area: 205,000 square kilometers
     Population: 35.43 millions
     Capital: Xi'an
     Major Cities: Xianyang; Baoji; Hanzhong;

     Shandong Province
    Area: 153,000 square kilometers
     Population: 87.38 millions
     Capital: Jinan
     Major Cities: Dezhou; Linyi; Qingdao;Qufu; Tai'an; Yantai

     Shanghai (Municipality)
     Area: 6,200 square kilometers
     Population: 14.19 millions
   

     Shanxi Province
     Area: 156,000 square kilometers
     Population: 31.09 millions
     Capital: Taiyuan
     Major Cities: Datong; Linfen; Yangquan

     Sichuan Province
     Area: 488,000 square kilometers
     Population: 84.28 millions
     Capital: Chengdu
     Major Cities: Emeishan; Zigong; Daxianshi

     Taiwan Province
     Area: 36,000 square kilometers
     Population: 21.30 millions
     Major Cities: Taipei; Gaoxiong; Tainan; Xinzhu

     Tianjin (Municipality)
     Area: 11,300 square kilometers
     Population: 9.48 millions

     Tibet Autonomous Region
     Area: 1,220,000 square kilometers
     Population: 2.44 millions
     Capital: Lhasa
     Major Cities: Xigaze

     Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
     Area: 1,600,000 square kilometers
     Population: 16.89 millions
     Capital: Urumqi
     Major Cities: Kashgar; Turfan

     Yunnan Province
     Area: 394,000 square kilometers
     Population: 40.42 millions
     Capital: Kunming
     Major Cities: Dali; Simao; Xishuangbanna

     Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR)
     Area: 23.8 square kilometers
     Population: 435,000

     Zhejiang Province
     Area: 101,800 square kilometers
     Population: 43.43 millions
     Capital: Hangzhou
     Major Cities: Jiaxing; Ningbo; Shaoxing; Wenzhou.

Editor: Catherine