Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China has a population of 26 million inhabitants. The Yellow River passes through the southern section of the province of Gansu and the province is located between the Huangtu and the Qinghai Plateaus, at the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Gansu Province has Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to the west. The capital city of Gansu Province is Lanzhou City which is in the southeastern part of Gansu Province.
Gansu Province has a great history of the former Chinese Empire during the Han and the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall of China was extended through Gansu during the Han Dynasty. The Yangguan Fort and the strategic Jade Gate Pass was also constructed during the Ming Dynasty. In the past, many residents of the Province of Gansu embraced Islam from 848 to 1036AD when a Uyghur nation was founded.
Due to the fact that Gansu was situated along the Silk Route it was converted into a very important economically province.
Provincial Capital: Lanzhou
Area: Gansu Province has an area about 454,000 square kilometers.
Geography: Gansu is an important province in northwest China. Being abbreviated as "Gan" or "Long", it is situated as geographical center, on the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Running through the whole province, the ancient Silk Road and the new Eurasian Continental Bridge are important thoroughfare linking up East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia and Europe.
The landforms in Gansu are complicated and varied. High mountains and deep valleys are aloft on its southeastern part with peaks rising one higher than another. The highest peak of the province is Tuanjie Peak of Qilian Mountain with an altitude of 5,808 meters above sea level and its lowest point is the bottom of Bailongjiang River valley in the eastern part of Wenxian County with an altitude of only 550 meters above sea level.
There are 450 rivers in Gansu, among which 78 rivers have a yearly runoff of over 100 million cubic meters each. The Black River, Shule River, Yellow River trunk stream, Tao River and Jialingjiang River are the greater ones.
Population: Gansu has been a multi-ethnic province since ancient times. Among its total population of 26 million, the minority population takes up 2.199 million. Hui nationality is the largest in all the minority nationalities with a population of 1.185 million. Ten ethnic groups of Hui. Tibet, Dongxiang, Tu, Yugu, Baoan, Mongolia, Sala, Hazak and Manchu have inhabited in Gansu for generations. Yugu, Dongxiang and Baoan are unique nationalities.
Administrative Division: Under the provincial administration, there are 12 prefecture level cities of Lanzhou, Tianshui, Baiying, Jinchang, Jiayuguan, Qingyang, Pingliang, Zhangye, Jiuquan, Dingxi and Longnan, two autonomous prefectures of Linxia and gannan, 4 county level cities, 59 counties, 7 ethnic minority autonomous counties and 17 districts under city jurisdiction.
Climate: Gansu has a dry climate with plenty of sunshine, strong radiation and the temperature varies greatly from day to night. The annual average temperature is between 0degree Celsius -14degree Celsius dropping from the southeast to the northwest.
Its annual rainfall is about 300millimeters and differs greatly in different parts. It is reduced from 760 millimeters in the southeast to 42 millimeters in the northwest. The seasonal rainfall is also uneven and concentrated mainly from June to September. Gansu has rich solar energy resources with an annual sunshine time of 1,700-3,300 hours, increasing from the southeast to the northwest. Hexi Corridor has a maximum annual sunshine time of 2,800-3,300 hours, Longnan has a minimum sunshine time of 1,800-2,300 hours, Longzhong, Longnan and Gannan has an annual sunshine time of 2,100-2,700 hours.
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