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About My Hometown--Shanghai

Shanghai, also called "Hu" for short in Chinese, is situated at 31 degrees 4 minutes north latitude and 121degrees 9 minutes east longitude. Bordering on Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces on the west, Shanghai is washed by the East China Sea on the east and Hangzhou Bay on the south. North of the city, the Yangtze River pours into the East China Sea. It also assumes the central location along China's coastal line. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location, Shanghai has today become an excellent sea and river port, boasting easy accesses to a vast hinterland.

Topographic Features: Except for a few hills lying in the southwest corner, most parts of the Shanghai area are flat and belong to the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta. The average sea level elevation is about four metres.


Climate: With a pleasant northern subtropical maritime monsoon climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons, generous sunshine and abundant rainfall every year. Its spring and autumn are relatively short comparing with the summer and winter. The average annual temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. The city has a frost-free period lasting as long as 230 days a year, and receives an average annual rainfall of 1,200 millimeters. However, nearly 60% of the precipitation comes during the May-September flood season, which is divided into three rainy periods, namely, the Spring Rains, the Plum Rains and the Autumn Rains.

Administrative Divisions: Shanghai is divided into 15 districts and four counties. There are 204 towns, 8 townships, 99 sub-district committees, 3,5901 neighbourhood committees and 2,904 villagers' committees in the city.

Area Map of Districts and Counties of Shanghai (sq.km)
Huangpu 12.41 Hongkou 23.48
Putuo 54.83 Yangpu 60.73
Luwan 8.05 Qingpu 675.54
Pudong New Area 522.75 Baoshan 415.27
Minhang 371.68 Jinshan 586.05
Jiading 458.80 Songjiang 604.71
Xuhui 54.76 Nanhui 687.66
Changning 38.30 Fengxian 687.39
Jing'an 7.62 Chongming 1041.21
Zhabei 29.26   　

Area: The city covers an area of 6,340.5 square kilometres, 0.06% of China's total territory, which extends about 120 kilometres in north and south and nearly 100 kilometres in east and west. Shanghai has an urban area of 3,248.7 square kilometres and a combined rural area of 3,091.8 square kilometres. Its land area stands at 6,219 square kilometres and water area 122 square kilometres. The city's Chongming Island is the third largest island in China, covering an area of 1,041 square kilometres.

Water Resources: Dotted with many rivers and lakes, the Shanghai area is known for its rich water resources. The water area accounts for 11% of the city's total territory. Most of the rivers flowing across the city are tributaries of the Huangpu River. Originated from the Taihu Lake, the 113-kilometre-long Huangpu River winds through the downtown area of the city. The river is about 300 to 770 metres wide with an average width standing at 360 metres. The ice-free Huangpu River is the main waterway in the Shanghai area.

Shanghai Gallery click here

Shanghai's Important Status

To get informed of more about Shanghai, the following websites are recommended:

www.online.sh.cn  

www.shanghai.com

www.shanghai.gov.cn