Guangdong

Guangdong is a province of southern China, on the South China Sea, west of the Taiwan Strait. The province has an area of 197,100 Ü (76,101 æ), excluding the island of Hainan, which became a separate province in 1988. The population is 68,680,000 (1996 est.). Guangzhou (Canton) is the chief city and capital; other major cities include Shantou (Shan-t'ou) and Shaoguan (Shao-kuan). The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao are enclaves surrounded by Guangdong.

The province is generally hilly and mountainous, although the Pearl River delta, the Luiqiao (Luichow) Peninsula, and several delta plains and inland basins are lowland areas. The climate is subtropical; yearly rainfall averages 1,600 mm (63 in). Two crops of rice can be harvested each year. Sweet potatoes are the leading crop for drier soils; sugarcane is also extensively grown, as well as about 300 species of fruit. Mineral resources, including tungsten, iron, and manganese, are considerable. Industries include steel, textiles, shipbuilding, canning, and sugar refining. Beginning in 1979, foreign investment led to spectacular economic development in Guangdong, particularly in the Special Economic Zones of Shenzhen (Shen-chen), near Hong Kong; Zhuhai (Chu-hai), near Macao; and Shantou (Shan-t'o), near Taiwan.

The population, about 98% ethnic Chinese, is divided into several language groups, constituting the largest group of non-Mandarin (official standard Chinese) speakers in the country. The Cantonese dialect is spoken by almost two-thirds of the population. (See Chinese language.)

Guangdong had earlier contacts with the West than did most other parts of China, and crowded conditions in the farming villages near Guangzhou led to the emigration of many Cantonese, especially to Southeast Asia and the United States. In recent times the province's prosperity has attracted migrants from poorer parts of China.