Meaning of the name
"River West".

Geographical location:
Jiangxi, also called "Gan" for short, is one of China's inland provinces. It is located in the southeastern part of the country, on the southern bank of the Yangtse River, between 24'29-30'04' north latitude and 113'34-118'28' east longitude. It borders Zhejiang and Fujian provinces in the east, Guangdong Province in the south, Hunan Province in the west and Hubei and Anhui provinces in the north, covering a total area of 166,900 square kilometers.

Capital: Nanchang

Major Cities: Nanchang, Jiujiang, Ganzhou, Jingdezhen, Ji'an, Ruijin

Neighboring Areas: Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui povinces

Attractions in Jiangxi

Population:
41.64 million (2000).

Population growth rate: 9.8¡ë

Life expectancy (average): 68.3 years (2000).

Ethnicity:
Jiangxi is home to 38 ethic groups, of which the Han people are the largest group, accounting for 99 percent of the province's total population. Major minority ethnic groups include the Hui, She, Zhuang, Manchu, Miao, Yao, Mongolian, Dong, Korean, Tujia and Bouyei, with the Hui and She having larger populations. Among other ethnic minorities living in Jiangxi there are the Bai, Yi, Li, Gaoshan, Tibetan, Sui, Dai, Maonan, Naxi, Xibe, Tu, Hani, Qiang, Mulam, Uygur, Lisu, Daur, Gelao, Yugur, Jing, Derung, Lahu, Jingpo, Brang, Russian and Jino.

The She people live in some 30 compact communities in the counties of Qianshan, Guixi, Yongfeng, Ji'an, Xingguo, Wuning, De'an, Zixi, Yihuang and Le'an. Some of the Yao people live in compact communities in Nanyao Mountain and Laba Mountain.

There are averagely 259 people living in a square kilometer of land in the province.

Topography and geomorphology:
The topographies of Jiangxi are dominated by mountainous and hilly land, with mountains covering 36 percent of the province's total territory, hills, 42 percent. The remaining 22 percent is composed of plains and waters. Most of its mountains lie on the provincial borders. Mount Huaiyu in the northeast has the province¡¯s largest copper reserve; Wuyi Mountain, a World Cultural Heritage site, lies in the eastern part; the Dageng Ridge and Jiulian Mountain in the south are known as the "capital of tungsten"; in the west there is the Luoxiao Mountain; and in the northwest lie the mountains of Mufu and Jiuling.

Mountains: Mt. Mufu, Mt. Jiuling, and Mt. Luoxiao along the western border; Mt. Nanling in the south and Mt. Wuyishan in the east

Rivers and Lakes: the Ganjiang-Poyang drainage system covering the most area of the province and flowing into the Yangtze River, which coincides with part of Jiangxi's northern border; Poyang Lake, 3,583 square kilometers, China's largest fresh water lake

Climate:
Jiangxi¡¯s annual average temperature is around 18¡ãC. Temperatures in the northeastern and northwestern areas and that along the Yangtze River are lower than other parts of the province, ranging from 16¡ãC to 17¡ãC. The other parts of the province are warmer, with temperatures ranging from 18¡ãC-20¡ãC.

Jiangxi has plentiful rainfall. The average annual rainfalls range between 1,341 mm and 1,940 mm. Precipitation is richer in its southern, eastern and mountainous regions and less in the northern, western and basin areas. The average annual rainfall in the mountains of Wuyi, Huaiyu and Jiuling can be as high as 1,800-2,000 mm while that of the area along the Yangtze River and the Poyang Lake and the Jitai Basin is between 1,350 mm and 1,400 mm. The other parts of the province have average annual rainfalls of 1,500-1,700 mm.

Average Temperature: 3C to 9C in January, 27C to 31C in July

Annual Average Rainfall: 1,200 - 1,900 mm; high precipitation in the northeast; half of the annual rain focusing from April to June

Natural resources:
Jiangxi has abundant mineral resources. Of the 150 known minerals, more than 140 have been found in Jiangxi. Among these, the deposits of 89 have been verified, with 33 of them ranking among the top fives of the country. Ferrous metals in Jiangxi include iron, manganese, titanium and vanadium. Among the 13 non-ferrous and precious metals are copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. There are also 29 rare and rare-earth minerals, such as niobium and tantalum. The province has developed the largest copper mine in Asia and its copper smelting base is the largest in China.

Fifty-nine percent of Jiangxi¡¯s territory is covered with forest. Its timber reserve amounts to 250 million cubic meters, in addition to 1 billion plants of bamboo, both figures taking leading positions in the country. Most of the forests in the province belong to natural secondary forests. Coniferous forests occupy a larger proportion, with pine and masson pine being the major species. Tea-oil tree, tung tree and Chinese tallow tree are the major economic species scattering across the province.

The province boasts more than 4,000 species of seed plants, some 470 types of pteridophyte and over 100 types of bryophyte. Among the low plants, the varieties of large fungus alone are as many as 500. There are more than 2,000 species of woody plants, including over 400 kinds of arbor. Jiangxi is also home to many ancient trees, such as ginkgo, known as the "living fossil" of plants.

The good ecological environment characterized with rich water resource, changing topographies and wide coverage of vegetation ensures Jiangxi¡¯s abundance in wildlife. And its protection of the environment and wildlife has shown effective results in recent years.

Jiangxi now has over 600 kinds of vertebrates, including over 170 species of fish which account for 21.4 percent of the national total of freshwater fish. There are more than 40 species of amphibious animals, accounting for 20.4 percent of the national total; some 70 species of reptiles, accounting for 23.5 percent of the country; 270 species of birds, accounting for 23.2 percent; and 50 species of beasts, accounting for 13.3 percent of the nation¡¯s total.

Fish and birds, large in number of species, have great economic value and therefore have the priority for protection. Poyang Lake presents an ideal winter shelter for migratory birds.

Jiangxi boasts more than 2,400 rivers and streams, some 160 of which, totaling 18,400 km in length, having water running all year round. Ganjiang, Fuhe, Xinjiang, Xiuhe and Raohe are the five largest rivers in the province. Jiangxi¡¯s total water reserve is 141.6 billion cubic meters; both the figures of per capita and per unit of cultivated land are higher than the national average. The abundant water resources have created a favorable condition for Jiangxi¡¯s industrial and agricultural production.

Jiangxi has beautiful landscapes with green mountains and clear waters. The major scenic spots include: Mount Lushan, Jinggang Mountain, Longhu (Dragon and Tiger) Mountain, Sanqing Mountain, Poyang Lake, and the cities of Nanchang and Jingdezhen.

Mount Lushan has been listed as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO. Together with Jinggang and Sanqing mountains, it offers charming peaks and quiet valleys.

Guifeng Peak and Dragon Palace are noted for their precipitous cliffs and deep caves. The landscapes of Poyang Lake and Ganjiang River are attractive while ancient temples at Longhu Mountain, Qingyuan and Donglin attract visitors with unique religious architectures.

Other scenic attractions or sites of historical interest include Tengwang Tower, Bajing Terrace, the former residences of historical nobilities in Linchuan and Jiujiang, headquarters of the Red Army on Jinggang Mountain, Memorial Museum of Nanchang Uprising and Ruijin, the first capital of the Communist administration in China.

The northern Jiangxi triangle tourism zone comprising Nanchang, Lushan Mountain, Jiujiang, Poyang Lake and Longhu Mountain is one of the 14 major international tour routes in China. The province has 11 cultural relics put under state protection and 2,406 of its scenic spots or tourism areas have been registered as major provincial projects.

Transportation
Railways:Jiangxi has convenient water and land transportation facilities. Five trunk railway lines link the province with other regions of the country, such as the Zhejiang-Jiangxi, Xiangtan-Jiujiang, Yingtan-Xiamen and Beijing-Kowloon railways. A total of 2,241 km railways are open to traffic, with 200 railway stations in operation.

Highways:
Jiangxi has an established highway network with cities such as Nanchang, Ganzhou, Ji'an, Shangrao, Fuzhou, Yichun and Jiujiang as road transportation hubs. The mileage open to traffic totals 37,318 km, of which 30.48 percent are first-grade and second-grade roads. All the townships in the province now are linked by highways.

Waterways:
With the Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River in its territory, Jiangxi has a waterway navigation network totaling 5,537 km in mileage. The Jiujiang Port provides direct linkage to overseas ports. Fifty-six of the province¡¯s ports have an annual handling capacity of 10,000 tons or more, their berths totaling 712.

Airports:
Nanchang Airport offers domestic flights to major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Changsha, Xi'an, Ningbo, Xiamen, Wenzhou, Fuzhou and Ganzhou. There are direct flights from Mount Lushan to Beijing and Huiyang in Guangdong Province.

Telecommunications
Telephones:
The province's telephone switching system capacity has expanded to 3.41 million lines. The rate of fixed telephone is 12 per 100 people. The number of mobile phone subscribers has reached 1.4 million. The yearly output of the postal sector in the province totaled 8.13 billion yuan (US$981.88 million). The number of registered Internet users has reached 269,472.

Radio and TV stations:
Jiangxi has 11 radio broadcasting stations and 12 TV stations.