Natural Environment

Geographical Location

Shaanxi is situated at the hinterland of China at longitude of 105° 29′-111° 15′ east and latitude of 31° 42′-39° 35′north. It neighbors the provinces of Shanxi and Henan to the east, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province to the west, Sichuan Province,Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province to the south, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north. With convenient transportation links and a strategic location, it serves as a hub which connects eastern and central China with northwestern and southwestern China. The geodetic origin of China is found in Yongle Town, Jingyang County,Shaanxi Province.

Shaanxi has jurisdiction over 10 prefecture-level cities, namely Xi'an, Baoji, Xianyang, Tongchuan, Weinan, Yan'an, Yulin, Hanzhong, Ankang and Shangluo, as well as the Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Industries Demonstration Zone. It had a permanent registered population of 39.5 million in 2020.

Landform

With a total area of 205,600 square kilometers, Shaanxi spans the basins of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, covering intermediate, warm temperate and subtropical climatic zones. The province consists of three parts:Northern Shaanxi, Guanzhong, and Southern Shaanxi. Topographically, Shaanxi is long and narrow, with higher altitudes in both south and north and lower elevation in the middle. Within the territory of Shaanxi, there are various landforms, such as plateaus, mountainous regions, plains and basins. Thus, the climate, hydrology and geomorphology vary across the province with distinctive characteristics. The over 1,600 km-long Qinling Mountains, are the great divide between the northern and southern parts of China.

Rich Resources

As a key resource province of China, Shaanxi has 138 types of minerals and enjoys an important position in the country in terms of mineral resources. Among 15 important minerals of great significance in national economy, the retained reserve of petroleum ranks third in the country, while those of coal, natural gas and cement limestone all rank fourth. Therefore, Shaanxi has become an important energy base for the west-to-east transmission of gas, electricity and coal in China. The Qinling Mountain Range is home to over 3,800 wild seed plants, accounting for about 15% of the national total, and 119 endangered animals, including the panda, the golden monkey, the crested ibis and the takin. The Qinling-Daba Mountainous Region in Southern Shaanxi is rich in water resources and has enormous potential for exploitation of hydropower. It is also a water source for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.