Guangdong Self-Driving Tourist Mapbook

Author: Guangdong Map Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Guangdong is located in the southern part of mainland China, bordering Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Hong Kong, and Macau. To the southwest, it faces Hainan across the sea. Legend has it that it was once the land of the Baiyue (Yue), hence its abbreviation "Yue." The province has a land area of approximately 180,000 square kilometers and a population of over 86.4 million. All 54 ethnic groups of China have people residing in Guangdong, with the Han, Zhuang, Yao, Hui, Manchu, She, and other ethnic groups being the most prominent. Currently, it has 21 prefecture-level cities, 23 county-level cities, 41 counties, 3 autonomous counties, and 54 city districts (county-level). The provincial capital, Guangzhou, is not only the political, economic, technological, educational, and cultural center of the province but also a regional central city in South China, a transportation and communication hub, and a trade port. It is known as the "Southern Gateway of the Motherland" and is a cultural city with over 2,000 years of history. Guangdong was one of the earliest provinces to implement China's reform and opening-up policy and is one of the most dynamic and outward-looking regions in the country. In 2000, the province's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 950.6 billion yuan, accounting for 10.63% of the national total. The per capita GDP was 12,973 yuan, an increase of 8.9% year-on-year. The total social fixed asset investment and total retail sales of social consumer goods were 320.6 billion yuan and 407.2 billion yuan, respectively, accounting for 13.22% and 11.92% of the national total.