Gansu (Simplified: 甘肃, Traditional: 甘肅, Pinyin: gan1 su4, Wade-Giles: Kansu) is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Qingzang, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu Plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north. The Huang He river passes the southern part of the province. It has a population of approximately 25 million (1997) and has a large concentration of Hui Chinese. The capital of the province is Lanzhou.
Gansu is abbreviated Gan or Long (陇/隴), and is also known as Long West or Long Right, in reference to the Long Mountain east of Gansu.
Province Abbreviation(s): 甘 gan1 or 隴 long3 | |
Capital | Lanzhou |
Area - Total - % water | Ranked 8th 390,000 km² xx% |
Population
- Total (2002) - Density | Ranked 22th
25,620,000 65.7/km² |
Administration Type | Province |
Table of contents |
2 History 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Culture 7 Tourism 8 Postage Stamps 9 Miscellaneous topics 10 External links |
Administration
There are 14 administrative areas immediately below Gansu: ten regional cities (地级市), two regions (地区), and two autonomous prefectures (自治州):
History
Gansu is the acronym first used in Song China, of two Sui and Tang prefectures (州): Gan (around Zhangyi) and Su (around Jiuquan).
Gansu province has an area of 390,000 kmē, and the majority of its land is above 1 km over sea level. It lies between Qingzang, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu Plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north. The Huang He river passes the southern part of the province.
Part of the Gobi Desert is located in Gansu.
Neighboring provinces: Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan, Shanxi and Ningxia.
Cities:
Gansu has a large concentration of Hui Chinese.
Within China, Gansu is known for its pulled noodles, and Muslim restaurants which feature authentic Gansu cusine are a common in most major Chinese cities.
Places of Interest:
In August 1949, the provincial government overprinted the nondenominated stamps "locomotive" and "airmail arrow" stamps issued by the central government. These overprints were made by handstamping in purple, and are quite rare, valued at over US$500 each. Counterfeits are known, and apparent examples should be expertized.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is located in the Gobi desert in Gansu Province.
Geography
Economy
Demographics
Culture
Tourism
Postage Stamps
Miscellaneous topics
Colleges and universities
External links