Guangdong
Most populous province of China, on the coast of the South China Sea / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Guangdong (UK: /ɡwæŋˈdʊŋ/, US: /ɡwɑːŋ-/),[6] Cantonese: Canton or Kwangtung, is China's top economically developed province[7][8] and located in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea, bordering Hong Kong.[8] The capital of the province is Guangzhou 广州. With a population of 126.84 million (as of 2021)[4] across a total area of about 179,800 km2 (69,400 sq mi),[1] Guangdong is the most populous province of China and the 15th-largest by area as well as the second-most populous country subdivision in the world. In the province, the most developed city is Shenzhen 深圳 [9](the second being Guangzhou), which directly borders Hong Kong and is often described as China's Silicon Valley. The province is also known for having beautiful beaches.
Guangdong
广东 Canton | |
|---|---|
| Province of Guangdong | |
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 广东省 |
| • Hanyu Pinyin | Guǎngdōng shěng |
| • Cantonese Jyutping | Gwong2dung1 saang2 |
| • Abbreviation | GD / 粤 (Yuè / Jyut6) |
.jpg) .jpg)   From top to bottom, left to right: Canton Tower in Guangzhou, Shenzhen Bay, Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, Huangmanzhai Waterfall, Taishan Xiachuan Island | |
.svg) Map showing the location of Guangdong Province | |
| Coordinates: 23°24′N 113°30′E | |
| Country | China |
| Named for | Abbreviated from "Guǎngnándōng Lù" (A "lù" (often translated "Circuit") was equal to a province or a state in Song China) 广 = wide, vast, expanse 东 = east literally, "At the East of the Expanse" (Guangxi being the West) |
| Capital (and largest city) | Guangzhou |
| Divisions - Prefecture-level - County-level - Township- level | 21 prefectures 122 counties 1609 towns and subdistricts |
| Government | |
| • Type | Province |
| • Body | Guangdong Provincial People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Huang Kunming |
| • Congress Chairman | Huang Chuping |
| • Governor | Wang Weizhong |
| • Provincial CPPCC Chairman | Lin Keqing |
| • National People's Congress Representation | 169 deputies |
| Area | |
| • Total | 179,800 km2 (69,400 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 15th |
| Highest elevation | 1,902 m (6,240 ft) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
| • Total | 126,012,510 |
| • Rank | 1st |
| • Density | 700/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 7th |
| Demonym(s) | Cantonese, Guangdongese[3] |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic composition | Han – 99% Zhuang – 0.7% Yao – 0.2% |
| • Languages and dialects | Cantonese and other Yue languages, Hakka, Teochew, Swatow, Chaoshan Min, Leizhou Min, Tuhua, Mandarin, Zhuang, Yao |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-GD |
| GDP[4] | 2022 |
| – Total | ¥12.912 trillion (1st) $1.920 trillion (nominal) $3.152 trillion (PPP) |
| – Per capita | ¥102,465 (7th) $15,234 (nominal) $25,016 (PPP) |
| – Growth |  1.9% |
| HDI (2021) | 0.799[5] (6th) – high |
| Website | www (in Chinese) |
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Guangdong's economy is currently the largest of any provincial-level division in China, with a GDP of 12.9 trillion RMB ($1.7 trillion in GDP nominal) in 2022, contributing approximately 10.6% of the total economic output of mainland China. It has a diversified economy, and was known as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road of ancient China.[10] It is home to the production facilities and offices of a wide-ranging set of Chinese and foreign corporations. Guangdong has benefited from its proximity to the financial hub of Hong Kong, which it borders to the south. Guangdong also hosts the largest import and export fair in China, the Canton Fair, hosted in the provincial capital of Guangzhou. The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, a Chinese megalopolis, is a core for high technology, manufacturing and foreign trade. Located in this zone are two of the four top Chinese cities and the top two Chinese prefecture-level cities by GDP; Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the first special economic zone in the country. These two are among the most populous and important cities in China, and have now become two of the world's most populous megacities and leading financial centres in the Asia-Pacific region.[11]
The province of Guangdong surpassed Henan and Shandong to become the most populous province in China in January 2005, registering 79.1 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants who lived in the province for at least six months of the year;[12][13] the total population was 126,012,510 in the 2020 Chinese census, accounting for 8.93 percent of mainland China's population.[14] This makes it the most populous first-level administrative subdivision of any country outside of South Asia. The vast majority of the historical Guangdong Province is administered by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Pratas Island in the South China Sea is part of Cijin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (ROC); the island was previously part of Guangdong Province before the Chinese Civil War.[15][16]
After the unification of Lingnan region in the Qin dynasty, the immigrants from the Central Plains moved in and formed the local culture with a unique style. With the outward movement of the Guangdong people, the Hakka and Cantonese languages, music, cuisine, opera and tea ceremony have been spread throughout the nation, Southeast Asia and other countries. Guangdong was also the birthplace of the father of modern China and the founder of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen where he later declared a military government in the Warlord Era. The two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau fall within the scope of Guangdong cultural influence, and Guangdong culture still has profound influences on the Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia, with the vast majority of the Chinese diaspora in the two countries claiming ancestry from Guangdong Province.
Guangdong is also one of the leading provinces in research and education in China. Guangdong hosts 160 institutions of higher education, ranking first in South Central China region and 2nd among all Chinese provinces/municipalities after Jiangsu.[17] As of 2022, two major cities ranked in the top 30 cities in the world (Guangzhou 10th and Shenzhen 28th) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.[18]