Benxi

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Benxi
本溪
—  Prefecture-level city  —
本溪市
Location of Benxi City jurisdiction in Liaoning
Benxi is located in Liaoning
Benxi
Location of the city centre in Liaoning
Coordinates: 41°18′N 123°46′E / 41.300°N 123.767°E / 41.300; 123.767Coordinates: 41°18′N 123°46′E / 41.300°N 123.767°E / 41.300; 123.767
Country People's Republic of China
Province Liaoning
Districts and Counties
Government
 • CPC Benxi Committee Secretary
 • Mayor Gang Rui
Area
 • Prefecture-level city 8,411 km2 (3,248 sq mi)
 • Urban 747 km2 (288 sq mi)
Elevation 131 m (430 ft)
Population (2010 census)[1]
 • Prefecture-level city 1,709,538
 • Urban 959,610
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code 117000
Area code(s) 414
Licence plates E
Administrative division code 210500
ISO 3166-2 cn-21-05
Website http://www.benxi.gov.cn/en

Benxi (Chinese: ; pinyin: Běnxī) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, south-southeast of Shenyang. Its population is 1,709,538 at the 2010 census. It was founded as a metallurgical center in 1915. Benxi Iron and Steel Company ("Bengang") is the largest employer in the city, and used to be the 4th largest steel company in China. The second largest industry in Benxi is coal mining. Benxi has pollution problems due to steel production and coal mining.

The worst coal mining disaster in the world took place on April 26, 1942 in Benxihu Colliery. A coal-dust explosion killed 1,549 miners working that day.

During the disaster of Air France flight AF447, Benxi Iron and Steel Company lost 5 employees, including the executive Chen Chiping who was the wife of Liaoning's provincial governor.[2]

Contents

Administrative divisions [edit]

Benxi contains 4 districts and 2 autonomous counties for the Manchu nation:

Map
Benxi mcp.png
# Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2003 est.) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
1 Pingshan District 平山区 Píngshān Qū 350,000 177 1,977
2 Xihu District 溪湖区 Xīhú Qū 220,000 320 688
3 Mingshan District 明山区 Míngshān Qū 300,000 410 732
4 Nanfen District 南芬区 Nánfēn Qū 80,000 619 129
5 Benxi Manchu Autonomous County 本溪满族
自治县
Běnxī Mǎnzú
Zìzhìxiàn
300,000 3,362 89
6 Huanren Manchu Autonomous County 桓仁满族
自治县
Huánrén Mǎnzú
Zìzhìxiàn
300,000 3,547 85

Within these there are 25 counties, 40 villages and towns, 229 communities and 289 village committees.

Geography [edit]

Benxi is located within latitude 40° 49'−41° 35' N and longitude 123° 34'−125° 46' E, and has a total area of 8,411.31 square kilometres (3,247.62 sq mi). To the east is Jilin City (Jilin), to the south is Dandong, to the southwest is Anshan (though the two don't actually border each other), to the west is Liaoyang, to the northwest is Shenyang, and to the north is Fushun. The area has many mountains as well as great forest coverage (74%).

Climate [edit]

Benxi has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa), characterised by hot, humid summers, due to the East Asian monsoon, and long, cold and windy, but dry winters, due to the Siberian anticyclone. The four seasons here are distinctive. Nearly half of the annual rainfall occurs in July and August. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −11.5 °C (11.3 °F) in January to 24.0 °C (75.2 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 7.83 °C (46.1 °F).

Climate data for Benxi (1971−2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −5
(23)
−1.2
(29.8)
6.3
(43.3)
15.8
(60.4)
22.2
(72)
26.4
(79.5)
28.6
(83.5)
28.0
(82.4)
23.0
(73.4)
15.6
(60.1)
5.7
(42.3)
−2.1
(28.2)
13.6
(56.5)
Average low °C (°F) −16.9
(1.6)
−12.7
(9.1)
−4.3
(24.3)
4.0
(39.2)
10.4
(50.7)
16.0
(60.8)
19.8
(67.6)
18.6
(65.5)
11.5
(52.7)
3.7
(38.7)
−4.8
(23.4)
−12.8
(9)
2.7
(36.9)
Precipitation mm (inches) 7.9
(0.311)
8.4
(0.331)
17.5
(0.689)
41.9
(1.65)
67.3
(2.65)
95.3
(3.752)
207.9
(8.185)
168.2
(6.622)
75.2
(2.961)
49.1
(1.933)
26.0
(1.024)
11.2
(0.441)
775.9
(30.549)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 5.0 5.0 6.2 8.2 9.6 12.3 14.3 12.2 8.3 7.6 6.8 4.8 100.3
 % humidity 64 58 53 50 55 66 76 78 73 64 64 65 63.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 164.4 186.5 220.5 230.2 240.8 213.0 173.5 183.0 203.7 200.8 161.1 147.5 2,325
Source: China Meteorological Administration

Economy [edit]

Benxi’s economy grew 26% in 2008 to a regional GDP of 61.1 billion CNY. Urban per-capita disposable income was 13,300 CNY (1,913 USD), and consumption per capita 10,167 CNY (1,462 USD).

With 46 large and medium-sized enterprises in Benxi, main industrial products are raw iron (14 million tons), steel (13 million tons), finished steel (12 million tons), cement (3 million tons) and raw coal (1 million tons). In 2008, 92,615 people were employed in manufacturing, 20,368 in education, 19,228 in public administration and social organizations, 17,913 persons in the mining industry, and 12,997 in transportation and storage. According to the type of business ownership, 63,000 were employed in private companies.[3]

Uranium is mined in the region.

As of 2009, Asia's biggest iron ore mine, which is reported to possess more than 3 billion tons of proven reserves, has been found in this region.[1]

Tourist Activities [edit]

The Benxi Water Cave National Park.

A river 3,000 meters long, 2 meters deep and wide enough for 20-30 boats, is found flowing through this cave 35 km (22 mi) from downtown Benxi. The cave is also filled with countless stalactites and stone flowers, pillars and curtains.

References [edit]

  1. ^ bxgk
  2. ^ "AF447 victim". www.terra.com.br. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 
  3. ^ China Liaoning Business Guide

External links [edit]