Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
| Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture 恩施土家族苗族自治州 |
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| — Autonomous Prefecture — | |
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| Coordinates: 30°17′N 109°29′E / 30.283°N 109.483°ECoordinates: 30°17′N 109°29′E / 30.283°N 109.483°E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Hubei |
| Prefecture seat | Enshi City |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24,000 km2 (9,266.5 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | |
| • Total | 3,800,000 |
| • Density | 158.3/km2 (410.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | China Standard (UTC+8) |
| Postal code | 445000 |
| Area code(s) | 0718 |
| Website | http://www.enshi.gov.cn/ |
Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (Chinese: 恩施土家族苗族自治州; pinyin: Ēnshī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu) is located in the mountainous southwestern corner of Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. It forms Hubei's southwestern "panhandle", bordering on Hunan in the south and Chongqing Municipality in the west and northwest. The Yangtze River crosses the prefecture's northeastern corner in Badong County.
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[edit] Administration
There are two county-level cities:
- Enshi City, the prefectural seat
- Lichuan City
There are six counties:
- Xianfeng County
- Laifeng County
- Badong County - site of the 2009 Badong Incident
- Jianshi County
- Hefeng County
- Xuan'en County
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Enshi (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
25.9 (78.6) |
28.8 (83.8) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.5 (90.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
20.8 (69.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
18.8 (65.8) |
13.9 (57.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
4.3 (39.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 29.0 (1.142) |
34.2 (1.346) |
61.1 (2.406) |
127.5 (5.02) |
186.2 (7.331) |
237.1 (9.335) |
257.5 (10.138) |
162.0 (6.378) |
163.3 (6.429) |
119.0 (4.685) |
64.3 (2.531) |
29.2 (1.15) |
1,470.4 (57.89) |
| % humidity | 84 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 81.2 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 11.5 | 11.4 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 16.3 | 16.6 | 16.3 | 12.8 | 12.6 | 14.4 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 166 |
| Sunshine hours | 37.9 | 44.6 | 63.1 | 105.7 | 124.8 | 124.4 | 166.5 | 204.1 | 125.7 | 96.5 | 69.4 | 49.2 | 1,211.9 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
The total area is 24,000 square kilometres (9,300 sq mi), and the population is 3,800,000. 52.6% of the population belong to the Tujia and Miao nations, who -while officially minority nations- are thus a majority here. Enshi is the only autonomous prefecture in Hubei province.
Enshi is also the only part of Hubei which has been included in the Chinese government's Western exploration programme and over the next 5–10 years they will put 50 billion RMB into its development.
[edit] Transportation
The prefecture has only a small amount of Yangtze River frontage, but Badong, in the prefecture's northeast, has a Yangtze River port.
The Qingjiang River in the central part of the prefecture, with its cascade of reservoirs, is an important waterway as well.
Due to the mountainous terrain, until recently the prefecture had no railways, and even the highways were of doubtful quality.[1]
The Yichang-Wanzhou Railway (the Yiwan Railway), completed in December 2010, crosses the prefecture from east to west, providing a more direct connection between Hubei and Sichuan than there were previously available.[2] In addition, a direct connection to Chongqing from the Lichuan Station on the Yiwan line is completed. A single line now connects Enshi with Beijing and Wuahn as well as many additional cities. The train between Beijing and Enshi takes approximately 24 hours and includes many stops along the way.
The G42 Shanghai–Chengdu Expressway, routed along the same Yichang-Wanzhou corridor, is currently under construction. The Si Du River Bridge on that road has become the world's highest bridge.
[edit] Agriculture
The soil in Enshi is rich in selenium. Enshi is also known as the "seleninum capital of China" and is the worlds sole independent seleninum deposit. Seleninum Square located in the city is named after this rare element.
The countryside has a diverse range of flora and fauna, including many Chinese herbs. Much of the mountain landscape is covered in virgin forest, and is home to pangolins.
Enshi locals are especially proud of their potato crops and consider the potato and tea crops to be the region's agricultural specialties.
[edit] History
[edit] Imperial
"Endless green mountains to walk on, endless clear water going away" (by a poet of the Tang dynasty)
[edit] Republican
Republic of China's Hubei provincial government was relocated to Enshi during the 1937-45 resistance war (against Japanese invasion and occupation).
The Roman Catholic Church had the Diocese of Shinan on the territory of today's Enshi Prefecture.
[edit] References
- ^ See e.g. the characterization of the China National Highway 318 and China National Highway 209 as "unstable and unsafe" in: Yichang-Wanzhou Railway (SEIA) (Asian Development Bank, June 2003), p.6
- ^ Yichang-Wanzhou Railway Project
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture |
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