Yunnan

Yunnan (云南, pinyin yun2 nan2) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwestern corner of the country.

云南省
Yunnan Sheng

Province Abbreviation(s): 滇 (dian1), 云 (yun2)
Capital	Kunming (昆明)
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 7th 394,000 km² xx%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 12th 42,880,000 109/km²
Administration Type	Province

History

1894: George Ernest Morisson, an Australian correspondant for The Times, travelled from Beijing to British occupied Burma via Yunnan. His book An Australian in China details his experiences.

Geography

Yunnan is the most culturally and geographically varied province in China, with many minority peoples nestled throughout the region's mountains, jungles and river-valleys.

See also: Maotianshan shales

Rivers

Several major rivers flow through the province, including:

• the Mekong (澜沧江; lan2cang1jiang1), which empties in the South China Sea via Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
• the Red River (元江; yuan2jiang1), which empties in the South China Sea via Hanoi, Vietnam
• Salween (怒江； nu4jiang1), which empties in the Andaman Sea via Burma.

Borders

Bordering provinces are Tibet, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. Bordering countries are Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

Demographics

Ethnic groups include:

• Dai people in Xishuangbanna

Culture

One of Yunnan's famous products is Pu'er tea, named after the town of Pu'er.

Tourism

Tourist centres in Yunnan include Dali, the Naxi town of Lijiang, Zhongdian, The Stone Forest and Jinghong, Xishuangbanna.

The Old Town of Lijiang, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.