Zhumadian


Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.
Its population is 7,230,744 at the 2010 census of whom 721,678 live in the built-up or metro area made up of Yicheng District.
It was once the center of the Cai state during the Eastern Zhou era. The state leaves its name in several of the subdivisions of including Shangcai County and Xincai County.

Administrative divisions

The prefecture-level city of Zhumadian administers 1 district and 9 counties.
Map

Geography

Zhumadian is situated at 32° 18'−33° 35' N latitude, and 113° 10'−115° 12' E longitude, with a maximum east–west width of, and at most long from south to north. The area of the prefecture is, occupying 8.9% of the total provincial area. Neighbouring prefectures are:
The terrain is dominated by mountains, hills, hillocks, and plains.

Climate

Zhumadian has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, with cold, somewhat damp, winters, and hot, humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, while the annual mean is. More than 60% of the annual precipitation of occurs from June to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 39% in March to 46% in four months, the city receives 1,927 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Agriculture

Mainly wheat, maize, peanut, sesame, green beans and tobacco.

Culture

Zhumadian has a rich cultural history and the birthplace of many great people in ancient times. There is an old site of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai who are the characters in the Butterfly Lovers, a famous Chinese story.

Dams

Zhumadian has 62 different dams including Banqiao Dam within its territory. The failure of the Banqiao and Shimantan Dams in 1975, which caused more than 150,000 casualties and made more than 10 million people homeless, is considered the biggest catastrophe of its kind.

Transportation

One of the Chinese main highways, China National Highway 107, runs through Zhumadian. Zhumadian also has its own transportation system.