sheng (province) of China. The province, whose name means “South of the Sea,” is coextensive with Hai-nan Island. Hai-nan is located in the South China Sea, separated from Kwangtung’s Lei-chou Peninsula to the north by a shallow and narrow strait. It is the southernmost province of China and, with an area of about 13,200 square miles (34,300 square kilometres), is also the smallest. For centuries Hai-nan was part of Kwangtung province, but in 1988 this resource-rich tropical island became a separate province. The capital is Hai-k’ou (Pinyin: Haikou).
Hai-nan’s long coastline of more than 930 miles (1,500 kilometres) contains numerous bays and natural harbours. Alluvial plains cover a narrow coastal margin, reaching their broadest point in the northeast. The southern interior of the island is mountainous, with Mount Wu-chih rising to over 6,000 feet (1,830 metres) above sea level. Numerous rivers and streams cascade out of the mountains; the longest, the Nan-tu River, flows northeastward.
Hai-nan’s climate is tropical and monsoonal. Temperatures average about 64° F (18° C) in January and 84° F (29° C) in June. Rainfall is heavy especially in summer, with an average annual precipitation of about 70 inches (1,800 millimetres) in the south and 60 inches in the north. The northeastern lowlands can sustain three crops of rice per year.
The island is covered with mature red soils. The natural vegetation, which has been much reduced, includes many palms, bamboos, rattans, and tropical hardwoods. The mountain belt, especially in the east, is covered with dense tropical rain forest up to an elevation of about 2,600 feet. Animal life is rich and varied and includes deer, gibbons, and blind snakes; Hai-nan’s streams and offshore waters abound in fish.
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