CHINA

Capital
2015-06-04 18:45

Capital

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the
world. The metropolis, located in north China, is governed as one of the four municipality directly
under the central government.

The city is located 39.56 degrees north latitude and 116.2 degrees east longitude. Covering an area
of 16,807.8 square kilometers, Beijing lies on the north end of the North China Plain that is
surrounded by mountains to its west, north and northeast. To its southeast is a plain that slopes
gradually to Bohai Sea.

Climate and temperature

Beijing has a temperate, semi-humid continental climate, characterized by short springs and
autumns, hot and rainy summers, along with cold and dry winters. The average annual temperature
range is 10°C to 12°C, with average low temperatures ranging from -7°C to 4°C in January; and an
average high temperature of 25°C to 26°C in July, but the temperature can drop to as low as -27.4°C
in the winter and soar to 42°C in the summer.

Population

By 2011, Beijing had a population of 20.186 million residents, including 12.779 million permanently
registered residents.

Districts

There are 14 districts and two counties under Beijing's administration: Dongcheng, Xicheng,
Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, Shijingshan, Mentougou, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Daxing, Pinggu,
Fangshan, Changping and Huairou districts and Miyun and Yanqing counties.

City trees and flowers

The city trees of Beijing are the Chinese scholar tree and arborvitae; its city flowers are the China
rose and chrysanthemum.

Time zone

Beijing is located in Greenwich Mean Time Zone +8:00; China's country telephone code is 86 and
Beijing's city telephone code is 010.

Language

Mandarin Chinese is the country's official language.