Hai Nan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, all but three percent of its land mass is on Hainan Island (Hainan Dao), from which the province takes its name. The name "Hainan", to the people of China, usually refers to Hainan Island itself, however the PRC government claims Hainan's territories to extend to the southern Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands and other disputed marine territory. Hainan is also the largest Special Economic Zone laid out by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the late 1980s.
Hainan Island is located in the South China Sea, separated from Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula to the north by the shallow and narrow Qiongzhou Strait. It has an area of 33,920 square kilometers and is China's southernmost province. For centuries Hainan was part of Guangdong province, but in 1988 this resource-rich tropical island became a separate province.
There are a total of eight major cities and ten counties on the island with Haikou City on the northern coast the capital. The Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands, south of Sanya City, are claimed by the People's Rebublic of China and thus considered to form an administrative district of Hainan by them. Sovereignty of the islands is however disputed. The Paracel Islands are claimed by Vietnam, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan whilst the Spratly Islands are subject to claims by Vietnam, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, The Philippines, and Brunei.
Geography
Hainan, separated by the Qiongzhou Strait (????) from the Leizhou Peninsula of Guangdong, is the largest island administered by the People's Republic of China. The size of Hainan (33,920 km2) is comparable to the size of Belgium. The PRC, however, regard it as the second largest island, since Taiwan (35,980 km2) is considered the largest. To the west of Hainan is the Gulf of Tonkin. Wuzhi Mountain (1,876 m) is the highest mountain on the island.
Population
The population is density of Hainan is low compared to most Chinese coastal provinces. Compared to Taiwan, and to other islands of the Sinosphere, Hainan has both fewer mountains and more plains.
Administrative
In the official PRC territorial claim, Hainan Province includes not just one island, but also some two hundred South China Sea Islands. Whilst the containment of the South China Sea Islands means that Hainan Province has a very large water body, it has a disproportionally small land area. James Shoal, which is presently marked by the PRC, signifies the country's southernmost border. But Malaysia also claims that it is on their continental shelf.
Region Division
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#
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Name and Administrative Seat
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Hanzi
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Hanyu Pinyin
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Type
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1
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Haikou (Meilan District seat)
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???
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H?ik?u Shì
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Prefecture-level city
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2
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Sanya
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???
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S?nyà Shì
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Prefecture-level city
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3
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Wenchang
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???
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Wénch?ng Shì
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Sub-prefecture-level city
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4
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Qionghai
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???
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Qióngh?i Shì
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Sub-prefecture-level city
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5
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Wanning
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???
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Wànníng Shì
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Sub-prefecture-level city
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6
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Wuzhishan
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????
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W?zh?sh?n Shì
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Sub-prefecture-level city
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7
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Dongfang
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???
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D?ngf?ng Shì
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Sub-prefecture-level city
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8
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Danzhou
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???
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D?nzh?u Shì
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Sub-prefecture-level county
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9
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Lingao
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???
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Líng?o Xiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level county
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10
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Chengmai
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???
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Chéngmài Xiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level county
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11
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Ding'an
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???
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Dìng'?n Xiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level county
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12
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Tunchang
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???
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Túnch?ng Xiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level county
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13
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Changjiang (Li)
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???????
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Ch?ngji?ng Lízú Zìzhìxiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level autonomous county
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14
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Baisha (Li)
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???????
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Báish? Lízú Zìzhìxiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level autonomous county
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15
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Qiongzhong (Li & Miao)
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?????????
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Qióngzh?ng Lízú Miáozú Zìzhìxiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level autonomous county
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16
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Lingshui (Li)
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???????
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Língshu? Lízú Zìzhìxiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level autonomous county
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17
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Baoting (Li & Miao)
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?????????
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B?otíng Lízú Miáozú Zìzhìxiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level autonomous county
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18
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Ledong (Li)
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???????
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Lèd?ng Lízú Zìzhìxiàn
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Sub-prefecture-level autonomous county
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19*
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Paracels, Spratlys, & Zhongsha Iss. Authority
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?????????????
???????
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H?inán sh?ng X?sh? Qúnd?o, Nánsh? Qúnd?o,
Zh?ngsh? Qúnd?o Bànshìchù
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Administrative office
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Educational Instituition
Hainan University
Hainan Normal University
Qiongzhou University
Hainan Medical Institute
Haikou College of Economics
South China Tropical Agricultural University
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