Provinces of China

Provinces (Template:Lang-zh) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions in the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC and one province that is claimed, but not administered, which is Taiwan, currently administered by the Republic of China (ROC).

The local governments of Chinese provinces consists of a Provincial People's Government headed by a governor that acts as the executive, a Provincial People's Congress with legislative powers, and a parallel provincial branch of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that elects a party secretary and a provincial standing committee.

Government

Provinces are the most common form of province-level governments. The legislative bodies of the provinces are the Provincial People's Congresses. The executive branch is the Provincial People's Government, led by a governor. The People's Government is answerable to both the State Council and the Provincial People's Congress. The provincial branch of the CCP has a Provincial Party Congress every five years, and elects a Standing Committee to exercise its authority when not in session. The Provincial Party Secretary is the de facto most important position in the province.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

History

The first provinces were created in the Yuan dynasty, and have remained one of the most stable forms of Chinese government since then.Template:Sfn They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly.Template:Sfn The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the Republic of China.Template:Sfn During the Warlord Era, provinces became largely or completely autonomous and exercised significant national influence. Province-level units proliferated and under the early People's Republic there were over 50.Template:Sfn Political boundaries are, in part, established to counterbalance the influence of economic factors. For instance, the Yangtze Delta is divided among the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui. This division ensures that economic strength is distributed, preventing any single region from potentially overpowering the state.

List of provinces

GB/T 2260-2007	ISO	Province	Chinese Hanyu Pinyin	Capital	Largest city	Population (2020)	Density (per km2)	Area (km2)	AbbreviationTemplate:Efn
HE	CN-HE	Hebei	Héběi Shěng	Shijiazhuang		74,610,235	393.08	189,809	Jì
SX	CN-SX	Shanxi	Shānxī Shěng	Taiyuan		34,915,616	222.80	156,713	Jìn
LN	CN-LN	Liaoning	Liáoníng Shěng	Shenyang		42,591,407	289.59	147,076	Liáo
JL	CN-JL	Jilin	Jílín Shěng	Changchun		24,073,453	126.51	190,282	Jí
HL	CN-HL	Heilongjiang	Hēilóngjiāng Shěng	Harbin		31,850,088	67.37	472,766	Hēi
JS	CN-JS	Jiangsu	Jiāngsū Shěng	Nanjing	Suzhou	84,748,016	847.91	99,949	Sū
ZJ	CN-ZJ	Zhejiang	Zhèjiāng Shěng	Hangzhou		64,567,588	615.67	104,873	Zhè
AH	CN-AH	Anhui	Ānhuī Shěng	Hefei		61,027,171	436.29	139,879	Wǎn
FJ	CN-FJ	FujianTemplate:Efn	Fújiàn Shěng	Fuzhou	Quanzhou	41,540,086	335.66	123,756	Mǐn
JX	CN-JX	Jiangxi	Jiāngxī Shěng	Nanchang	Ganzhou	45,188,635	270.69	166,939	Gàn
SD	CN-SD	Shandong	Shāndōng Shěng	Jinan	Linyi	101,527,453	643.78	157,704	Lǔ
HA	CN-HA	Henan	Hénán Shěng	Zhengzhou		99,365,519	600.52	165,467	Yù
HB	CN-HB	Hubei	Húběi Shěng	Wuhan		57,752,557	310.87	185,776	È
HN	CN-HN	Hunan	Húnán Shěng	Changsha		66,444,864	313.65	211,842	Xiāng
GD	CN-GD	GuangdongTemplate:Efn	Guǎngdōng Shěng	Guangzhou		126,012,510	700.02	180,013	Yuè
HI	CN-HI	HainanTemplate:Efn	Hǎinán Shěng	Haikou		10,081,232	294.27	34,259	Qióng
SC	CN-SC	Sichuan	Sìchuān Shěng	Chengdu		83,674,866	174.93	484,056	Chuān (Shǔ)
GZ	CN-GZ	Guizhou	Guìzhōu Shěng	Guiyang	Zunyi	38,562,148	218.93	176,140	Guì (Qián)
YN	CN-YN	Yunnan	Yúnnán Shěng	Kunming		47,209,277	123.20	383,195	Yún (Diān)
SN	CN-SN	Shaanxi	Shǎnxī Shěng	Xi'an		39,528,999	192.24	205,624	Shǎn (Qín)
GS	CN-GS	Gansu	Gānsù Shěng	Lanzhou		25,019,831	54.70	457,382	Gān (Lǒng)
QH	CN-QH	Qinghai	Qīnghǎi Shěng	Xining		5,923,957	8.58	720 000	Qīng
TW	CN-TWTemplate:Efn	TaiwanTemplate:Efn	Táiwān Shěng	Taipei	New Taipei City	23,162,123	650.97	36,161	Tái

See also

• Federalism in China
• Administrative divisions of China
• List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP
• List of Chinese administrative divisions by population
• List of current Chinese provincial leaders
• Regional discrimination in China
• Tiao-kuai
• Yangtze Delta
• Zhou (administrative division)
• Special administrative region (People's Republic of China)

External links

• Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap Template:Webarchive — with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces.