CHINA / About Guangdong
Geography and Natural Conditions
(china.org)
Updated: 2006-05-16 10:01
Topography
The province is high in the north and low in the south. Mountains make
up 31.7% of the total area, hilly areas 28.5%, terraced farmland 16.1%
and plains 23.7%. It has 3.12 million hectares of farmland, 10.25 million
hectares devoted to forestry and 570,000 hectares of underdeveloped
grasslands.
Climate
Most areas enjoy a subtropical monsoon climate with adequate rainfall,
long summers and warm winters. Annual precipitation averages 1,336 mm
while annual evaporation averages 1,100 mm so Guangdong is moist. Its
average annual temperature is 22��C and it averages 1,828 hours of
sunshine a year. Guangdong is a green place where plants grow vigorously
all the year round.
Natural resources
Guangdong boasts rich mineral resources. So far, a total of 17 minerals
have been discovered, and reserves of 13 minerals have been proven.
Forests cover 57% of the province with standing timber reserves of 300
million cubic meters. Species include pine, Chinese catalpa, fir and
eucalyptus.
The province has extensive access to the sea together with a network of
interconnected waterways with many reservoirs and fish ponds. It is rich
in aquatic products. Its marine breeding areas cover 780,000 ha and it
has a further 430,000 ha of freshwater breeding areas. The main crops are
rice, vegetables and fruit. Zhanjiang is the main center for sisal hemp
while fruit production is predominately based around Maoming. Among the
200 varieties of fruit grown in Guangdong are pineapples, bananas and
litchi, together with longans and oranges.
The province faces a shortage of water resources. The per capita share of
water resources in 2004 was 1,390 cubic meters, 24.0% down from the 2003
figure. At the year-end, the total water storage in 31 large reservoirs
amounted to 10.85 billion cubic meters, a reduction of 34 million cubic
meters. The annual water consumption of the province was 45.4 billion
cubic meters.
The year 2004 saw a reduction of 21,489 ha of cultivated land as a result
of construction, disasters and readjustment of agricultural structures.
(Statistics as of 2004)
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