Lanzhou

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Lanzhou

兰州市
Lánzhōu Shì
Administration Type	Prefecture-level city
City Seat	Changguan District
Area	13,100 km²
Population	3,200,000 (2004)
GDP - Total - Per Capita	¥ ¥
Major Nationalities	Han, Hui, Tibetan, Bonan
County-level divisions	8
Township-level divisions
CPC Committee Secretary
Mayor	Zhang Jinliang (张津梁)
City flower	Rugosa Rose
Area code	931
Postal Code	730000
License Plate Prefix	甘A

Lanzhou (; Postal System Pinyin: Lanchow) is the capital of Gansu province, China.

History

Early settlement in this region could be dated to the Han Dynasty and has a history of over 2,000 years. The city used to be called the Golden City, when it was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. To protect the city, the Great Wall of China was extended as far as Yumen.

After the fall of the Han Dynasty, Lanzhou became the capital of a succession of tribal states. Mixed with different cultural heritages, the area at present-day Gansu province, from the 5th to the 11th century, became a center for Buddhist study.

The city acquired its current name in 1656, during Qing Dynasty.

Geography

Area: 14,620 km²
Elevation: 1600 m above sea level
China's geographic center
More than 20 km along urban corridor along the southern banks of the Yellow River.
Zonary basin
Location of mountains, located on the south and north sides of the city:
- Qilian Ranges, Mt. Pingliang and Mt. Kongtong (the most famous in Taoism)
Rivers:
- The Yellow River flows through from west to east.

Climate and Pollution

The semi-dry climate is in the temperate zone.

Lanzhou is said to be one of the most polluted cities in China, if not around the world. The air quality is so poor that at times one can not see Lanshan, the mountain rising straight up along the south side of the city. The city is located in a narrow river valley with an unfortunate curve causing it to be hemmed in with no free air flow. Lanzhou is also the home of many factories including petroleum processing, and suffers from large dust storms kicked up from the Gobi Desert, especially in the winter and spring.

Demographics

Population of the district: 3.2 million
Urban population: 1.4 million (2004- agglomeration considered to be 2.5 million)
Ethnic groups: Han, Hui, Tibetan, Bonan, Dongxiang, Yugur, and Salar