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¡¡¡¡I. Geographic Location
¡¡¡¡Xi¡¯an is located in the east of China¡¯s western region, the middle of Guanzhong Plain, and is the very center of the geographic territory of China (the origin of mainland China is very near to
Xi¡¯an). Situated at 107¡ã40'¡«109¡ã49'E and 33¡ã39'¡«34¡ã45'N, it is of almost the same latitude as Los Angles of USA and Rabat, capital of Morocco in North Africa.Xi¡¯an also features Mt. Qinling in the South and the Weihe River in the North. Mt. Qinling is one of the major divisions of the northern and southern climate, hydrography, vegetation and soil in China. Sitting upon the boundary between
Xi¡¯an and Baoji, Mt. Taibai is the main peak of Mt. Qinling, with an altitude of 3,767 m.
¡¡¡¡II. Geology and Topography
¡¡¡¡With an alluvial plain of Weihe River in the north and denudated mountainous areas in the south,
Xi¡¯an features a terrain higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest, at an average altitude of 424 m. The land surface mainly consists of loess and loess-like matters, and its depth ranges from 3 m to 12 m. However, Mt. Qinling has granite and gneiss comprising its major substance. Most area as planned urban districts is on the secondary and third terraces of the alluvial plain along the south bank of Weihe River.
¡¡¡¡III. Land & Area
¡¡¡¡Xi¡¯an covers a total area of 9,983 km2 with 9 districts and 4 counties, of which 3,547 km2 is under urban administration (221.7 km2 already constructed). Plain accounts for 43.7% of the city¡¯s total area, and mountainous areas 56.3%. The widest span from the east to the west of the city stands at 204 km, and that from the north to the south is about 116 km.
¡¡¡¡IV. Climate
¡¡¡¡Xi¡¯an lies in the sub-humid temperate zone under continental monsoon climate with distinct seasons. The annual average temperature is around 13.0~13.4¡ãC. The coldest month is January with an average temperature about -1.3¡ãC, while the hottest is July with an average temperature about 26.7¡ãC. The annual rainfall is 500¡«750 mm on average, mainly concentrated during July to September. The yearly sunshine period reaches 1,983~2,267 hours, the free-frost period is about 208 to 230 days, and annual average wind speed is 1.3-2.6 m/sec with its northeast main wind.
¡¡¡¡V. Water Resources
¡¡¡¡With Weihe, Jinghe, Chanhe, Fenghe, Bahe, Zaohe, Haohe, Yuhe, Laohe rivers etc. around,
Xi¡¯an possesses a total of 2.666 billion m3 of water resources, of which 2.178 billion m3 is surface water, and the average per capita water occupation is about 380 m3. Various projects to transfer water from the south to the north are to be implemented soon, i.e. Qianyou River-Shibian Valley Project, will bring water from the southern foot of Mt. Qinling to support
Xi¡¯an, which will further expand its total volume of water resources and lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the City.
¡¡¡¡VI. Animals and Plants
¡¡¡¡Mt. Qinling is 2,000m to 3,767m in altitude, with amazingly beautiful natural surroundings. There grows plants of a wide variety, and is the paradise to lots of wild animals and birds. There are 55 kinds of animals and 177 kinds of birds in
Xi¡¯an area, of which rare species include Giant panda, Golden haired monkey, Golden Yakin, Creasted Ibist and Golden Pheasant, etc. And of the 138 varieties, 681 categories and 2,224 kinds of plants in
Xi¡¯an with forest coverage rate of 38%, Gingko, Chinese Larch, and Qinling fir etc. are precious ones.
¡¡¡¡VII. Minerals
¡¡¡¡There are about 47 different minerals proved here, including 21 metallic minerals such as iron, manganese, chromium, copper, gold, tungsten, etc. and 22 non-metallic ones such as jade, granite, marble, quartz, graphite etc. Besides, 4 energy source deposits are available, including uranium, subterranean heat, etc.
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