Henan
Henan (UK: /hɜːˈnæn/; or /həˈnæn/; US: /hʌˈnɑːn/ Chinese: 河南; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (中州), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is also applied to the entirety of China proper. Henan is a birthplace of Han Chinese civilization, with over 3,200 years of recorded history and remained China's cultural, economic and political center until approximately 1,000 years ago.
Henan
河南 | |
|---|---|
| Province of Henan | |
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 河南省 (Hénán Shěng) |
| • Abbreviation | HA / HEN / 豫 (pinyin: Yù) |
Clockwise: Mount Song, Kaifeng, Fawang Temple Pagoda in Dengfeng, Fawang Temple entrance, Longmen Grottoes | |
Map showing the location of Henan Province | |
| Coordinates: 33°54′N 113°30′E | |
| Country | China |
| Named for | 河 hé – (Yellow) River 南 nán – south "south of the Yellow River" |
| Capital (and largest city) | Zhengzhou |
| Divisions | 17 prefectures, 159 counties, 2,455 townships |
| Government | |
| • Type | Province |
| • Body | Henan Provincial People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Lou Yangsheng |
| • Congress chairman | Lou Yangsheng |
| • Governor | Wang Kai |
| • CPPCC chairman | Kong Changsheng |
| Area | |
| • Total | 167,000 km2 (64,000 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 17th |
| Highest elevation (Laoyachanao) | 2,413.8 m (7,919.3 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 99,365,519 |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| • Density | 600/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 7th |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic composition | Han – 98.6% Others– 1.4% |
| • Languages and dialects | Zhongyuan Mandarin, Jin |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-HA |
| GDP (2021) | CNY 5.888 trillion USD 926 billion (5th) |
| - per capita | CNY 59,410 USD 9,206 (19th) |
| • growth | 6.3% |
| HDI (2019) | 0.742 (high) (18th) |
| Website | henan |
| Henan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Henan" in Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 河南 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Honan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "South of the (Yellow) River" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abbreviation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 豫 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Henan Province is home to many heritage sites, including the ruins of Shang dynasty capital city Yin and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the Eight Great Ancient Capitals of China, Luoyang, Anyang, Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, are in Henan. The practice of tai chi also began here in Chen Jia Gou Village (Chen style), as did the later Yang and Wu styles.
Although the name of the province (河南) means "south of the [Yellow] river.", approximately a quarter of the province lies north of the Yellow River, also known as the Huang He. With an area of 167,000 km2 (64,479 sq mi), Henan covers a large part of the fertile and densely populated North China Plain. Its neighboring provinces are Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Hubei.
Henan is China's third-most populous province with a population of over 99 million as of 2020. Henan is also the world's seventh-most populous subnational entity, and, if it were a country by itself, Henan would be the 14th-most populous country in the world, ahead of Egypt and Vietnam. People from Henan often suffer from regional discrimination.
Henan is the 5th-largest provincial economy of China, the second largest in South Central China after Guangdong, and the largest among inland provinces, with a nominal GDP of 5.88 trillion RMB (US$926 billion) as of 2021, ahead of the GDP of Turkey of 815 billion. If it were a country, it would be the 18th-largest economy as well as the 14th most populous as of 2021. However, per capita GDP is low compared to other eastern and central provinces. The economy continues to grow based on aluminum and coal prices, as well as agriculture, heavy industry, tourism and retail. High-tech industries and the service sector are concentrated around Zhengzhou and Luoyang.
Henan hosts more than 150 higher education institutions, ranking first in the Central China region. As of 2023, three major cities in the province ranked in the top 200 cities in the world (Zhengzhou 76th, Kaifeng 154th and Xinxiang 195th) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.