Hubei
Hubei (/huːˈbeɪ/ hoo-BAY; Chinese: 湖北) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The provincial capital, Wuhan, serves as a major transportation hub and the political, cultural, and economic hub of central China.
Hubei
湖北 | |
|---|---|
| Province of Hubei | |
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 湖北省 (Húběi Shěng) |
| • Abbreviation | HB / 鄂 (pinyin: È) |
(clockwise from top)
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Map showing the location of Hubei Province | |
| Coordinates: 31°12′N 112°18′E | |
| Country | China |
| Named for | 湖 hú—"lake" 北 běi—"north" "north of the (Dongting) Lake" |
| Capital (and largest city) | Wuhan |
| Divisions | 13 prefectures, 102 counties, 1235 townships |
| Government | |
| • Type | Province |
| • Body | Hubei Provincial People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Wang Menghui |
| • Congress director | Wang Menghui |
| • Governor | Wang Zhonglin |
| • CPPCC chairman | Sun Wei |
| Area | |
| • Total | 185,900 km2 (71,800 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 13th |
| Highest elevation (Shennong Peak) | 3,105 m (10,187 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 58,300,000 |
| • Rank | 10th |
| • Density | 310/km2 (810/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 12th |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic composition | Han: 95.6% Tujia: 3.7% Miao: 0.4% |
| • Languages and dialects | Southwestern Mandarin, Jianghuai Mandarin, Gan, Xiang |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-HB |
| GDP (2021) | CNY 5 trillion USD 787 billion (7th) |
| • per capita | CNY 86,416 USD 13,392 (11th) |
| HDI (2021) | 0.775 (high) (9th) |
| Website | Hubei.gov.cn (Simplified Chinese) |
| Hubei | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Hubei" in Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 湖北 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Hupeh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "North of the (Dongting) Lake" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hubei's name is officially abbreviated to "鄂" (È), an ancient name associated with the eastern part of the province since the State of E of the Western Zhou dynasty of c. 1045–771 BCE; a popular name for Hubei is "楚" (Chǔ) (suggested by that of the powerful State of Chu, which existed in the area during the Eastern Zhou dynasty of 770 – 256 BCE). Hubei borders the provinces of Henan to the north, Anhui to the east, Jiangxi to the southeast, Hunan to the south, Chongqing to the west, and Shaanxi to the northwest. The high-profile Three Gorges Dam is located at Yichang, in the west of the province.
Hubei is the 7th-largest provincial economy of China, the second largest in the Central China region, the third largest in the South Central China region and the third largest among inland provinces. As of 2021, Hubei's nominal GDP was US$787 billion (CNY 5 trillion) and its GDP (nominal) per capita exceeded US$13,000, making it the richest landlocked province, the richest province in the Central China region, and 2nd richest province in South Central China region after Guangdong.