Geography of Hangzhou

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, is also a sub-provincial city in China. Located in eastern China, this charming city was among the 7 major ancient capitals in Chinese history. Situated 180 km southwest of Shanghai, this city has been often regarded as the cultural and historic hub of the nation.

Lying on the northern bank of Qiantang River and towards the south of the Yangtse River Delta and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Hangzhou finds a place with abundance of water resources. It also stands out as a store house of fishes of various species. The city with its varied terrene and scenic beauty, located in northern Zhejiang, is a perfect example of ecological tourism.

With a distinct flora and fauna Hangzhou and varied terrene, Hangzhou scores high as a destination for ecological tourism. It has innumerable lakes, streams and many picturesque hills, valleys and mountains. Hangzhou is also credited for producing tea, mulberries, tangerines and oranges, and is also rich in economic forests and bamboo groves. The area in and around Hangzhou also has extensive mineral reserves such as alum, pyrophyllite, stone coal, tuff etc.

Located on 30.15 degrees north latitude and 120.16 degrees east longitude, Hangzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate. This city is a picture perfect region with abundance of greenery and natural resources. Cool and dry during winters, and hot and humid during summers, Hangzhou’s average annual temperature remains close to 16.2 degree Celsius. The average annual rainfall in Hangzhou is about 1450 mm and Hangzhou also experiences mid- summer Typhoon.

Towards the south west of Hangzhou are foothills which join the Tianmu Mountains while the north eastern part of Hangzhou is rather flat having an average altitude of three to ten meters. Hangzhou also extends to reach border of the hilly-country Anhui Province on its west and the flat-land Hangzhou Bay towards the east.

Hangzhou can be divided into six urban districts namely- Jianggan, Gongshu, West Lake, Banshan, Shangcheng and Xiacheng. It also has seven suburban countries which are as follows: - Lin'an, Jiande, Chun'an , Xiaoshan, Fuyang, Yuhang and Tonglu.