|
Xian Population Xian is the capital of Shaanxi province, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain. It is one of China's longest inhabited regions, with civilization dating back 6000 years. Called Chang'an in ancient times, it obtained its present name in 1369. Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization. It stands first on the six largest ancient capitals. From the 11 century B.C. onwards, Xian was established as the capital city by 11 dynasties successively, including the Western Zhou, the Qin, the Han, the Sui and the Tang, and it also served as the capital of two peasant regimes respectively under the rule of Huang Chao and Li Zicheng. Along with Rome and Constantinople, this city was a world leader in culture and trade and played a vital role in bridging the gap between east and west. The city's capital status lasted for 1,608 years. Xian lies at longitude 103? East by latitude 34? north, and 412 meters above sea level. It has an average annual temperature of 13? and an average annual precipitation of 604 mm. the rainy season comes in July, August and September. As a whole, Xian covers 16,808 km² of urban area and has population of about 7.5 million. The city proper occupies an area 861 square kilometers, and reaches a population of 4 million. The city is inhabited by mainly Han, Hun, Manchu and Mongols. There are more than 700,000 Hun inhabitants in Xian. Most of the natives in Xian speak local dialect which sounds similar to Mandarin. The official language in Xian is Mandarin and the main religion is Buddhism. It is also one of the most heavily trafficked tourist cities within the People's Republic, a destination for tens of thousands of foreign and Chinese tourists alike every year.
|
