Longnan (simplified Chinese: 陇南; traditional Chinese: 隴南; pinyin: Lǒngnán; lit. 'south of Mount Long"[3]') is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Gansu province in China. It borders Sichuan on its south and Shaanxi on its east. As of the 2020 Chinese census, the population of the prefecture-level city was 2,855,555.[1]

Longnan
陇南市
Location of Longnan City jurisdiction in Gansu
Location of Longnan City jurisdiction in Gansu
Coordinates (Longnan municipal government): 33°22′13″N 104°57′37″E / 33.3702°N 104.9603°E / 33.3702; 104.9603
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceGansu
Municipal seatWudu District
Area
27,000 km2 (10,000 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[1]
2,855,555
 • Density110/km2 (270/sq mi)
 • Urban
870,878
 • Rural
1,536,394
GDP[2]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 31.5 billion
US$ 5.1 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 12,172
US$ 1,954
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
742500
Area code0939
ISO 3166 codeCN-GS-12
Licence plate prefixes甘K
Websitewww.longnan.gov.cn

Geography and climate

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Longnan is in southern Gansu province bordering Shaanxi in the east and Sichuan in the south. It is called Gansu's southern gateway and gateway to the northwest. The major geographic features in Longnan are the Qinba Mountains in the east, the Loess Plateau in the north, and the Tibetan Plateau in the west. It is part of the Central Han basin in the east and the Sichuan basin in the south. Elevations range from 800 to 4,200 m (2,620 to 13,780 ft) above sea level. The three major rivers in Longnan are the Bailong, the Baishui, and the Jialing. Besides these major rivers there are more than 3800 streams and creeks. The annual flow from all of these rivers and streams is more than 28 billion m3. The area of the prefecture is 27,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi).

Longnan has a temperate, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk/BSh, depending on the source definition), with cool and very dry winters and hot, moderately humid summers. Due to the protected valley location and the southerly location in the province, the area is one of the warmest in Gansu, with annual temperatures ranging from 10 to 15 °C (50 to 59 °F). The annual precipitation is 400 to 1,000 mm (16 to 39 in), while there are between 160 and 280 frost free days. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 34% in September and October to 53% in December, the city receives 1,850 sunlight hours annually. Two-thirds of the annual rainfall occurs from June to September. At Wudu, the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 3.7 °C (38.7 °F) in January to 25.2 °C (77.4 °F) in July, the annual mean is 14.94 °C (58.9 °F), and the annual precipitation is 461 mm (18.1 in).

Climate data for Longnan (Wudu District), elevation 1,079 m (3,540 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.3
(59.5)
21.6
(70.9)
29.2
(84.6)
33.2
(91.8)
35.7
(96.3)
37.6
(99.7)
38.3
(100.9)
38.6
(101.5)
37.0
(98.6)
29.2
(84.6)
23.0
(73.4)
17.3
(63.1)
38.6
(101.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.5
(47.3)
11.9
(53.4)
17.0
(62.6)
22.9
(73.2)
26.5
(79.7)
29.4
(84.9)
31.3
(88.3)
30.6
(87.1)
25.2
(77.4)
19.8
(67.6)
15.1
(59.2)
9.6
(49.3)
20.7
(69.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.8
(38.8)
7.0
(44.6)
11.5
(52.7)
16.7
(62.1)
20.3
(68.5)
23.5
(74.3)
25.6
(78.1)
24.9
(76.8)
20.4
(68.7)
15.3
(59.5)
10.3
(50.5)
4.8
(40.6)
15.3
(59.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.2
(32.4)
3.3
(37.9)
7.4
(45.3)
12.0
(53.6)
15.5
(59.9)
19.0
(66.2)
21.2
(70.2)
20.8
(69.4)
17.0
(62.6)
12.1
(53.8)
6.7
(44.1)
1.1
(34.0)
11.4
(52.5)
Record low °C (°F) −7.5
(18.5)
−7.8
(18.0)
−3.6
(25.5)
−2.1
(28.2)
5.1
(41.2)
10.1
(50.2)
14.8
(58.6)
12.3
(54.1)
8.4
(47.1)
0.9
(33.6)
−4.8
(23.4)
−8.6
(16.5)
−8.6
(16.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1.6
(0.06)
2.9
(0.11)
14.0
(0.55)
34.7
(1.37)
67.3
(2.65)
65.8
(2.59)
84.5
(3.33)
78.8
(3.10)
70.4
(2.77)
42.6
(1.68)
7.2
(0.28)
0.6
(0.02)
470.4
(18.51)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 1.9 2.6 6.9 9.0 13.1 11.4 11.1 11.3 12.8 12.1 4.2 0.9 97.3
Average snowy days 4.5 2.7 0.6 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 1.8 10.1
Average relative humidity (%) 49 49 49 50 54 58 60 62 67 67 58 51 56
Mean monthly sunshine hours 146.0 129.5 155.0 181.2 191.4 174.8 197.9 195.2 127.9 124.8 142.9 155.9 1,922.5
Percent possible sunshine 46 41 41 46 44 41 46 48 35 36 46 51 43
Source: China Meteorological Administration[4][5][6]

History

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Longnan was settled by humans at least 7000 years ago. Between 5000 and 6000 years ago, civilizations developed along the Xihan ("Western Han") and Bailong ("White Dragon") rivers. Anping in Wudu as well as Lixian both have ancient ruins. Longnan is very important in Chinese history: it was the home of Rong tribes that troubled the Shang and Zhou dynasties and is considered the homeland of the House of Ying, the family of the Qin dynasty that united China at the end of the Warring States period. Wudu County was even founded as part of the Qin Empire. It is still common to find Qin artifacts—including pottery, bronzes, and coins—in the area.

During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the region was ruled by the Qiang kingdoms of Later Qin and Tanchang, the latter has its capital in present-day Tanchang. Tanchang is conquered by Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou in 564. The region then went under control of Sui, Tang and Song dynasties, then subsequently conquered by the Tibetans, Tanguts, Jurchens and Mongols before finally administered by Ming dynasty court. Under imperial Chinese rule, the area was administered as Jie Prefecture (t 階州, s 阶州, Jiēzhōu).

Administration

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Longnan has 1 urban districts, 8 counties, 242 towns, and 3243 villages with a total population of 2567718.[7]

Map
# Name Simplified Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2010 census)
Area (km2) Density (/km2)
City proper
1 Wudu District 武都区 Wǔdū Qū 555,004 4,642 119.56
Rural
2 Cheng County 成县 Chéng Xiàn 242,343 1,678 144.42
3 Wen County 文县 Wén Xiàn 218,796 5,002 43.74
4 Tanchang County 宕昌县 Tànchāng Xiàn 274,313 3,315 82.75
5 Kang County 康县 Kāng Xiàn 180,061 2,968 60.67
6 Xihe County 西和县 Xīhé Xiàn 393,272 1,862 211.21
7 Li County 礼县 Lǐ Xiàn 458,237 4,264 107.47
8 Hui County 徽县 Huī Xiàn 200,294 2,699 74.21
9 Liangdang County 两当县 Liǎngdāng Xiàn 45,398 1,408 32.24

Economy

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In 2004, Longnan's GDP was 6,338,000,000 RMB, a 12% growth over the previous year.

Important agricultural products include cereals and grains, Chinese medicinal herbs, vegetable oil, fruits, nuts, berries, and vegetables. Coal, copper, lead, zinc, petroleum, and gold are all major mineral resources for Longnan. Cement and other building materials are also produced here.

Transportation

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Notable people

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Flora and fauna

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Longnan has more than 1300 species of trees and shrubs, 1300 plants and herbs used for Chinese medicine, 100 wild fruits and berries, and 300 species of animals, many species of which are protected.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "人口区划". Longnan City Government. 2021.
  2. ^ 甘肃省统计局、国家统计局甘肃调查总队 (November 2016). 《甘肃发展年鉴-2016》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7894-0.
  3. ^ Gansu's provincial abbreviation refers to Mount Long. "Longnan" originally referred to the area south of the mountain, just as Longxi was the area to its west.
  4. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  5. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  6. ^ 中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集(1971-2000年). China Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  7. ^ Main data bulletin of the sixth national census in 2010 Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine, 2011-05-09(in Chinese)
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