One of the smallest of the 21 provinces of the People's Republic of China, Anhui covers an area of 54,000 square miles (139,900 square kilometers). The province stretches for 400 miles (640 kilometers) from north to south. Hefei, its capital, is located in the heart of the province and has a population of 1,000,655 (1999). Anhui shares China's seasonal monsoon climate. Wheat is the predominant winter crop. Barley, rapeseeds, and peas are also grown. Summer crops include rice, soybeans, sweet potatoes, grain sorghum, peanuts (groundnuts), millet, and sesame. Anhui's main commercial crops are vegetable oilseeds, cotton, fibers, and tobacco. The province is famous for its tea. Other industries include the production of coal, iron ore, iron and steel, textiles, and machine accessories. Pigs and sheep are raised, as are silkworms. Anhui's nearly 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of rivers and lakes abound in fishes. Fish farms are common all along the Yangtze River (see Yangtze River). Waterways are the main means of transportation, but railways and highways run across the province. Anhui experienced much devastation due to wars, peasant uprisings, and disastrous floods. After World War II the province was controlled by the Chinese Nationalist party forces. Anhui was administered in two separate sections from 1949 until 1952. It was then unified as a province of the People's Republic. (See also China.) Population (2000), 59,860,000. |