Zhengzhou formerly called Zheng County is a prefecture-level city, and the capital of Henan province, People's Republic of China. It also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as being a major transportation hub for Central China. It lies on the southern plain of the Yellow River.
With its lush foliage, Zhengzhou is China’s model for the planting of trees in urban areas, earning it the title of the “green city”. It is home to the national grain wholesale market, a new high-tech science park, and is one of the most important textile centers in all of China. Along with its modern economic position, Zhengzhou played a key role in China’s early civilization as the site of an early Shang Dynasty walled city some 3,500 years ago. Zhengzhou’s status as a transport and economic center has roots as far back as the Sui and Tang periods (late 6th to early 10th century), when canals connected Zhengzhou’s grain markets to the Yellow River. Here and at nearby Anyang China’s early bronze industry developed for military and ritual use, and remains of the ancient Shang city foundations and wall are still visible on the outskirts of town. In November of 2004, Zhengzhou was named as China ’s eighth ancient city, recognizing its Shang dynasty as a civilization junior to only ancient Egypt , India and Babylon .
Area: 7,446.2 square kilometers
Geography: Located just north of the province's center and south of the Yellow River, Zhengzhou borders Luoyang to the west, Jiaozuo to the northwest, Xinxiang to the northeast, Kaifeng to the east, Xuchang to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest. It is geographically the center city of China.
Zhengzhou is situated to the south of the Yellow River where its valley broadens into the great plain and at the eastern extremity of the Xionger Mountains. Zhengzhou is at the crossing point of the north–south route skirting the Taihang Mountains and the mountains of western Henan and the east–west route along the southern bank of the Yellow River.
Population: 7,356,000
Administrative Division: The prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou administers 12 county-level divisions, including 6 districts, 5 county-level cities and 1 county.
Climate: Zhengzhou experiences a humid subtropical climate. Zhengzhou has four clearly-defined seasons, with cool and dry winters, hot and humid summers, warm and early springs, and mild autumns. The area's climate is also monsoon-influenced, meaning that precipitation is heavily concentrated in the months of May to September. The city also has wetter and drier seasons, with the "wet season" falling between April and October and the drier season covering the remaining months. Zhengzhou has an annual average temperature of at 14.7°C, but its highest average monthly temperature is 27.3°C in July and it's coldest monthly average temperature is 0.7°C in January. The annual precipitation is about 630 mm, with on average 220 frost-free days and about 2200 hours of sunshine per year.
