Ningbo is located at the middle part of China 's coastline and south flank of the Yangtze River Delta, bordering on Shanghai and Hangzhou .

Ningbo is one of the cities opening up to the outside world, an independently planning-city enjoying the same rights as those of a provincial government in economic management, "a large city" entitled to formulate local laws and regulations, and a famous historic city with rich cultural heritage. It covers an area of 9,365 sq.km and has a population of 5.43 million. The jurisdiction of Ningbo City encompasses two counties (Xiangshan and Ninghai), three county-level cities (Yuyao, Cixi and Fenghua) and six urban districts (Haishu, Jiangdong, Jiangbei, Zhenhai, Beilun and Yinzhou).

Ningbo boasts a long history. It is the birthplace of the "Neolithic Hemudu Culture" dating back more than 7,000 years. Ningbo has been a well-known key port for foreign trade ever since ancient time. Ningbo ranked with Yangzhou and Guangzhou as the three biggest ports for foreign trade in Tang Dynasty and with Guangzhou and Quanzhou in Song Dynasty. After the First Opium War, Ningbo had been opened as one of the five commercial ports opened. Ningbo port has become one of the important ports in China . Its cargo handling capacity reached 128,52 million tonnages in 2001, ranking second among the ports in the mainland of China , and its container handling capacity amounted to 1,213,000 TEU.

Enjoying sound conditions for economics development, the social economy of Ningbo has been developed rapidly since opening up to the outside world. In 2001, the city GDP reached 131 billion RMB yuan, the GDP per capita 24,121 RMB yuan, the revenue 19.03 billion RMB yuan .The average disposable income of urban dwellers grew to 11,991 RMB yuan and the net income of peasants climbed to 5,362 RMB yuan. Nowadays, Ningbo has become an important industrial city and foreign trade port in east China , a key city and chemical industrial base in Yangtze Delta and an economic center of Zhejiang Province .

Ningbo enjoys subtropical monsoon climate featuring mild temperature, moderate humidity and distinctive seasons. The city is an ideal tourist place with culture monuments and historical sites.

Ningbo has great potentialities in development. By the year 2010, Ningbo will be built into a modernized socialist international port city with strong economic strength, further opening, advanced science and culture, comfortable life, fine social morality and beautiful environment.

Ningbo is located at the middle part of China 's coastline and on the eastern part of Ning-shao Plain in Zhejiang Province , i.e., east longitude from 120°55' to 122°16' and north latitude 28°51' to 30°33'. With Zhoushan Archipelago as its natural barrier in the east, bordering Hangzhou Bay in the north and Sanmen Bay in the south, adjacent to Shaoxing city in the west and connecting with Taizhou city, Ningbo covers a total area of 9,365 sq.km including the urban area of 1,033 sq.km.

Ningbo possesses two main mountain ranges within its boundaries, Siming Mountain and Tiantai Mountain . As one of the eight river systems of Zhejiang province, Ningbo is rich in water resources for occupying Yuyao river, Fenghua River , Yongjiang River etc. Ningbo has a long coastline, with tortuous harbors and scattered islands. Ningbo occupies a total sea area of 9758 sq.km and a total coastline of 1562 km including 788 km of mainland coastline and 774 km of island coastline, which takes one third of the coastline of Zhejiang province. The number of islands in Ningbo amounts to 531 with a total area of 524.07 sq.km. There are two bays and one harbor, i.e., Sanmen bay, Hangzhou bay and Xiangshan Harbor . Containing a great deal of nourishing substance flowed in with Qiantang River, Yongjiang River and many streams, these bays provide with rich nourishment for organism in the beach area.

The coastal tide in Ningbo belongs to unregular half-day period. There are two high tides and two low tides in a day. The average high tide is 3.14 over Wushong zero point with the highest record of 4.86 m, and the average low tide is 1.47 m with the lowest record of 0.31 m.

Ningbo enjoys subtropical monsoon climate featuring mild temperature, moderate humidity and distinctive seasons. Its average annual temperature is 16.2°C, July being the hottest month (average temp. 28.8°C)and January the coldest (average temp. -4.2°C). As the frost-free period lasts about 230-240 days and the crop growth period 300 days, it is suitable for the growth of grain, cotton and oil plant, etc. The annual precipitation averages 1,300-1,400 mm. The precipitation from May to September takes 60 percent of the year's total.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　[Origin:Ningbo Government Website]