Geographical Location and Administrative Area

Location

Shanghai is situated at 31o14' north latitude and 121o29' east longitude. Bordering on Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces on the west, Shanghai is washed by the East China Sea on the east and Hangzhou Bay on the south. North of the city, the Yangtze River pours into the East China Sea . It also assumes the central location along China 's coastal line. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location, Shanghai has today become an excellent sea and river port, boasting easy accesses to a vast hinterland.

Administrative Divisions

After several times of administration readjustment since 1949, Shanghai is now divided into 16 districts and three counties. There are 171 towns, 3 townships, 93 sub-district committees, 3,30 neighborhood committees and 2,771 villagers' committees in the city. Area Map of Districts and Counties of Shanghai (2000)

Water Resources

Dotted with many rivers and lakes, the Shanghai area is known for its rich water resources, with the water area accounting for 11% of its total territory. Most of the rivers are tributaries of the Huangpu River . Originated from the Taihu Lake , the 113-kilometer-long Huangpu River winds through the downtown area of the city. The river is about 300 to 770 meters wide with an average width standing at 360 meters. The ice-free Huangpu River is the main waterway in the Shanghai area.

Climate

With a pleasant northern subtropical maritime monsoon climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons, generous sunshine and abundant rainfall every year. Its spring and autumn are relatively short comparing with the summer and winter. In 2000, the average annual temperature was 17.6 degrees Celsius. The city had a frost-free period of 300 days a year, and received an average annual rainfall of 1,302 millimeters. However, nearly 50% of the precipitation came during the May-September flood season, which is divided into three rainy periods, namely, the Spring Rains, the Plum Rains and the Autumn Rains.

Shanghai 's Monthly Average Temperature and Precipitation in 2000

Monthly Average Temperature (?C) Monthly Average Precipitation (mm)

January 5.4 109.9

February 4.9 57.7

March 11.3 108.0

April 16.6 55.0

May 21.7 116.2

June 25.3 155.4

July 29.5 132.1

August 28.5 163.8

September 24.6 109.2

October 20.1 152.7

November 13.2 124.0

December 9.4 17.9

Area

The city covered an area of only 636.18 square kilometers in 1949. By the year 1958, after Shanghai took over 10 counties from Jiangsu Province -- including Jiading, Baoshan, Shanghai, Songjiang, Jinshan, Chuansha, Nanhui, Fengxian, Qingpu and Chongming, the area under the city's jurisdiction expanded to 5,910 square kilometers. The city had a total area of 6,340.5 square kilometers at the end of 2000, 0.06% of China 's total territory. The city extends about 120 kilometers in north and south and nearly 100 kilometers in east and west. Shanghai has an urban area of 3,924.24 square kilometers and rural area of 2,416.26 square kilometers. Its land area covers 6,219 square kilometers and water area runs 122 square kilometers. The city's Chongming Island is the third largest island in China , covering an area of 1,041 square kilometers.

Topographic Features

Except for a few hills lying in the southwest corner, most parts of the Shanghai area are flat and belong to the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta. The average sea level elevation is about four meters.