Hainan

Hainan
海南
Province of Hainan
Name transcription(s)
 • Chinese海南省 (Hǎinán shěng)
 • HainaneseHái-nâm-séng
 • Cantonese Jyutpinghoi2 naam4 saang2
 • Abbreviation (Qióng / Khêng / king4)
Sanya Nanshan Dongtian Park
Sanya Nanshan Dongtian Park
Location of Hainan within China
Location of Hainan within China
Coordinates: 19°12′N 109°42′E / 19.2°N 109.7°E / 19.2; 109.7
CountryChina
Guangnan West Circuit988
Hainan Special Administrative Region1944
Incorporation into the PRC1 May 1950
Separation from Guangdong26 April 1988
Capital and largest cityHaikou
Divisions4 prefectures, 25 counties, 218 townships
Government
 • TypeProvince
 • BodyHainan Provincial People's Congress
 • Party SecretaryFeng Fei
 • Congress ChairmanFeng Fei
 • GovernorLiu Xiaoming
 • CPPCC ChairmanLi Rongcan
 • National People's Congress Representation26 deputies
Area
 • Total
35,191 km2 (13,587 sq mi)
 • Rank28th
Highest elevation1,840 m (6,040 ft)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total
10,081,232
 • Rank28th
 • Density290/km2 (740/sq mi)
  • Rank17th
Demographics
 • Ethnic composition
 • Languages and dialectsStandard Chinese, Hainanese, Yue, Lingao, Hakka, Hlai, Miao, Tsat
GDP (2023)[3]
 • TotalCN¥755 billion (28th; US$107 billion)
 • Per capitaCN¥72,958 (17th; US$10,353
ISO 3166 codeCN-HI
HDI (2022)0.781[4] (15th) – high
Websiteen.hainan.gov.cn
Hainan Island
Native name:
海南岛
Map
Geography
LocationEast Asia
TypeIsland
Area33,210 km2 (12,820 sq mi)
Area rank42nd
Length156 km (96.9 mi)
Width170 km (106 mi)
Highest elevation1,840 m (6040 ft)
Highest pointWuzhi Mountain
Administration
People's Republic of China
ProvinceHainan
Largest settlementHaikou (pop. 2,873,358)
Republic of China (claimed)
Special Administrative RegionHainan
Demographics
Populationc. 8,180,000
Ethnic groupsHan, Li, Miao, Zhuang, Utsul
Hainan
"Hainan" in Chinese characters
Chinese海南
Hanyu PinyinHǎinán
Literal meaning"South of the sea"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHǎinán
Bopomofoㄏㄞˇㄋㄢˊ
Wade–GilesHai3-nan2
Tongyong PinyinHǎinán
IPA[xàɪ.nǎn]
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳHói-nàm
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHói nàahm
JyutpingHoi2 naam4
IPA[hɔj˧˥ nam˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJHái-lâm
Hainanese RomanizationHái-nâm
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCHāi-nàng
Former name
Chinese珠崖
Hanyu PinyinZhūyá
Literal meaning"Pearl cliffs"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhūyá
Bopomofoㄓㄨ ㄧㄚˊ
Wade–GilesChu1-ya2
Tongyong PinyinJhuyá
IPA[ʈʂú.jǎ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationJyū ngàaih
Jyutpingzyu1 ngaai4
IPA[tsy˥ ŋaj˩]
Second former name
Traditional Chinese瓊崖
Simplified Chinese琼崖
Hanyu PinyinQióngyá
Literal meaning"Jade cliffs"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQióngyá
Bopomofoㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄧㄚˊ
Wade–GilesCh'iung2-ya2
Tongyong PinyinCyóngyá
IPA[tɕʰjʊ̌ŋ.jǎ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationKìhng ngàaih
Jyutpingking4 ngaai4
IPA[kʰɪŋ˩ ŋaj˩]
Third former name
Traditional Chinese瓊州
Simplified Chinese琼州
Hanyu PinyinQióngzhōu
Literal meaning"Jade prefecture"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQióngzhōu
Bopomofoㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄓㄡ
Wade–GilesCh'iung2-chou1
Tongyong PinyinCyóngjhou
IPA[tɕʰjʊ̌ŋ.ʈʂóʊ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationKìhng jāu
JyutpingKing4 zau1
IPA[kʰɪŋ˩ tsɐw˥]

Hainan[a] is an island province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally means "South of the Sea".

The province has a land area of 33,920 square kilometers (13,100 sq mi), of which Hainan Island is 32,900 square kilometers (12,700 sq mi) and the rest is over 200 islands scattered across three archipelagos: Zhongsha, Xisha and Nansha. It was part of Guangdong from 1950 to 1988, after which it was made a province of its own and was designated as a special economic zone by Deng Xiaoping, as part of the Chinese economic reform program.

The Han Chinese population, who compose a majority of the population at 82%, speak a wide variety of languages including Standard Chinese, Hainam Min, Yue Chinese, Cantonese, Hakka Chinese, etc.[6] Indigenous peoples such as the Hlai, a Kra–Dai-speaking ethnic group, are native to the island and compose 15% of the population. Their native languages include the Hlai languages. The Hlai are recognized by the Chinese government as one of the country's 56 ethnic groups. Speakers of Be, despite speaking a Kra-Dai language, are reckoned officially as ethnically Han Chinese. Hainan is also home to the Jiamao language, of disputed provenance.

There are ten major cities and ten counties in Hainan Province. The capital of the province is Haikou, on the northern coast of Hainan Island, while Sanya is a well-known tourist destination on the southern coast. The other major cities are Wenchang, Sansha, Qionghai, Wanning, Wuzhishan, Dongfang and Danzhou.

According to China's territorial claims, several disputed territories in the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands (Nansha) and Paracel Islands (Xisha),[7] are administered under Sansha city of the province. While the Paracels are fully under China's control, many of the Spratly Islands are controlled by other countries, such as Vietnam and the Philippines.[8]

In 2020, a large-scale plan was announced by the Chinese government to transform the entire island province into a free trade port, with the aim of turning it into the largest free-trade port in the world by 2035. The plan involves building a hub for offshore financing and duty-free shopping, as well as using lower taxes and reduced visa requirements to help draw in foreign businesses and tourists. Moreover, all goods sold from Hainan to other parts of China would be treated as imports from 2025 onward.[9][10][11][12]

  1. ^ "Doing Business in China – Survey". Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 3)". National Bureau of Statistics of China. 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  3. ^ "National Data". China NBS. March 2024. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2024. see also "zh: 2023年海南省国民经济和社会发展统计公报". Hainan.gov.cn. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024. The average exchange rate of 2023 was CNY 7.0467 to 1 USD dollar "Statistical communiqué of the People's Republic of China on the 2023 national economic and social development" (Press release). China NBS. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Human Development Indices (8.0)- China". Global Data Lab. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Hainan". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021.
  6. ^ Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2017). Ethnologue: Languages of the World (20th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Chinese, Min Nan.
  7. ^ "Why is the South China Sea contentious? – BBC News". BBC News. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea". Global Conflict Tracker. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Hainan FTZ to Establish China's Biggest Free Trade Port by 2035". China Briefing News. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. ^ "China's Hainan free trade port: Introducing an innovative tax regime to attract investment". International Tax Review. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Exclusive: 'China's Hawaii' plans to ease entry for Hong Kong retailers, goods". South China Morning Post. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  12. ^ "China's Hainan free-trade port tipped to deepen Asean ties". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 12 February 2023.


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