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Summary

 

Province

Autonomous Region

Special Administrative Region

Table of Administrative Divisions of the PRC

Municipality Directly Under the Central Government 

    

         

The People’s Republic of China is situated in the eastern part of the Asian continent on the western coast of the Pacific. It has a total land area of 9.6 million square km, next only to Russia and Canada in size. The Chinese territory is 5,500 km from the middle of the Heilongjiang River north of Mohe, Heilongjiang Province, in the north to Zengmu Ansha of the Nansha Islands in the south, and 5,200 km from the confluence of the Heilongjiang River and Wusulijiang River in the east to the Pamirs Plateau in the west. The land boundary lines total 22,800 km. The Chinese mainland faces the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea on the east and south. With a total territorial sea area of 4.73 million square km, there are 5,400 islands. The coastline of China stretches 32,000 km, of which the mainland coastline is 18,000 km and that of islands 14,000 km.

According to the Constitution, the administrative divisions of China is as follows:

1)   The country is divided into provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government;

2)  Provinces and autonomous regions are divided into prefectures, autonomous prefectures, counties, autonomous counties and cities; and

3)  Counties, autonomous counties and cities are divided into townships, ethnic townships, and towns.

All autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties are ethnic autonomous areas. The State establishes special administrative regions as it sees necessary. At present, there are four municipalities directly under the Central Government, 23 provinces, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions.