Jiangsu is the flattest and lowest-lying province in China with most of it below 50 meters in elevation. The only exceptions are the Ningzhen Mountain Area and the Maoshan Hills in the southwest and scattered hills in the areas around Xuzhou and Haizhou in the north. The vast plains are dotted with lakes and crisscrossed by rivers, which cover 18 per cent of the province's total land mass. With three major river systems from north to south -- the Yishu, the Huaihe and the Yangtze River, Jiangsu has well-developed irrigation systems and shipping. The Grand Canal is an artery between north and south. Of the more than 200 lakes, the larger ones are Hongze, Taihu and Gaoyou. The Yangtze River Delta is known as "Water Country".
