Location: Shandong Province is a significant coastal province in East China. Located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, it borders on the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.
Area: 156, 700 sq km
Climate: Shandong has a warm-temperate monsoonal climate, with hot, rainy summers and dry, sunny winters. In winter, it is more humid and warm in Shandong than in north China. Its coastal and inland regions experience a sharp difference in climate. Shandong has a mean annual temperature of 12°－14°C, increasing from the northeastern seaboard to the west and the south, and a mean annual precipitation of 500-900 mm or more, increasing from northwest to southeast.
Provincial capital: Jinan
Population: 90.79 millions (March 2001)
Ethnic groups: Han, Hui, and Man
Agriculture: Shandong has a long history of tobacco and tussah growth. It is also a famous temperate fruit grower. The apples of Yantai, the pears of Laiyang, the small dates of Leling and the watermelons of Dezhou are particularly well known. The offshore waters are rich in fish, prawns and kelp. It is also a major producer of wheat, corn, cotton and other corps. Its peanut production accounts for a quarter of the nation's total.
Industry: The province has large deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron, diamonds and bauxite. Its gold output ranks first in China. The Shengli Oilfield, the country's second biggest crude-oil producer, is located in northwestern Shandong near where the Yellow River discharges into the Bohai Gulf. Xindian in Zibo is an rising chemical industrial center.
