Zhaotong (Chinese: 昭通) is a prefecture-level city located in the northeast corner of Yunnan province, China, bordering the provinces of Guizhou to the south and southeast and Sichuan to the northeast, north, and west.

Zhaotong
昭通市
Chaotung
Location of Zhaotong in Yunnan
Location of Zhaotong in Yunnan
Coordinates (Zhaotong municipal government): 27°20′17″N 103°43′01″E / 27.338°N 103.717°E / 27.338; 103.717
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceYunnan
GB/T 2260530600
Prefecture seatZhaoyang District
Area
23,192 km2 (8,954 sq mi)
Elevation
1,926 m (6,319 ft)
Population
 (2010 census)
5,213,533
 • Density220/km2 (580/sq mi)
 • Urban
352,831
GDP[1]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 154.1 billion
US$ 22.7 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 30,935
US$ 4,563
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
657000
Area code0870
ISO 3166 codeCN-YN-06
License plate prefixes云C
Yunnan e-Portal
Zhaotong
Chinese昭通
PostalChaotung
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhāotōng\
Wade–GilesChao1-t'ung1

History

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Zhaotong has historic and cultural links to the Shu (Sichuan basin) region. Yi people consider Zhaotong to be their homeland (called Zizipuwu). Zhaotong was part of Zhuti County (朱提縣) during Han to Tang dynasties. Zhaotong belonged to the Nanzhao then Dali Kingdom until the Mongols destroyed the latter in the 13th century. During the Yuan Dynasty, it became the Wumeng Commandery (乌蒙路), during which many Hui Muslims settled in the area. During the Qing dynasty, local tusi chieftains were removed, and the region was renamed Zhaotong Prefecture.

Climate

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Zhaotong (labeled as CHAO-T'UNG (EN-AN) 昭通 (恩安)) (1954)

Influenced by the low latitude and moderate elevation, Zhaotong has a temperate subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), with cool, dry winters, and warm, humid summers. Temperatures frequently drop below freezing at night in winter, though the days warm up to around 10 °C (50 °F). Conversely, in summer, average highs rise to 25 °C (77 °F). A great majority of the year's rainfall occurs from May to September.

Climate data for Zhaotong, elevation 1,950 m (6,400 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 24.7
(76.5)
25.9
(78.6)
30.3
(86.5)
31.2
(88.2)
33.6
(92.5)
32.5
(90.5)
32.7
(90.9)
31.5
(88.7)
33.3
(91.9)
28.5
(83.3)
25.1
(77.2)
23.2
(73.8)
33.6
(92.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.1
(50.2)
13.1
(55.6)
17.5
(63.5)
21.1
(70.0)
23.1
(73.6)
24.0
(75.2)
25.5
(77.9)
25.3
(77.5)
22.4
(72.3)
17.7
(63.9)
15.3
(59.5)
10.5
(50.9)
18.8
(65.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.6
(36.7)
5.3
(41.5)
9.1
(48.4)
13.4
(56.1)
16.3
(61.3)
18.3
(64.9)
20.0
(68.0)
19.5
(67.1)
16.8
(62.2)
12.3
(54.1)
8.5
(47.3)
3.7
(38.7)
12.1
(53.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.4
(29.5)
0.8
(33.4)
4.2
(39.6)
8.7
(47.7)
12.0
(53.6)
14.8
(58.6)
16.3
(61.3)
15.8
(60.4)
13.3
(55.9)
9.4
(48.9)
4.6
(40.3)
0.1
(32.2)
8.2
(46.8)
Record low °C (°F) −8.4
(16.9)
−8.7
(16.3)
−6.9
(19.6)
−2.7
(27.1)
−0.1
(31.8)
7.4
(45.3)
7.5
(45.5)
7.0
(44.6)
3.6
(38.5)
−0.8
(30.6)
−5.5
(22.1)
−10.4
(13.3)
−10.4
(13.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 8.5
(0.33)
9.6
(0.38)
16.6
(0.65)
29.3
(1.15)
57.2
(2.25)
128.3
(5.05)
153.3
(6.04)
125.2
(4.93)
77.2
(3.04)
55.1
(2.17)
12.4
(0.49)
5.3
(0.21)
678
(26.69)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 5.4 5.9 7.0 9.3 12.7 17.7 17.1 16.7 15.2 14.1 5.9 4.8 131.8
Average snowy days 9.1 6.5 2.6 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.4 5.3 25.1
Average relative humidity (%) 73 68 67 66 70 77 77 77 79 81 77 76 74
Mean monthly sunshine hours 140.6 154.3 193.3 196.4 178.2 123.2 151.5 159.2 129.0 103.2 143.4 125.0 1,797.3
Percent possible sunshine 43 49 52 51 43 30 36 40 35 29 45 39 41
Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[2][3]
Source 2: Weather China[4]

Population

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Demography

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The prefecture, almost exclusively agricultural, is one of the poorest in China, which led the authorities to encourage young people to migrate to eastern and southern parts of China to find work. For the year 2003, the number of emigrants was 650,000.

The government wanted the number to increase by 50,000 in 2004.

Religion

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It is the seat of the Latin Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of Zhaotong.

Economy

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The main industries in the prefecture are mining, tobacco and cement manufacturing

Zhaotong has some of the largest lignite sources in China. The 18,000-capacity Yuanbaoshan Stadium is also located in the city. It hosts many events, for example athletic events such as soccer matches.

Transport

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Zhaotong has several bridges over the Jinsha River, an upstream section of the Yangtze.

Administrative divisions

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Map
Name Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Population (2010) Area (km2) Density (/km2)
Zhaoyang District 昭阳区 Zhāoyáng Qū 787,845 2,240 352
Shuifu city 水富市 Shuǐfù Shì 102,143 319 320
Ludian County 鲁甸县 Lǔdiàn Xiàn 390,654 1,519 257
Qiaojia County 巧家县 Qiǎojiā Xiàn 516,349 3,245 159
Yanjin County 盐津县 Yánjīn Xiàn 369,881 2,096 176
Daguan County 大关县 Dàguān Xiàn 263,225 1,802 146
Yongshan County 永善县 Yǒngshàn Xiàn 394,267 2,833 139
Suijiang County 绥江县 Suíjiāng Xiàn 153,091 882 174
Zhenxiong County 镇雄县 Zhènxióng Xiàn 1,328,375 3,785 351
Yiliang County 彝良县 Yíliáng Xiàn 521,838 2,884 181
Weixin County 威信县 Wēixìn Xiàn 385,865 1,416 273

Ethnicity

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Among the resident population, the Han population is 4,683,478, accounting for 89.83% of the total population; the ethnic minorities population is 530,055, accounting for 10.17% of the total population.

Zhaotong Ethnic Composition (November 2010)[5]
Han Hui Miao Yi Bai Zhuang Buyi Sui Hani Dai Others
Population 4683470 180962 172620 161527 6467 2943 2354 461 447 412 1858
Proportion of total population (%) 89.83 3.47 3.31 3.10 0.12 0.06 0.05 0.01 0.01 0.01
Proportion of minority population (%) --- 34.14 32.57 30.47 1.22 0.56 0.44 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.35

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 云南省统计局、国家统计局云南调查总队 (December 2023). 《云南统计年鉴-2023》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-9653-1.
  2. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  4. ^ 昭通 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  5. ^ Yunnan Provincial Census Office, Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Statistics (September 2012). "Yunnan Provincial Census Data in 2010". China Statistics Press. ISBN 978-7-5037-6548-3.
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