Hainan Island is the second-largest island in China, after Taiwan. The island faces the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong Province across the Qiongzhou Straits. The jurisdiction of Hainan covers Hainan Island, the Xisha (Paracel) Islands, the Zhongsha (Macclesfield) Islands and the Nansha (Spratly) Islands as well as the surrounding maritime areas. The island covers a land area of 35.4 thousand square kilometers and has a maritime area of about 2 million square kilometers. It is the smallest province in terms of its land area, yet the largest province in terms of its maritime territories. Its nominal GDP for 2009 was 164.7 billion yuan (US$24 billion) and its GDP per capita was 19,166 yuan (US$2,805).

Geography and Climate

Its topography is low on four sides and high in the center from which radiate the island's rivers. 20 percent of the island is mountainous, 15 percent hilly and 65 percent is plain and tableland. Two major ports, Haikou and Yulin, are along its 1,440-km coastline.
Hainan Island has monsoon tropical climate with annual average temperature 22°c-26°c and annual rainfall 1500-2000mm. Hainan is a good place for escaping cold, relieving summer heat, having holidays and traveling due to above-mentioned climate.

History

Hainan Province, known as Qiongzhou in ancient times, has long been under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. But in May 1984, the decision was approved to establish the Hainan Administrative District on the island at the Second Session of the Sixth National People's Congress. Under the district's jurisdiction are also the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea. The district governing body is the Hainan Administrative District's Government under the Guangdong Provincial People's Government. In 1988, Hainan Island became China's 30th province and its largest economic zone.

Transportation

Hainan has a convenient transportation. The Haikou and Sanya Phoenix airports have opened more than 70 routes domestically and internationally; Ships shuttle between Haiku, Sanya, the New Port, Xiuying Port and Yangpu Port and Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, Shantou, and Hong Kong; Highways provide an easy access to all parts of the province.

Population & Nationalities

It had a population of eight million by2005, among which are some ethnic groups, including the Li, Miao and Hui. Han nationality--totaling 84.1 percent of the population--and the rest are the Li, Miao, Hui and other minority nationalities. The Li nationality has a population of 980,400 people, and the Miao, 45,600. 

Tourism Resources

Hainan has rich tourist resources, including the boundless coastal areas and territorial seas, the beautiful tropical landscape, the pleasant climate, countless hot springs, unique lifestyle of the Miao ethnic group, and various species of animals and plants. There are also some historical sites in Hainan.
Historical sites include the Five Officials Temple in honor of five honest officials banished to Hainan in the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Culture

Hainan culture is the combination of traditional culture of mainland China, the culture of the border areas of south China and foreign cultures. On one hand, it maintains its traditional culture forms, such as Qiong Opera, Junpo Festival, Huanghua Festival, dragon and lion dances. On the other hand, it absorbs modern culture forms, such as Karaoke, KTV, singing and dancing performance, golf, bowling, sailing and surfing. Tourists can not only appreciate bamboo pole dance and coconut shell dance, but also play golf and go sailing on the sea.

Food

Hainan cuisine is said to be "lighter, with mild seasonings." A lot of local taste is mixed with the Han Chinese taste. Seafood dominates the menu, as shrimp, crab, fish and other sea life are widely available. Wenchang Chicken is a dish known throughout the province of Hainan. Although there are many varieties of this dish, the name is usually used to define a type of small, free-range chicken from Wenchang city, located on the east coast of the province. As opposed to battery chickens, its meat has more texture and is somewhat drier. Hainan chicken rice is a famous dish in Southeast Asia bearing the region's name. However, whilst many restaurants use chicken fat to quickly add flavor to the dish, the proper local method is to 'marinate' the rice with chicken soup to add a more full flavor.

Universities in Hainan
• Hainan University 
• Hainan Normal University 
• Hainan Medical College 
• Haikou College of Economics