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As of 2022, Hubei hosts 130 institutions of higher education, ranking sixth together with Hunan (130) among all Chinese provinces after Jiangsu (168), Guangdong (160), Henan (156), Shandong (153), and Sichuan (134).
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Hubei, sheng (province) lying in the heart of China and forming a part of the middle basin of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). Until the reign of the great Kangxi emperor (1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), Hubei and its southern neighbour Hunan formed a single province, Huguang. They were then divided and given their present names, based on their location in relation to Dongting Lake: Hubei, meaning, “North of the Lake”; and Hunan, “South of the Lake.”
In addition to Hunan, Hubei is bordered by Chongqing municipality to the west and by the provinces of Shaanxi to the northwest, Henan to the north and northeast, Anhui to the east, and Jiangxi to the southeast. Its capital is Wuhan, the composite name of the three former cities (and now districts) of Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang, which lie at the confluence of the Han River and the Yangtze at a point approximately 600 miles (965 km) from the sea and halfway between Shanghai and Chongqing. Area 72,400 square miles (187,500 square km). Pop. (2020) 57,752,557.
Most of Hubei province lies immediately north of the Yangtze River. Hubei is bounded on the north by the eastern extension of the axis of the Qin (Tsinling), Tongbai, and Dabie mountains. In the southeast the Mufu Mountains divide the province from Jiangxi. Along its south-central border there is no clear physical divide apart from the Yangtze itself; a lake-studded alluvial plain continues uninterruptedly southward to Dongting Lake in Hunan. The Wuling Mountains form the boundary between southwestern Hubei and northwestern Hunan. Western Hubei has highlands that lie at an elevation above 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) and consist of the eastern extension of two ranges, the Daba and Fangdou mountains, marking the boundary between Hubei and Chongqing.
The level of the land falls rapidly, from west to east, to the lake plain, much of which is no more than 200 feet (60 metres) above sea level. This flat or gently undulating country is often suddenly interrupted by steeply rising isolated hills or ranges. The plain is the remnant of a former depression or old lake basin formed in the Pliocene Epoch (about 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago), which has largely been filled with eroded red sandstone from Sichuan province. The process of filling in is not yet complete; in consequence, large areas adjoining the Yangtze and Han rivers are covered by innumerable shallow lakes.
The Yangtze cuts its way from the Sichuan Basin through the Daba Mountains through the magnificent Three Gorges region. Prior to the completion of the Three Gorges Dam upstream from Yichang, the river descended rapidly there to the Hubei Plain; its flow down to the plain is now largely controlled, and much of the gorges area behind the dam is now inundated. The bed of the river at Yichang is only 130 feet (40 metres) above sea level and is 960 miles (1,550 km) from the sea. From this point onward its velocity decreases and its bed widens as it winds its way across the province from west to east. Finally, it forces a passage between the Mufu and Dabie ranges into Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. There the river again narrows to less than 0.5 mile (0.8 km) in width. In its course through Hubei the Yangtze receives the waters of two major tributaries, the Han and the Qing rivers. It also receives, through Dongting Lake, the entire drainage of Hunan. The Han, itself a considerable river even by Chinese standards, rises in the Qin Mountains and flows eastward in Shaanxi province for about 200 miles (320 km). On entering Hubei, it turns south in a much broader valley, or floodplain, and widens its bed, which varies from half a mile to a mile in width over much of this stretch. About 100 miles (160 km) from its confluence with the Yangtze at the Hankou (kou, “mouth”) district of Wuhan, it turns east, threads its way through a maze of lakes, and, in the last few miles, narrows its bed to a mere 750 feet (230 metres)—a factor that is responsible for much flooding in summer.
The variation in the regime of the Yangtze between summer and winter is striking. At Hankou, where the river is nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, the average difference between summer and winter levels is 45 feet (14 metres). In winter the river is sluggish, with many shallows, and is navigable up to Hankou only by specially built flat-bottomed river steamers. Prior to completion of the Three Gorges Dam, the onset of the spring and summer rains dramatically changed the situation, and the river came down as a mighty flood. In times of exceptional flooding, as in 1931 and 1954, the flow reaches astronomical figures. Flooding of large areas of the surrounding low-lying land was normal each summer, when river and lakes combined. The Venetian traveler Marco Polo, who visited the area in the 13th century, reported that in places the river was more than 10 miles (16 km) wide; his report was discredited as a gross exaggeration, but he had seen the Yangtze in the summer flood. The new dam has greatly reduced the incidence of seasonal flooding. In summer Hankou is an ocean port, capable of receiving vessels of 10,000 to 15,000 tons. There are, however, navigational hazards at this time. Great care has to be taken that a vessel does not stray from the true river course and become grounded in more shallow water. If this happens, refloating is an urgent matter as the river is prone to quite rapid falls in level, and the vessel may be left stranded for a year.
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Provinces (Chinese: 省; pinyin: Shěng) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions in the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC and one province that is claimed, but not administered, which is Taiwan , currently administered by the Republic of China (ROC).
Searches related to How many provinces does Hubei have?
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- Sichuan. Area: 187,260 square miles (485,000 square kilometers) Capital: Chengdu. The enormous 2008 earthquake killed some 90,000 people in the mountainous region, and wiped out entire towns.
- Gansu. Area: 175,406 square miles (454,300 square kilometers) Capital: Lanzhou. The Gansu Province includes some dramatic arid landscapes, including mountains, sand dunes, striped colorful rock formations, and a portion of the Gobi Desert.
- Heilongjiang. Area: 175,290 square miles (454,000 square kilometers) Capital: Harbin. Heilongjiang Province is prone to severe winters that last from five to eight months, with only 100 to 140 frost-free days per year and four months with temperatures higher than 50 F. Nonetheless, some crops, such as sugar beets and grains, do grow there.
The administrative divisions of Hubei, a province of the People's Republic of China, consists of prefecture-level divisions subdivided into county-level divisions then subdivided into township-level divisions.
Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; pinyin: Húběi; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei; Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. Its abbreviation is 鄂 ( pinyin : È), an ancient name associated with the eastern part of the province since the Qin Dynasty.
Area: 72,400 sq mi (187,500 sq km). Population: (2020) 57,752,557. Capital: Wuhan. It lies north of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and is bordered by Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces and by Chongqing municipality.
