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Shanghai [a] is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of China. The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowing through it. The population of the city proper is the third largest in the world, with around 29.2 million inhabitants in 2023, while the urban area is the most populous in ...
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Shanghai, city and province-level shi (municipality), east-central China. It is one of the world’s largest seaports and a major industrial and commercial centre of China.
The city is located on the coast of the East China Sea between the mouth of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) to the north and the bay of Hangzhou to the south. The municipality’s area includes the city itself, surrounding suburbs, and an agricultural hinterland. Shanghai is China’s most-populous city, and the municipality is its most-populous urban area.
Shanghai municipality is bordered by Jiangsu province to the north and west and Zhejiang province to the southwest. It includes the 18 districts constituting the city of Shanghai and several islands in the mouth of the Yangtze and offshore to the southeast in the East China Sea. The largest island, Chongming, has an area of 489 square miles (1,267 square km) and extends more than 50 miles (80 km) upstream from the mouth of the Yangtze; it and the islands of Changxing and Hengsha administratively comprise a county under Shanghai municipality.
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The mainland portion of the city lies on an almost level deltaic plain with an average elevation of 10 to 16 feet (3 to 5 metres) above sea level. It is crisscrossed by an intricate network of canals and waterways that connect the municipality with the Lake Tai region just to the west.
The city’s maritime location fosters a mild climate characterized by minimal seasonal contrast. The average annual temperature is about 61 °F (16 °C); the July maximum averages about 80 °F (27 °C), and the average January minimum is about 37 °F (3 °C). About 45 inches (1,140 mm) of precipitation fall annually, with the heaviest rainfall in June and the lightest in December.
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As China’s main industrial centre, Shanghai has serious air, water, and noise pollution. Industrial relocation and construction in the suburbs since the 1950s initially helped alleviate central city air pollution, although high population density and mixed industrial-residential land use continued to cause problems. The Suzhou River (the lower reach of Wusong River) and the Huangpu River (a tributary of the Yangtze), which flow through the city, are severely polluted from industrial discharges, domestic sewage, and ships’ wastes; nonetheless, the Huangpu is Shanghai’s main water source. Environmental protection and urban cleanliness are enhanced by industrial and solid waste resource-recovery operations run by a municipal corporation. More than 1,000 different materials are recycled, including plastic, chemical fibre and residues, machine components, oil and grease, rags, human hair, and animal bones.
The municipality radiates toward the north, west, and south from the confluence of the Suzhou and Huangpu rivers. Surrounding the central core is a transitional zone on both banks of the Huangpu, which encompasses a partially rural area of about 160 square miles. The banks of the Suzhou River, an important inland waterway connection to the interior hinterland, are occupied by a westward arterial extension of the transitional zone. To the south, however, the transitional zone terminates abruptly a few miles south of the central Shanghai urban core, at the Huangpu.
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Explore Shanghai, China's largest city and a vibrant cultural center. Find out the best time to visit, top attractions, places to stay, and how to plan a Shanghai trip with China Highlights.
Discover the best attractions and activities in Shanghai, China's largest and most prosperous city. Explore the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Tower, Nanjing Road, Zhujiajiao Water Town, Shanghai Museum, and more.
- Yuyuan Gardens & Bazaar. Shanghai Old City. With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, plus pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, and roving packs of Japanese…
- The Bund. The Bund & People's Square. Symbolic of concession-era Shanghai, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost.
- Jade Buddha Temple. Shanghai. One of Shanghai’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure…
- Shanghai Tower. Shanghai. China’s tallest building dramatically twists skywards from its footing in Lujiazui. The 121-storey, 632m-tall, Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower topped out…
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Explore Shanghai, a city of history, excess, glamour and mystery. Find attractions, articles, activities, guidebooks and more to plan your trip to Shanghai and beyond.
Explore Shanghai, China's largest and most cosmopolitan city, with this comprehensive guide. Find out why it's worth visiting, what to do, where to stay, and more.
