Guangdong Province 广东省, China

Humen Bridge, Dongguan, Guangdong Province
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Humen_Bridge-edit.jpg
Author: Hinnne


Guangdong Province (Simplified Chinese: 广东省, Traditional Chinese: 廣東省, Pinyin: Guǎngdōng Shěng) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located on the southern coast of the country. Previously written in English as Kwangtung Province, it covers 177,900 sq km (68,700 sq mi) and has its capital in Guangzhou (previously Canton).

Since 2005, when it surpassed the provinces of Henan and Sichuan, Guangdong Province has emerged as the most populous province of China. Its population as of 2008 is placed as 95.4 million people, but the number is fluid, as it also has some 31 million migrants from different provinces of China.

Guangdong Province is the most prosperous province in China, with Jiangsu Province and Shandong provinces in 2nd and 3rd place. As of 2009, it has a GDP of US$572.12 billion (equal to that of Turkey and Indonesia) and a per capita GDP of US$5,965, ranking it fifth among the 22 provinces of China.

The name Guangdong means "eastern expanse", as opposed to its immediate neighbour Guangxi, meaning "western expanse". Guangdong Province faces the South China Sea. Its geographical features include a 4,300km coastline and the Pearl River Delta, the mouth of three major rivers: the East River, North River and West River. There are a number of mountain ranges in Guangdong, with the highest peak being Shikengkong, at 1,902 meters. Guangdong Province protrudes into the South China Sea at Leizhou Peninsula, where there are a few inactive volcanoes.

Cheng Ancestral Temple, Guangzhou


Guangdong Province shares a border with Fujian Province to the northeast, Jiangxi Province and Hunan Province to the north, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the west, and Hong Kong and Macau to the south. Hainan Province is located on the island of Hainan offshore across from the Leizhou Peninsula.

Going to Guangdong Province

By Plane
There are international airports in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau with flights from all parts of Asia. In addition, there are big domestic airports in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou.

Zhaoqing, Guangdong

Getting around in Guangdong Province

The most practical form of inter-city transport are the trains. This ranges from the state-of-the-art bullet trains to the regular commuter trains. There is also a growing network of expressways and highways spreading out from Guangzhou to all parts of the province and beyond. Bus travel is somewhat cheaper than trains.

Downtown Shenzhen at night