Asian Development Bank

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Yunnan Province, PRC

Yunnan Province, with an area of 394,000 square kilometers, is the eighth largest province in China. Situated in China's southwestern frontier, Yunnan borders Guizhou Province and Guangxi Autonomous Region on the east, reaches north to Sichuan Province and the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and on the west and the south it borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam along a 4,060 kilometer international boundary.

Under the influence of monsoon winds, the climate of Yunnan varies greatly. It has a complex topography with great ranges in elevation. Distinct features include: considerable temperature variation between nigh and day, but with a moderate temperature year round; a notable differentiation between the western canyon region and the eastern plateau region with a rainy season from May to October; climate zones running from the southeast to the northwest range from tropical, to subtropical, temperature and frigid.

Yunnan Province is a continuation of the Tibetan plateau. In the west, a series of high mountain chains, collectively called the Hengduan Shan, run roughly northwest to southeast, then branch out in a fan shape. From west to east these high mountains are the Gaoligong Shan, Nu Shan and the Yunling. In the eastern plateau region, the northeast to southwest ranges are Jiaozi, Wulian, Wument, Liangwang, Niushou and Liushao Shan. Approximately 30 mountain tops rise well above 2500 meters. Mount Kagebo, the peak of the Meili Snow Mountains and the highest point in the province, is in the northwest of the province, and soars 6740 meters above sea level.

More than 40 freshwater lakes, the highest number in Southwest China, lie in geological faults on the plateau. Larger lakes include Dianchi, Erhai, Fuxian, Yangzonghai and Lugu.

Yunnan has about 600 rivers which flow from six river systems. Major rivers are the Dulongjiang, headwaters of the Irrawaddy; the Nujiang, which is the upper section of the Salween; the Lancangjiang that is called the Mekong in Laos and Vietnam; the Red River which flows into the Gulf of Tonkin through Vietnam; the Jinshajiang which is the upper portion of the Yangtze and the Nanpanjiang or the upper section of the Zhujiang.

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