Chengdu

Chengdu (Chinese 成都, pinyin Chéngd^{ū? /i}, W.-G. Ch'eng-tu, Jyutping Sing4dou1, obsolete after Lessing-Othmer Chengdu) is the capital of China's Sichuan province and one of the country's 15 sub-provincial cities. The Chinese short name is Róng (蓉). The city has a population of about 14 million, including about 5 million in the nine urban districts and 9 million in the surrounding areas. Chengdu has become the economic center of western China, along with Chongqing. In 2006, the city was ranked the fourth most livable city in China, according to China Daily.

Geography

Chengdu is located in the east of Sichuan Province, in the Red Basin Plain, and is crossed by the Fǔ Hé (府河), a branch of the Mín Jiāng (岷江). The sub-provincial city of Chengdu reached its present size through the multiple merging of smaller administrative units. The east-west extent of the city region is 192 km, and the north-south extent is 166 km. The narrower city (urban districts without counties) has a population of 4.52 million.

Climate

The climate is subtropically mild, with an average annual temperature of 17.0 °C (15 °C in the west, up to 18 °C in the east). The average rainfall is 900-1300 mm/y. Winters are mild and summers long and hot. The normal case is overcast and humid weather.

Population

The population is predominantly Han. Uyghurs, Tibetans, and members of southwestern minorities such as the Yi (彝族) are found in relatively small decreasing numbers. The Sichuanese dialect (四川话; pinyin: sìchuānhuà) of Chinese is spoken.

In 2017, just under 8.7 million inhabitants lived in the actual urban agglomeration of the city. The remaining population lives in the rural hinterland. Due to advancing urbanisation, 11.2 million inhabitants are expected to live in the agglomeration by 2035.

Population development of the agglomeration according to UN