Province View-china.org.cn

Governor: Wang Jinshan

Capital: Hefei

Government office address: 221 Changjiang Road, Hefei City

Tel: 0551-260 1113, 260 1114

Postcode: 230001

Website: www.ah.gov.cn

Geographic location

Anhui Province, also called "Wan" for short, is located in the southeast of China. The province extends about 570 kilometers from north to south, and 450 kilometers from west to east, covering a total area of 139,600 square kilometers, accounting for 1.45% of the country's land. Anhui has 1,850 townships.

Anhui 2004 - The Year in Review

General Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP)	GDP for 2004 was 481.27 billion yuan, up 12.5% from the previous year.
GDP ratio (primary, secondary and tertiary industries)	The primary industry yielded a value added of 93.24 billion yuan, 8.5% more than that of the previous year; the secondary industry, 216.98 billion yuan, a growth of 13.8%; the tertiary industry, 171.05 billion yuan, a growth of 13%. The proportion of the three sectors is 19.4: 45.1: 35.5.
Revenue and expenditure	Provincial revenue was 52.05 billion yuan, an increase of 10.82 billion yuan, or 26.2% over the previous year. Provincial expenditure was 58.82 billion yuan, an increase of 15.9%.
Consumer price index (CPI)	CPI was up 4.5% from the previous year.
Investment in fixed assets	Fixed asset investment was valued at 191.42 billion yuan, up by 29.6% from the previous year.
Major Industries
Agriculture	In 2004, the province's grain output totaled 27.43 million tons, an increase of 5.28 million tons, or 23.9%, from the previous year.
Industry	The industrial added value totaled 173.6 billion yuan, an increase of 12.5%.
Construction	Its added value was 43.38 billion yuan, up by 19.7%.
Transportation	Its added value was 8.44 billion yuan.
Postal services	The annual turnover of postal operations totaled 1.93 billion yuan, 2.5% up from the previous year.
Telecommunications	The annual turnover of telecommunications services totaled 20.85 billion yuan, up by 31.9%.
Retail	The annual turnover from retail sales reached 150.31 billion yuan, an increase of 12.9% from the previous year.
Tourism	Revenue from tourism totaled 26.57 billion yuan, up by 35.3% from the 2003 figure.
Continued Effects of Market Reform
Imports & exports	The annual value of imports and exports totaled US$7.21 billion, up by 21.2% from the year before.
Economic and technological cooperation	Overseas project and labor contracts signed during the year were valued at US$240 million, 13.4% up from the previous year. Business turnover for the year totaled US$210 million, up by 30.8% from the previous year.
Foreign investment	The foreign direct investment which was materialized during the year stood at US$550 million, up by 40%.
Urban Construction and Management
Road transport and public services	A total of 30.66 billion yuan was invested in the construction of infrastructure facilities related to road transportation, water conservancy and environmental management. The figure was 43.9% up from the previous year.
Social Undertakings
Science and technology	The number of scientific research institutes at the end of the year was 757 and there were 88,000 people engaging in various scientific and technological activities. The total input in such activities stood at 10.43 billion yuan in 2004, up by 25% from the year before.
Education	At the end of 2004, there were 82 institutions of higher learning in the province. The number of students enrolled in postgraduate schools and institutions of higher learning during the year stood at 7,290 and 179,000 respectively. A total of 68,000 people got rid of illiteracy during the year.
Culture	By the end of 2004, the province had a total of 91 arts performance organizations, 100 cultural and arts centers, 85 public libraries, and 42 museums.
Public health	At the end of the year, there were 9,310 medical and health institutions, 109 more than the figure of 2003.
Sports	A total of 522 sports and related events were organized in the province during the year, with participants numbering some 6 million.
Welfare and aid	Various welfare units across the province at the end of 2004 were equipped with 52,000 beds and put up 41,000 homeless and vagrant people during the year. A rural social security network is now in place in 62.6% of the province's townships. There were 7,397 urban community centers. The welfare lottery reaped sales of 415 million yuan in 2004, raising 145 million yuan of social welfare fund.
Poverty relief	About 500,000 people from poverty-stricken villages in the province began to have enough to eat and wear.
Population, Employment, Social Security and Living Standards
Population	The year 2004 saw a birth rate of 11.62‰, and a death rate of 5.50%. The natural growth rate of the population stood at 6.12‰. At the end of the year, the total population stood at 64.61 million.
Employment	The employed population of the province at the end of 2004 stood at 36.05 million. About 420,000 new jobs were created during the year.
Registered unemployment rate	The registered urban unemployment rate was 4.2%.
Social security	In 2004, insurance plans for endowments, unemployment and medical treatment covered a population of 4.64 million, 3.72 million and 3.62 million respectively. These figures are up by 248,000, 30,000, and 440,000 respectively from the previous year. About 990,000 people received minimum living allowance from the government.
Residents' income	The disposable income of urban residents was 7,511 yuan per capita, up by 6.3% from 2003. Rural residents' per capita net income was 2,499 yuan, up 12.7%.
Residents' consumption	Urban residents' per capita expenditure was 5,710 yuan, up by 12.7% from the previous year while that of rural residents was 1,814 yuan, up by 13.6%.
Geography and Natural Conditions
Topography	Anhui has a complex topography. With Yangtze River and Huaihe River running through the province from west to east, Anhui is divided into three regions, including Huaibei (North of Huaihe), Jianghuai (Between Yangtze and Huaihe), and Jiangnan (South of Yangtze). The North of Huaihe River, as part of the North China Plain, is a vast expanse of flatland. The middle area between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River is a chain of undulating hills. The lands by the two sides of the Yangtze River and around the Chaohu Lake are low and flat, belonging to the well-known Middle-Lower Yangtze River Plain. The south is mainly covered by hills. Generally, the province can be divided into five topographical zones: plain north of Huaihe River, hilly land between the Huaihe and Yangtze, Dabieshan mountainous area of West Anhui, plains along the Yangtze River and the hilly area in southern Anhui. Located in the transition region of the warm-temperate zone and subtropical zone, the climate of Anhui is warm and humid with distinctive seasons. The province's annual rainfall differs greatly and its weather is very changeful, with frequent spring droughts and summer floods.
Climate	The annual average temperature of Anhui is between 14°C to 17°C centigrade. The average annual sunshine hours are 1,800-2,500. The average frost-free period is 200 to 250 days. The annual average rainfalls are 800 to 1,800 millimeters.
Natural resources	Covering a total area of 4.33-million-hectare fertile farmland, Anhui is suitable for the growth of various crops. The total water reserve of Anhui is about 68 billion cube meters. Bishihang Irrigation Project and Simashan Diversion and Irrigation Project are two key irrigation projects of the province. The land for forestry is 41,800 square kilometers, accounting for 12% of the total land of the province. Anhui is rich in plants and animals. It has a total of 1,300 woody plants and 2,100 more herbaceous plants. Among its more than 500 species of animals, 54 are listed as rare ones under state protection, including the Yangtze alligator and white-fin dolphin. Anhui has a rich mineral resource, which is great in variety and concentrated in distribution. Among the 130 discovered minerals, 67 have had their reserves proved, 49 have been exploited, and 38 rank among the first 10 in the country in terms of reserve. According to the calculation based on the fixed price in 1990, the potential value of the province's mineral reserves reach 1,920 billion yuan, ranking the tenth in China. Among them, the reserves and potential values of 11 minerals, including coal, iron, copper, sulphur and alum stone, rank among the top ones in eastern China and even in the country.