Baiyin

Baiyin (simplified Chinese: 白银; traditional Chinese: 白銀; pinyin: Báiyín; lit. 'White-Silver') is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Gansu province, People's Republic of China. Established in the 1950s as a base for mining non-ferrous metals, its mines are becoming exhausted in recent decades, requiring the city to reinvent its economy.[2][3] Located around 60 km (37 mi) from Gansu's capital Lanzhou, it is part of the Lanzhou-Baiyin Economic Belt.[4]

Baiyin
白银市
Clockwise from top: Xicheng District at night, the Yellow River Stone Forest, Yinfeng Lake, Wenyuan Pavilion at night, and an ore train from the Baiyin zinc mine to the refinery.
Nickname: 
铜城 (Copper City)
Location of Baiyin Prefecture within Gansu
Location of Baiyin Prefecture within Gansu
Baiyin is located in Gansu
Baiyin
Baiyin
Location of the city center in Gansu
Baiyin is located in China
Baiyin
Baiyin
Location of the city in China
Coordinates (Baiyin municipal government): 36°32′42″N 104°08′20″E
Country China
RegionGansu
Municipal seatBaiyin District
Area
  Prefecture-level city21,200 km2 (8,200 sq mi)
Elevation
1,698 m (5,571 ft)
Population
 (2019)[1]
  Prefecture-level city1,740,800
  Density82/km2 (210/sq mi)
  Urban895,300
Time zoneUTC+8 (CST)
Postal code
730900
Area code0943
ISO 3166 codeCN-GS-04
Vehicle registration甘D
Websitewww.baiyin.cn

Geography and climate

Yellow River Stone forest canyon

Baiyin is part loess plateau, part desert. Elevation ranges from 1,275 to 3,321 meters (4,183 to 10,896 feet) above sea-level. The climate is very arid with only 110–352 mm (4.3–13.9 in) of annual precipitation. Annual evaporation is 2,101 mm (82.7 in) resulting in a net loss of approximately 1,800 mm (71 in). The Yellow River flows from south to north for 214 km (133 mi) through Baiyin.

The area is 21,200 km2 (8,200 sq mi), 3,478 km2 (1,343 sq mi) of that urban.

Climate data for Baiyin (1981–2010 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.8
(53.2)
18.8
(65.8)
26.3
(79.3)
32.8
(91.0)
33.5
(92.3)
34.5
(94.1)
39.1
(102.4)
35.7
(96.3)
32.7
(90.9)
26.5
(79.7)
18.9
(66.0)
14.2
(57.6)
39.1
(102.4)
Average high °C (°F) 0.6
(33.1)
4.8
(40.6)
10.6
(51.1)
17.7
(63.9)
22.8
(73.0)
26.4
(79.5)
28.5
(83.3)
27.1
(80.8)
21.9
(71.4)
15.5
(59.9)
8.5
(47.3)
2.1
(35.8)
15.5
(60.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.2
(20.8)
−2.5
(27.5)
3.9
(39.0)
10.8
(51.4)
16.1
(61.0)
20.1
(68.2)
22.0
(71.6)
20.5
(68.9)
15.6
(60.1)
9.0
(48.2)
1.5
(34.7)
−4.8
(23.4)
8.8
(47.9)
Average low °C (°F) −11.2
(11.8)
−7.3
(18.9)
−1.6
(29.1)
4.5
(40.1)
9.6
(49.3)
13.8
(56.8)
16.0
(60.8)
14.8
(58.6)
10.4
(50.7)
3.8
(38.8)
−3.7
(25.3)
−9.7
(14.5)
3.3
(37.9)
Record low °C (°F) −21.2
(−6.2)
−18.5
(−1.3)
−15.9
(3.4)
−7.5
(18.5)
−2.5
(27.5)
4.7
(40.5)
7.3
(45.1)
6.5
(43.7)
0.2
(32.4)
−11.1
(12.0)
−14.9
(5.2)
−22.1
(−7.8)
−22.1
(−7.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1.5
(0.06)
0.9
(0.04)
3.4
(0.13)
8.4
(0.33)
21.3
(0.84)
31.5
(1.24)
39.9
(1.57)
42.6
(1.68)
27.1
(1.07)
13.4
(0.53)
1.3
(0.05)
0.4
(0.02)
191.7
(7.56)
Average relative humidity (%) 50 45 43 40 42 47 54 58 61 59 52 51 50
Source: China Meteorological Administration[5]

Administration

Baiyin has 2 urban districts, 3 counties, 64 townships, 18 towns, and 7 sub-districts with a total population of 1,746,800(2011).

Map
Name Simplified
Chinese
Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2010)
Area
(km²)
Density
(/km²)
Baiyin District 白银区 Báiyín Qū 294,400 1,372 215
Pingchuan District 平川区 Píngchuān Qū 192,398 2,106 91
Jingyuan County 靖远县 Jìngyuǎn Xiàn 454,925 5,809 78
Huining County 会宁县 Huìníng Xiàn 541,273 6,439 84
Jingtai County 景泰县 Jǐngtài Xiàn 225,755 5,483 41

Economy

The Baiyin Nonferrous operates copper, zinc and selenium mines around Baiyin, although these mines are getting exhausted of ore. Financed by development funds, a high-tech park is being built, which is home to a contact lens factory.[2][6] Pingchuan District and Huining County are the largest coal production bases in Gansu province.

The Yinguang Group, a subsidiary of Norinco, operates a major factory making chemicals for defense and civilian use, the factory was a key project of the first five-year plan.[7]

Transportation

Baiyin is directly served by the Baotou–Lanzhou railway, Honghui railway, China National Highway 109, China National Highway 341 and G6 Beijing–Lhasa Expressway.

Notable people

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.