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Henan
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Henan
Henan or Honanboth: hoo'nän', province (1994 est. pop. 90,050,000), c.65,000 sq mi (168,350 sq km), NE China. The capital is Zhengzhou. It is sparsely settled in the mountainous western region but densely populated and cultivated in the east. Although the climate is dry, the loess provides fertile soil. Henan is a major wheat and cotton producing province; other agricultural products include sorghum, rice, millet, sweet potatoes, tobacco, fruit, oakleaf silk, and oilseed crops (sesame, peanuts). The province is well-watered, with the Huang He (Yellow River) flowing through the northern section and the Huai River in the east; both are generally navigable only for small rivercraft. Floods and droughts, long suffered in Henan, have been alleviated by the building (1960s) of the Sanmen dam on the Huang He in the southwest, the construction of the People's Victory Canal (which diverts water from the Huang He to the Jin River), reforestation efforts, and other irrigation and drainage programs. In addition to its waterways, Henan has many good highways and a fine railway system; the principal north-south and east-west railroad lines of China cross the province, intersecting at Zhengzhou. Coal, abundantly found in Henan, and hydroelectric power from the Sanmen project supply burgeoning industries in Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Kaifeng. The province has a growing variety of heavy industries, such as chemical works and tractor plants, and light industries, such as the production of textiles, appliances, and electronic equipment. An aluminum plant is at the Sanmen gorge. Petroleum and natural gas can be found at the Zhongyuan oil fields. In addition to coal, iron is mined, and lead and pottery clay are found. Stone Age remains have been discovered in Henan, and from c.2000 B.C. the region was a center of Chinese civilization; Anyang, Luoyang, and Kaifeng are historic cities. In the early 1930s, N Henan was part of the Anhui-Henan-Hubei soviet area (also called the Oyuwan Republic). The area N of the Huang He was a part of Pingyuan prov. from 1949 to 1952.

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Wikipedia search results for: Henan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henan, is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the eastern central part of the country. An Introduction to Chinese Provinces, china.org.cn, accessed July 2009 Its one-character abbreviation is 豫, named after Yuzhou Province, a Han Dynasty province that included parts of Henan. The name Henan means "south of the River". With nearly 100 million people, Henan is the most populous province of China by residency. It borders Hebei to the north, Shandong to the northeast, Anhui to the southeast, Hubei to the south, Shaanxi to the west, and Shanxi to the northwest. Henan is often called...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Henan
Results 1 - 10  of 14
  • Xinyang

    Xinyang or Sinyang, city (1994 est. pop. 217,800), S Henan prov., China. It is a transportation hub lying on the Beijing-Guangzhou RR and the major regional center for southernmost Henan and N...

  • Zhengzhou

    Zhengzhou or Chengchow, city (1994 est. pop. 1,323,700), capital of Henan prov., E central China. An important railroad center, the city is at the junction of the Longhai (east-west) and the B...

  • Song Shan

    Song Shan, mountain, N central Henan prov., China; one of the five sacred mountains of China. It is famous for the Shaolin Temple, where generations of Buddhist monks have practiced martial ar...

  • Anyang

    Anyang, city (1994 est. pop. 458,400), N Henan prov., China, on the Beijing-Guangzhou RR, in a cotton-growing area. It is an agricultural and trade center with textile mills, coal mines, and a...

  • Chuang-tzu

    Chuang-tzu or Chuang-tze, c.369–c.286 B.C., Chinese Taoist writer. Little is known about his life. He was a native of the state of Meng, on the border of present-day Shandong and Henan provinc...

  • Huai

    Huai or Hwai, river, c.680 mi (1,090 km) long, rising in the Tongbai Mts., Henan prov., E China, and flowing E across Anhui prov., through Hongze Lake, to the East China Sea. The Huai marks th...

  • Kaifeng

    Kaifeng, city (1994 est. pop. 535,300), NE Henan prov., China, on the Longhai RR. It is a commercial, agricultural, and industrial center. Manufactures include agricultural machinery, zinc, te...

  • Luoyang

    Luoyang or Loyang, city (1994 est. pop. 863,300), NW Henan prov., China, on the Luo River. The city is the hub of several highways and is located on the Longhai RR. A new industrial center wit...

  • Liu Hsiu

    Liu Hsiu, A.D. 6–A.D. 57, restorer of the Han dynasty. As first emperor (A.D. 25–A.D. 57) of the Later, or Eastern, Han (A.D. 25–A.D. 200), he curbed the power of the imperial princes and recr...

  • Li Tzu-cheng

    Li Tzu-cheng, 1605–45, Chinese rebel leader who contributed to the fall of the Ming dynasty. With the help of scholars he organized a government in S Shanxi prov., proclaimed a new dynasty, an...

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