BEIJING lies in the north of the North China Plain, at 39 degree 56'N and 116 degree 20'E. It neighbors the Tianjin Municipality in the east, and borders Hebei Province on three sides-the north, west and south. The terrain of the Beijing area slopes from the northwest to the southeast. Mountains snake round the city's north, west and northeast, while the southeast part of the city is a plain that slopes gently toward the coast of the Bohai Sea. The Yongding, Chaobai and Juma rivers and the north section of the Grand Cannel crisscross the area under Beijing's jurisdiction. Most of the rivers originate from mountainous areas in the northwest, cut through mountains and zigzag through the plain in the southeast before emptying into Bohai Sea.

   Beijing belongs to the warm temperate zone with a semi-humid climate. It has four distinctive seasons, with short springs and autumns while summers and winters are always long. Annual temperatures average 12.8 degrees Celsius. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of -6.4 degrees Celsius, and July, the hottest with an average temperature of 29.6 degrees Celsius. The annual precipitation s measured at 371.1mm, and the frost-free period is 196 days.

   Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It covers 16,807.8 square kilometers. Mountainous areas occupy 10,417.5 square kilometers, accounting for 62 per cent of the city's landmass. The rest, 6390.3 square kilometers or 38 per cent of the total, are flatland. The municipality governs 14 urban districts and 4 rural counties.

   Abbreviation: Jing

   Area: 16,800 square km

   Population: 11 million

   Month/Mean temperature(C)

   Jan: -4.4

   Feb: -2.1

   Mar: 4.7

   April: 13.0

   May: 17.2

   June: 18.9

   July: 23.6

   Aug: 25.6

   Sept: 24.0

   Oct: 19.1

   Nov: 12.2

   Dec: 4.3

For further info., please visit http://www.bjta.gov.cn.