Political divisions of China
There are twenty-three provinces, four municipalities, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions in the People's Republic of China. The island of Taiwan is claimed as a province by the People's Republic of China (PRC), but it is not under their control. Taiwan is an island known as
Republic of China (Taiwan).
Provinces[change | change source]
There are 23 provinces in the People's Republic of China.
- Anhui
- Fujian
- Gansu
- Guangdong
- Guizhou
- Hainan
- Hebei
- Heilongjiang
- Henan
- Hubei
- Hunan
- Jiangsu
- Jiangxi
- Jilin
- Liaoning
- Qinghai
- Shaanxi
- Shandong
- Shanxi
- Sichuan
- Taiwan*
- Yunnan
- Zhejiang
* The island of Taiwan is claimed as a province by the People's Republic of China (PRC), but it is not under their control. Taiwan is an island known as Republic of China (Taiwan).
Municipalities[change | change source]
There are 4 municipalities in the People's Republic of China. "Municipality" is the common English name for the Chinese zhíxiáshì, meaning a city directly controlled by the national government.
- Beijing, formerly part of Hebei
- Tianjin, formerly part of Hebei
- Shanghai, formerly part of Jiangsu
- Chongqing, formerly part of Sichuan
Autonomous Regions[change | change source]
There are 5 autonomous regions in the People's Republic of China. "Autonomous region" is the common English name for the Chinese zìzhìqū, meaning an area with greater levels of self-government to accommodate minority groups.
- Xinjiang, for the Uygurs and other Turkic peoples
- Tibet, for Tibetans
- Inner Mongolia, for Mongolians
- Guangxi, for the Zhuang
- Ningxia, for the Hui
Special Administrative Regions[change | change source]
There are 2 special administrative regions in the People's Republic of China. "Special administrative region" is the common English name for the Chinese tèbié xíngzhèng qū, meaning an area under special administration as a result of treaties that returned former European colonies to Chinese control.
- Hong Kong, formerly a British colony
- Macau, formerly a Portuguese colony