Location
 Shanghai,
also called "Hu" for short in Chinese, is situated
at 31 degrees 4 minutes north latitude and 121degrees
9 minutes east longitude. Bordering on Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Provinces on the west, Shanghai is washed by the East
China Sea on the east and Hangzhou Bay on the south. North
of the city, the Yangtze River pours into the East China
Sea. It also assumes the central location along China's
coastal line. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location,
Shanghai has today become an excellent sea and river port,
boasting easy accesses to a vast hinterland.
Climate
With a pleasant northern subtropical maritime monsoon
climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons, generous
sunshine and abundant rainfall every year. Its spring
and autumn are relatively short comparing with the summer
and winter. The average annual temperature is 16 degrees
Celsius. The city has a frost-free period lasting as
long as 230 days a year, and receives an average annual
rainfall of 1,200 millimeters. However, nearly 60% of
the precipitation comes during the May-September flood
season, which is divided into three rainy periods, namely,
the Spring Rains, the Plum Rains and the Autumn Rains.
Area
 The
city covers an area of 6,340.5 square kilometers, 0.06%
of China's total territory, which extends about 120
kilometers in north and south and nearly 100 kilometers
in east and west. Shanghai has an urban area of 3,248.7
square kilometers and a combined rural area of 3,091.8
square kilometers. Its land area stands at 6,219 square
kilometers and water area 122 square kilometers. The
city's Chongming Island is the third largest island
in China, covering an area of 1,041 square kilometers.
Water Resources
Dotted with many rivers and lakes, the Shanghai area
is known for its rich water resources. The water area
accounts for 11% of the city's total territory. Most
of the rivers flowing across the city are tributaries
of the Huangpu River. Originated from the Taihu Lake,
the 113-kilometre-long Huangpu River winds through the
downtown area of the city. The river is about 300 to
770 meters wide with an average width standing at 360
meters. The ice-free Huangpu River is the main waterway
in the Shanghai area.
Topographic Features
Except for a few hills lying in the southwest corner,
most parts of the Shanghai area are flat and belong
to the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta. The
average sea level elevation is about four meters.
Administrative Divisions
 Shanghai
is divided into 15 districts and four counties. There
are 204 towns, 8 townships, 99 sub-district committees,
3,5901 neighborhood committees and 2,904 villagers'
committees in the city.
Population
By the end of 1998, Shanghai had a population of 13.0658
million (according to the residential registration),
representing 1% of China's total. The average population
density in the city stands at 2,061 people per square
kilometers, but the figure is 3,296 in the urban area.
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