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Beijing Municipality locateed between 116:20' E and 39:56' N, at an elevation of 44.38 meters above sea level, the northwestern corner rising mere 10 meters above the southeast.
Lying in the northern part of North China Plain, Beijing is surrounded by mountains on the west, the north and the northeast. The northeastern part of the city is high while the southwestern part is low topographically, with a southeastern plain tilted gradually downward to the Bohai Sea.
Major rivers flowing through Beijing include Yongding River, Chaobai River, North Canal and Juma River that mostly originated in the northeastern mountainous areas of Beijing. These rivers flow through rugged mountains towards southeastern plain of Beijing and in the end join the Bohai Sea.
Beijing has a continental monsoon climate commonly found in the temperate zone. In winter, cold, dry winds blow out of Siberia and Mongolia in the northwest; in summer, warm, moist air currents from the southeast take over. A general change of wind direction occurs in March or April and again in September. Wind velocity in Beijing is comparatively low, averaging 2 meter/second. The average annual rainfall of 630 millimeters is regarded as a generous "heavenly endowment" for North China, which is otherwise predominantly dry and short of rain.
With the founding of People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, Beijing became the capital of the new republic and has since developed itself into a political and cultural center of China and international exchange hub. Cultural relics in Beijing like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Zhoukoudian Peking Man Relics, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Place and the Ming Tombs are World Cultural and Natural Heritage approved by the United Nations. There are a total of 7,309 historical and relic sites in Beijing among which 60 are classified as national cultural heritages and another 234 are Beijing cultural heritages.
As the capital of China, Beijing is well-known at home and abroad, for it thrives today as the political and cultural capital of China as well as a center of international activity and an important socialist base.
Great changes have taken place since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The city walls were demolished to facilitate transportation and allow for general expansion. By 2001, the population exceeded 12.5 million, and the total municipal area was increased to over 17,800 square kilometers. The city is presently divided into 16 districts: Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Chaoyang, Haidian, Shijingshan, Fengtai, Shunyi, Changping, Mentougou, Tongzhou, Fangshan, Daxing, Huairou and Pinggu. In addition to these urban districts, the municipality is comprised of two counties: Miyun and Yanqing.
Beijing prides itself on its abundant tourist resources. The city has some 200 scenic spots available for tourists. It is home to the Forbidden City, the world's largest royal residence, the Temple of Heaven where Chinese emperors worshiped heaven, the Summer Place, the royal garden, the Great Wall at Badaling, Mutianyu and Simatai and the world's largest courtyard Prince Gong's Residence.
There are altogether 622 hotels and apartment buildings available for foreign tourists that would translate into 103,000 hotel rooms. About 572 of all these hotels are rated with one star and above. Beijing also has 151 international travel agencies that can provide over 5,000 tourist guides who are proficient in 21 foreign languages.
Beijing received 3.1 million people/times of overseas tourists in 2002, which brought to the city a total of tourist revenue of 3.1 billion U.S. dollars. Beijing was regarded by the national tourist authority as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in China.
Beijing has also arranged its commerce layout and developed its service facilities to meet the standards of a modern cosmopolitan city. It features many shopping compounds with comfortable shopping environment. People are now able to enjoy delicacies of any kind of Chinese cuisines and from any parts of the world.
The the twenty-ninth Summer Olympic Game will be held in Beijing in the year 2008. At that time, the whole world will focus their attentions on Beijing. As the hostess, Beijing will show her beauty to the guests from all over the world.
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