Geography

Chengdu Plain in spring

The vast plain on which Chengdu is located has an elevation ranging from 450 meters to 720 meters.

Northwest Chengdu is bordered by the high and steep Longmen Mountain and in the west by the Qionglai Mountains, the elevation of which exceeds 3,000 m (9,800 ft) and includes Miao Jiling (5,364 m (17,598 ft)) and Xiling Snow Mountain (5,164 m (16,942 ft)). The western mountainous area is also home to a large primitive forest with abundant biological resources and a Giant Panda habitat. East of Chengdu stands the low Longquan Mountain and the west bordering area of the hilly land of middle reaches of Min River, an area noted by several converging rivers.Since ancient times, Chengdu has been known as "the Abundant Land" owing to its fertile soil, favorable climate, and novel Dujiangyan Irrigation System.

Chaoyang Lake in Chengdu's suburb

Chengdu is located at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin and sits on the Chengdu Plain; the dominating terrain is plains. The prefecture ranges in latitude from 30° 05' to 31° 26' N, while its longitude ranges from 102° 54' to 104° 53' E, stretching for 192 kilometres (119 mi) from east to west and 166 km (103 mi) south to north, administering 12,390 square kilometres (4,780 sq mi) of land. Neighbouring prefectures are Deyang (NE), Ziyang (SE), Meishan (S), Ya'an (SW), and the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (N). The urban area, with an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft), features a few rivers, three of them being the Jin, Fu (府河), and Sha Rivers. Outside of the immediate urban area, the topography becomes more complex: to the east lies the Longquan Range (龙泉山脉) and the Penzhong Hills (盆中丘陵); to the west lie the Qionglai Mountains, which rise to 5,364 m (17,598 ft) in Dayi County. The lowest point in Chengdu Prefecture, at 378 m (1,240 ft), lies in the southeast in Jintang County.

Climate Chengdu Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     7.9   9 3     12   11 5     20   16 8     44   22 13     79   26 17     107   28 21     225   30 22     201   30 22     119   25 19     35   21 15     16   16 10     5.2   11 5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.3   49 37     0.5   52 40     0.8   61 47     1.7   71 55     3.1   79 63     4.2   82 69     8.8   85 72     7.9   85 71     4.7   77 65     1.4   69 58     0.6   60 49     0.2   51 40 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Chengdu has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and is largely mild and humid. It has four distinct seasons, blessed with abundant rainfall, and relieved from both sweltering summers and freezing winters. The Qin Mountains (Qinling) to the far north help shield the city from cold Siberian winds in the winter; because of this, the short winter is milder than in the Lower Yangtze. The 24-hour daily mean temperature in January is 5.6 °C (42.1 °F), and snow is rare but there are a few periods of frost each winter. The summer is hot and humid, but not to the extent of the "Three Furnaces" (三大火炉) cities of Chongqing, Wuhan, and Nanjing, all which lie in the Yangtze basin. The 24-hour daily mean temperature in July and August is around 25 °C (77 °F), with afternoon highs sometimes reaching 33 °C (91 °F); sustained heat as found in much of eastern China is rare. Rainfall is common year-round but is the greatest in July and August, with very little of it in the cooler months. Chengdu also has one of the lowest annual sunshine totals nationally, with less sunshine annually than much of Northern Europe, and most days are cloudy and overcast even if without rain. This is especially so in the winter months, when it is typically interminably grey and dreary, compounding the poor air quality. Spring (March–April) tends to be sunnier and warmer in the day than autumn (October–November). The annual mean is 16.14 °C (61.1 °F), and extremes have ranged from −5.9 °C (21 °F) to 40.0 °C (104.0 °F).

Climate data for Chengdu (1971−2000) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °C (°F) 9.3 (48.7) 11.2 (52.2) 15.9 (60.6) 21.7 (71.1) 26.0 (78.8) 28.0 (82.4) 29.5 (85.1) 29.7 (85.5) 25.2 (77.4) 20.6 (69.1) 15.8 (60.4) 10.7 (51.3) 20.3 (68.5) Average low °C (°F) 2.8 (37) 4.7 (40.5) 8.2 (46.8) 12.9 (55.2) 17.2 (63) 20.5 (68.9) 22.0 (71.6) 21.7 (71.1) 18.6 (65.5) 14.6 (58.3) 9.5 (49.1) 4.5 (40.1) 13.1 (55.6) Precipitation mm (inches) 7.9 (0.311) 12.1 (0.476) 20.0 (0.787) 44.2 (1.74) 78.5 (3.091) 106.8 (4.205) 224.5 (8.839) 201.1 (7.917) 118.8 (4.677) 35.2 (1.386) 15.9 (0.626) 5.2 (0.205) 870.2 (34.26) Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 7.0 8.5 10.9 13.0 14.7 15.2 17.6 15.8 15.6 13.1 7.7 5.2 144.3  % humidity 83 81 79 78 76 81 86 85 85 85 83 84 82.2 Mean monthly sunshine hours 53.3 51.4 83.1 113.9 121.7 117.2 131.9 155.0 77.6 59.4 57.2 51.6 1,073.3 Percent possible sunshine 17 17 23 30 29 28 31 38 21 17 18 16 24 Source: China Meteorological Administration Administrative divisions

Chengdu is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over 9 districts (区 qu), 4 county-level cities (市 shi) and 6 counties (县 xian) :

Map # Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2010) Area (km²) Density (/km²) City Core 1 Qingyang District 青羊区 Qīngyáng Qū 828,140 66 12,548 2 Jinjiang District 锦江区 Jǐnjiāng Qū 690,422 61 11,318 3 Jinniu District 金牛区 Jīnniú Qū 1,200,776 108 11,118 4 Wuhou District 武侯区 Wǔhóu Qū 1,083,806 77 14,075 5 Chenghua District 成华区 Chénghuá Qū 938,785 109 8,613 Suburban districts 6 Longquanyi District 龙泉驿区 Lóngquányì Qū 767,203 558 1,375 7 Qingbaijiang District 青白江区 Qīngbáijiāng Qū 381,792 392 974 8 Xindu District 新都区 Xīndū Qū 775,703 481 1,613 9 Wenjiang District 温江区 Wēnjiāng Qū 457,070 277 1,650 Satellite cities 10 Dujiangyan 都江堰市 Dūjiāngyàn Shì 657,996 1,208 545 11 Pengzhou 彭州市 Péngzhōu Shì 762,887 1,420 537 12 Qionglai 邛崃市 Qiónglái Shì 612,753 1,384 443 13 Chongzhou 崇州市 Chóngzhōu Shì 661,120 1,090 607 Rural 14 Jintang County 金堂县 Jīntáng Xiàn 717,225 1,156 620 15 Shuangliu County 双流县 Shuāngliú Xiàn 1,158,516 1,067 1,086 16 Pi County 郫县 Pí Xiàn 756,047 438 1,726 17 Dayi County 大邑县 Dàyì Xiàn 502,198 1,327 378 18 Pujiang County 蒲江县 Pújiāng Xiàn 239,562 583 411 19 Xinjin County 新津县 Xīnjīn Xiàn 302,199 330 916