Anhui Province lies in the hinterland of Yangtze Delta where there is great economic development potential. The Province covers an area of 139,600 square kilometers. The population of Anhui province reached 64.61million by the end of 2004. Anhui has 17 main cities, namely Hefei, Huaibei, Suzhou, Bozhou, Bengbu, Fuyang, Huannan, Chuzhou, Liu¡¯an, Ma¡¯anshan, Chaohu, Wuhu, Xuancheng, Tongling, Chizhou, Anqing and Huangshan, 5 county-level cities and 56 counties.
[The Provincial Capital City--Hefei]
Hefei, the capital city of Anhui, is the center of the province¡¯s politics, economy, science, education, culture and transportation. Under its jurisdiction, Hefei has four districts and three counties. Hefei covers a total area of 7,029 square kilometers, and
the population had reached 4.56 million by the end of 2005. Hefei has much to offer. It is the nation¡¯s only pilot city for scientific and technical innovation. It is one of the most important scientific and educational cities in the nation, with more than 30 universities and institutions of higher learning and more than 190 institutions of scientific research. The world-renowned University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the Hefei Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are both in Hefei. Hefei ranks top among the cities of the same category in China for its intellectual resources. In addition, Hefei is called the "Green City", with forest covering 36.2 per cent of its total area.
