I．Geographic Position and Natural Environment 

Position

Jiangsu, a province located in the middle part of the eastern coast of China between north latitude 30°45’and 35°08’, east longitude 116°21’ and 121°56’, is an integral part of the Yangtze River Delta. Jiangsu is at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. With the Yellow Sea to its east, Jiangsu adjoins Anhui and Shandong provinces in the west and north respectively, with Zhejiang province and Shanghai city as its neighbors in the southeast.

Topography

Jiangsu’s topography mainly consisting plains, mountains and hills, with plains accounting for 86.90%, hills for 11.54% and mountains for 1.56% respectively. 93.89% of the land area in Jiangsu lies in the flat slope of 0 to 2 degrees, and only 0.03% lies in the steep slope above 35 degrees. Yunv Peak of Yuntai Mountain in Lianyungang is the highest peak in Jiangsu, with an altitude of 624.4 m.

Rivers and Lakes

Jiangsu, as the only province in China that is home to important seas, rivers and lakes, has numerous lakes and a dense network of waterways, with an overall water area accounting for 16.9% of its territory. The Yangtze River traverses 426 km from the east to the west, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal stretches 718 km from the north to the south. Jiangsu houses over 20,000 rivers above town-level and over 2,000 county-level rivers, with 723 of them included in the Jiangsu main waterway list. Jiangsu is home to 12 lakes above 50 km2 and the Taihu Lake, Hongze Lake, covering over 1,000 km2, are rated as the third and fourth largest freshwater lake in China.

II. Resources

Land Resources

Jiangsu covers 107,200 km², accounting for 1.12% of China’s total territory. The land resources in Jiangsu mainly comprise plains with good natural attributes. Most of the plains in Jiangsu feature deep soil layers and medium-to-high fertility, which are suitable for farming. The land utilization is sufficient and the utilization rate is high in Jiangsu. Its coastal tidal flat area covers over 5,000 km2, accounting for about a quarter of the total tidal flat area in China.

Agricultural Resources

Jiangsu is located in the transitional climate zone between the north and south, with various ecologies and unique agricultural advantages, and is known as the “land of fish and rice”. Jiangsu is the largest japonica rice producing area in South China, and it is also a leading production area of high-quality low-protein wheat. Jiangsu produces corn, peanut, colza, grains, beans, other special grain crops, and over 1,000 kinds of wild Chinese herbal medicines. Horticultural vegetables are the top cash crops in Jiangsu. Local livestock and poultry germplasm resources are abundant in Jiangsu, and 30 varieties have been included the protection list of livestock and poultry genetic resources, of which 15 are included in the national protection list of livestock and poultry genetic resources, and Jiangsu tops the number of national genetical conservation units.

Water resources

Jiangsu lies along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, Yi River, Shu River, Si Canal, and the transitional climate zone between the north and south, with numerous lakes, rivers and dense networks of waterways. Jiangsu is short of local water resources, with an average annual local water resources of 32.2 billion m3 and a large amount of transit water of 949.2 billion m3, of which the Yangtze River runoff accounts for 96%.

Marine Resources

Jiangsu sea area is located in the north-central part of China’s sea area and the center of western Pacific coast, facing the Republic of Korea and Japan across the sea, with a superior geographical position and an important strategic position, covering about 37,500 km2 and 26 islands. Jiangsu’s offshore area also houses famous fishing grounds including Haizhou Bay Fishing Ground, Lvsi Fishing Ground, the Yangtze River Estuary Fishing Ground and Dasha Fishing Ground.

Mineral Resources
Up till now, 133 types of mineral resources have been discovered and 69 of whose reserves have been proved up in Jiangsu. Mineral resources in Jiangsu feature “three in plenty and three in scarcity”: there are many kinds of minerals and less per capita possession; there are many small deposits and few large deposits; there are more nonmetallic minerals and less metallic minerals. Rock salt, mirabilite, attapulgite clay, kaolin, rutile, limestone for cement and ceramic soil are top characteristic minerals in Jiangsu.

Forest Resources

The forest area of Jiangsu is 1.56 million hectares, with a 24% forest coverage rate, and the total wood standing stock exceeds 96.09 million m3. Jiangsu has established 8 national forest cities, 7 national green model cities and 39 national green model counties (cities, districts).

Wetland Resources

The wetland area in Jiangsu is 2.822 million hectares, and the total wetland area ranks sixth in China, with a natural wetland protection rate of 58.9%.

Tourism

Jiangsu is home to 8 national tourism demonstration zones, 39 national key rural tourism villages, 7 national tourist resorts and 25 national 5A-level tourist attractions. Night economy brands such as Suzhou “Gusu 8:30pm”, Nanjing “Jinling Night” and Changzhou “Longcheng night is still young” have emerged in Jiangsu.

III. Climate

Jiangsu is situated in a transition belt from a subtropical to temperate zone, the province has a typical East Asia monsoon climate. Jiangsu features a flat landscape, and it approximately takes the Huaihe River and the North Jiangsu Irrigation Main Channel as the demarcation, to the south of which is the subtropical monsoon climate and to the north the warm moist monsoon climate. The climate of Jiangsu features four distinct seasons, remarkable monsoons, changeable spring temperatures, crisp autumns, rainy summers, abundant and concentrated rainfall, remarkable Meiyu rains, abundant light and heat, and frequent meteorological disasters.