China's Provinces in Brief: Hebei

Hebei 河北 -- Located in northern China on the North China Plain, Hebei surrounds, but does not govern, China’s capital Beijing and the port city of Tianjin.

Size: 73,000 square miles (190,000 sq. km.)

Population: 69 million in 2006.

Major Cities: Shijiazhuang (capital), Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Handan, Xingtai, Baoding, Huanghua.

Economy: 2006 GDP: 1.2 trillion yuan ($175 billion)

Major Crops/Industry: Wheat, maize, millet, sorghum, cotton, coal, oilfields, textiles, steel, iron, chemical production.

Historical Note: Hebei is the site of the discovery of Peking Man, a Homo erectus specimen that lived in the Neolithic era 200,000 to 700,000 years ago. It was an established governmental region as early as the Spring and Autumn period (722-476 BC). It sits just north of the Yellow River, hence it's name in Chinese which means, "north of the river".

Official Chinese Website: http://www.hebei.gov.cn