CNKMG) is the capital
and largest city of
Yunnan Province in
Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou
(云南府,
Yúnnánfǔ) until the 1920s. A
prefecture-level city, it is the political,
economic, communications and cultural centre of
Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial
government. It is also home to several universities,
museums, galleries and other important economic,
cultural, and educational institutions. The
headquarters of many of Yunnan's large businesses
are in Kunming as well. It was important during
World War II as a Chinese military center,
American air base, and transport terminus for
the
Burma Road. Located in the middle of the
Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is located at an
altitude of 1,900 m above sea level and at a
latitude just north of the
Tropic of Cancer. It covers an area of 21,473
square kilometres (8,291 sq mi) and its urban area
covers 2,081 km². Kunming has population of
6,432,212 including 3,055,000 in the urban area and
is located at the northern edge of the large
Lake Dian, surrounded by temples and lake-and-limestone
hill landscapes.Kunming consists of an old, previously walled city, a modern commercial district, residential and university areas. The city has an astronomical observatory, and its institutions of higher learning include Yunnan University, Yunnan Normal University and a medical college. On the outskirts is a famed bronze temple, dating from the Ming dynasty.
Its economic importance derives from its geographical position. Positioned near the border with Southeastern Asian countries, serving as a transportation hub in Southwest China, linking by rail to Vietnam and by road to Burma and Laos. This positioning also makes it an important trade center in this region of the nation. It also houses some manufacturing, chiefly copper, though some other chemicals, machinery, textiles, paper and cement take key. Though having a nearly 2,400 year history, its modern prosperity dates only from 1910, when the railroad from Hanoi was built. The city has continued to develop rapidly under China's modernization efforts. Kunming's streets have widened while office buildings and housing projects develop at a fast pace. Kunming has been designated a special tourism center and as such sports a proliferation of high-rises and luxury hotels.
