Major Economic Indicators (2010)
Shangluo is located in the southeastern part of Shaanxi Province, at the southern foot of Qinling Mountains, bordering Henan Province and Hubei Province. It covers an area of 19,292 sq km. The population of the city amounted to 2.4 million by the end of 2009.
The northern part of Shangluo has a temperate climate while southern Shangluo is in a subtropical climate zone. The average temperature is 7.8-13.9°C while the average annual precipitation reaches approximately 710-930 mm. Shangluo is rich in natural resources such as timber, minerals and water. Forests cover 54% of the city’s lands. The timber reserves of Shangluo amount to 21.5 million steres, making the city an important timber producing area for Shaanxi Province. Mineral resources such as iron, vanadium, titanium, silver, antimony, rhenium, crystal, fluorite, muscovite and K-feldspar are abundant. Reserves of these minerals rank first among all the prefecture-level cities in the province. In addition, there are five rivers, Danjiang River, Luohe River, Jinqianhe River, Qianyouhe River, and Xunhe River, running through the city.
Transportation in Shangluo mainly relies on highways and railways. State Highway 210 (which runs from Baotou of Inner Mongolia to Mashan of Guangxi), the Xi'an-Ankang Railway and the Xi'an-Hefei Railway run through the city. In addition, the Xi'an-Hefei Expressway and the Xi'an-Chongqing Expressway, both under construction, will cross the city.
Shangluo which has a metropolitan area and 6 counties, has a unique and diversified culture. The Shangluo area is located upstream on the Luo River, a tributary of China's Yellow River. The ancient culture of the city was established in the Xia Dynasty (2,070-1,600 B.C.).
The city's culture is strongly influenced by China's Chang'an City, once the political, cultural and economic center of the country.
People in Shangluo still keep some of their ancestors’ habits of marriage, dress, life and language. There may be several different dialects within the same county.
Known as the hometown of walnuts, chestnuts and tea, Shangluo is abundant in lots of green agricultural products, including persimmons, Jew’s ear and flower mushrooms.
Shangluo, which has 12,000 sq km of forested land, features magnificent scenery and is deemed as the green shelter for central Shaanxi Plain. As a part of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, the Danjiang Water Conservation Zone is endowed with a wonderful ecological environment.
Situated on the south side of the Qinling Mountain, Shangluo is abundant in ecological tourist attractions. It will become the main body of the future Qinling Central National Park.
At present, Shangluo has several tourist attractions including the world-renowned Jinsi Grand Canyon, Zhen’an Muwang National Forest Park, Zhashui Niubeiliang National Forest Park and Tianzhu Mountain in Shanyang (also called the Wudang Mountain of Northwest China).
Among local snacks, fried steamed stuffed buns, made of meat, ginger, onions and flour, are the most popular.
