Situated in Southwestern China, Yunnan Province covers a total area of 394,000 square kilometers, accounting for 4.1% of China's total land territory and ranking the 8th in China. Respectively bordering Myanmar in the west and Laos and Viet Nam in the south.
The population in Yunnan is 43 million, of which the 25 ethnic nationalities take up over 14 million. Of all the ethnic group, the Yi nationality enjoys the largest population, 4.47million. Other ethnic groups with a population respectively exceeding 1 million include the Bai Hani, Zhuang and Dai.
As a plateau and mountainous province, Yunnan belongs to the southward extension part of Qing-Zang Plateau. With an average elevation of around 2000m, Yunnan enjoys huge elevation differences. The highest point is 6740m, the Kawagebo Peak, the main peak of Meili Snow Mountain in northwestern Yunnan, while the lowest point is only 76.4m, the confluence between Nanxi River and Yuanjiang River in Hekou County which borders Viet Nam. With over 600 rivers and streams of different sizes in its territory, Yuannan has comparatively developed water systems. The number of major rivers is 180, who are mainly the upper reaches of rivers emptying into seas. They respectively belong to the 6 river systems of the Ayiyawadi River, Nujiang River, Lancang River (Mekong), Jinshajiang River, Red River and Pearl River.
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