Shaanxi Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Shaanxi Province 陕西省
Province
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	陕西省 (Shǎnxī Shěng)
• Abbreviation	SN / 陕 or 秦 (pinyin: Shǎn or Qín)
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an
Map showing the location of Shaanxi Province
Capital (and largest city)	Xi'an
Divisions	10 prefectures, 107 counties, 1745 townships
Area
• Total	205,800 km² (79,500 sq mi)
Area rank	11th
Highest elevation	3,767.2 m (12,359.6 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	37,327,378
• Rank	16th
• Density	181.38/km² (469.76/sq mi)
• Density rank	21st
Demographics
• Ethnic composition	Han – 99.5% Hui – 0.4%
• Languages and dialects	Zhongyuan Mandarin, Southwestern Mandarin, Jin
ISO 3166 code	CN-SN
GDP (2017)	CNY 2.19 trillion USD 324.34 billion (15th)
• per capita	CNY 57,266 USD 8,482 (12th)
HDI (2017)	0.751 (High) (14th)
Website	www.shaanxi.gov.cn (Simplified Chinese)

Shaanxi (Chinese: 陕西) is a large province located in the eastern part of China. It is sometimes also called Shenshi. The name "Shaanxi" has a special meaning. "Shaan" comes from a place called Shanzhou in Henan Province. "Xi" means "west". So, "Shaanxi" means "the place to the west of Shaan".

It's interesting to know that "Shaanxi" sounds very similar to another Chinese province, "Shanxi". Even though they are spelled the same in English using pinyin, they are pronounced differently in Chinese. The first part of "Shanxi" uses the first tone in Mandarin, while the first part of "Shaanxi" uses the third tone. To help tell them apart when tone marks aren't used, "Shaanxi" is often spelled with an extra "a" using a special method called Gwoyeu Romatzyh.

The important Wei He river flows through Shaanxi. This province is home to a large number of people, with over 30 million residents. The capital city of Shaanxi is Xi'an, which is also its biggest city. Shaanxi can be abbreviated as Shan (陕) or Qin (秦). It is also known as SanQin (三秦), which means Three Qins.

Shaanxi's Past: Key Events
How Shaanxi is Divided
Images for kids
See also

Shaanxi's Past: Key Events

Shaanxi has a long and interesting history. One very important event happened on January 23, 1556. On this day, a huge earthquake struck the province. It was measured at 9.0 on the Richter scale, which is incredibly powerful. Sadly, this earthquake caused the deaths of over 850,000 people. It is known as the most devastating earthquake ever recorded in history.

How Shaanxi is Divided

The map of Shaanxi Province

Shaanxi Province is organized into ten main areas called municipalities. Each municipality is like a large city and the surrounding areas. Here are the ten municipalities: