Baiyin (simplified Chinese: 白银; pinyin: Báiyín) is a prefecture-level city in China's Gansu province. Population: 274,900 (2000)

Geography and climate

Baiyin is part loess plateau, part desert. Elevation ranges from 1275 to 3321 meters above sea-level. The climate is very arid with only 110-352 mm of annual precipitation. Annual evaporation is 2101 mm resulting in a net loss of approximately 1800 mm. The Yellow River flows from north to south for 214 kilometers through Baiyin.

The area is 21,200 km², 3478 km² of that urban.

Administration

Baiyin has 2 urban districts, 3 counties, 64 townships, 18 towns, and 7 sub-districts with a total population of 1,746,800.

City Districts:

Baijin (白银)

Pingchuan(平川)

Counties:

Huining (会宁县)

Jingyuan (靖远县)

Jingtai (景泰县)

Economy

The 2002 GDP was 9.5 billion RMB. Average annual income for urban residents was 6409 RMB, and 1688 RMB for rural residents.

Infrastructure

There are 2 radio stations and 3 television stations. Numerous national roads, highways, and railroads cross Baiyin.

Places of interest

The Yellow River Stone Forest is a National Park about 40km North of Baiyin. It is famous for its natural stone columns.