Guangzhou, referred to as Yangcheng, Huacheng and Wuyang for short, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province, a provincial capital and sub-provincial city, a national central city, a megacity and a core city of Guangzhou metropolitan area, and an important central city, an international business center and a comprehensive transportation hub in China as determined by the State Council. As of 202 1, there are 1 1 districts in the city, with a total area of 7434.40 square kilometers, permanent population 18870600, urban population 16263600, and the urbanization rate is 86.46%.
Guangzhou is located in the south of China, at the lower reaches of the Pearl River, bordering the South China Sea, Huizhou in the east, Foshan in the west, Qingyuan and Shaoguan in the north, Dongguan and Zhongshan in the south, and facing Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions across the sea. Guangzhou belongs to the south subtropical monsoon climate, with mild climate and remarkable maritime climate characteristics.