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Hainan

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Hainan , island and province (2010 pop. 8,671,518), c.13,100 sq mi (33,940 sq km), China, in the South China Sea. The province, created in 1988, is coextensive with Hainan Island; Haikou is its capital, largest city, and major port. Sanya, near the island's southern tip, is the second largest city. The second largest island off the China coast (Taiwan is the largest), Hainan is separated from the mainland (Liuzhou Peninsula) by Hainan Strait (c.30 mi/50 km wide).

The year-round growing season and monsoon climate favor the cultivation of rice, coconuts, palm oil, sisal, tropical fruit, coffee, tea, and sugarcane; the island also produces most of China's rubber. The mountainous interior is thickly forested, yielding tropical hardwoods, including teak and sandalwood. Hainan is rich in minerals, notably high-grade iron and tungsten, but also rich in titanium, manganese, salt, copper, bauxite, molybdenum, gold, silver, coal, cobalt, graphite, and crystal. Hainan's rich offshore fishing grounds provide shrimps, scallops, tuna, and Spanish mackerel, and pearls are harvested in the shallow bays surrounding the island. The growth of Hainan's industries, which include the production of textiles and farm equipment, has been hindered by a lack of energy resources. With its tropical climate and many beaches, Hainan is becoming a popular resort site. Hainan was designated a special economic zone in 1988 to spur the development of its considerable natural resources, but speculation led to an economic bubble that collapsed in the mid-1990s. The economy recovered slowly; growth is now focused on the tourist industry, which had led to a new boom by 2010.

The many aboriginal Li, who inhabit the forested interior, have been constituted with the Miao into a large Li-Miao autonomous district. Under Chinese control since the 1st cent. AD, Hainan was not fully incorporated into China until the 13th cent. It became part of Guangdong prov. in the late 14th cent. In World War II it was occupied (1939) by the Japanese, who developed the industries and exploited the great iron-ore deposits. The island was liberated (1945) by the Nationalists. The Chinese Communists landed in Apr., 1949, and, with the aid of Communist guerrillas from the mountains, gained control in 1950. The Yulin naval base, a natural harbor near Sanya developed by the Japanese, has been expanded since 1950.

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Hainan Island

The Oxford Companion to World War II | 2001 | | Copyright

Hainan Island, a Chinese possession situated 480 km. (300 mi.) south of Hong Kong. The Japanese, as part of their move southwards during the China incident, persuaded Wang Ching-wei, the leader of the Chinese puppet government in Nanking, to allow them to occupy it in February 1939 to establish air and naval bases, and their seizure of it threatened nearby French Indo-China. It was on Hainan that the original 30 Thakins of the Burma Independence Army were trained before the army's formation in December 1941. After the war it was returned to China.

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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Hainan Island." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Hainan Island." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-HainanIsland.html

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Hainan Island." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-HainanIsland.html

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Hainan

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Hainan, China Qiongzhou, Qiongtai Island A province and island in the South China Sea, the name means ‘(In the) Southern Sea’ from hăi and nán. Its previous name only lasted between 1912 and 1921 when it was nominally independent. It became part of Guangdong province in 1950 after the Chinese take‐over and only achieved separate provincial status in 1988.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Hainan." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Hainan." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Hainan.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Hainan." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Hainan.html

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Hainan

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Hainan Island off s China, separated from the mainland by the Hainan Strait; the capital is Haikou. It has been under Chinese authority from the 2nd century bc. In 1988, it was designated a special economic zone. Its products include rubber, coffee, rice, timber, tin, copper, iron, steel and bauxite. Area: 33,991sq km (13,124sq mi). Pop. (2000) 7,870,000.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Direct Cebu-Hainan, China flights eyed this year. News Wire article from: Philippines News Agency; 7/14/2010
	Vietnam, China's Hainan province speed up economic cooperation. News Wire article from: Vietnamese News Agency; 7/9/2009
	Seed plant endemism on Hainan Island: a framework for conservation... Magazine article from: The Botanical Review; 9/1/2010