|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Wuhan
Wuhan , city (1994 est. pop. 3,519,600), capital of Hubei prov., central China, at the junction of the Han and Chang rivers. The great industrial, commercial, and transportation center of central China, Wuhan comprises (since 1950) the former cities of Hankou , Hanyang , and Wuchang . Situated in the heart of China, virtually equidistant from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, it is an air, river, and rail hub dominating the middle Chang plain; China's main north-south railroad runs through the city. The Chang is there spanned by a mile-long bridge that accommodates both trains and motor vehicles. The busy port on the Chang, although about 600 mi (970 km) from the sea, handles large oceangoing vessels. Wuhan is one of the most important industrial centers in China; it has the country's second largest concentration of metallurgical facilities. Also in the city are railroad shops, automotive works, textile mills, food-processing establishments, and plants making heavy machinery, glass, cement, fertilizer, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and paper products. The many institutions of higher learning include Wuhan Univ., Central China Technical Univ., and a medical college. A bridge across the Han River links Hankou and Hanyang. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Wuhan." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Wuhan." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Wuhan.html "Wuhan." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Wuhan.html |
|
Wuhan
Wuhan, Hubei/China Consists of the cities of Wuchang, Hankow, and Hanyang and takes its name from the first syllable of these when they amalgamated in 1949. Wuchang received its name in 221 because the wŭ ‘military’ made it chāng ‘prosperous’. Hankow, or Hankou, was named because it is here that the Han River flows into the Yangtze River; this is the Han's kŏu ‘mouth’. Hanyang was named in 606 because it lies on the yáng ‘north bank’ of the Han River. The present name, Wuhan, can be said to represent wŭ ‘military’ and hàn, the dynasty that ruled China (206 bc–ad 220) and gave its name to the river.
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Wuhan." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Wuhan." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Wuhan.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Wuhan." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Wuhan.html |
|
Wuhan
Wuhan City and river port at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers; capital of Hubei province, central China. Wuhan developed after being declared a treaty port following the Opium Wars of the 19th century. It grew further with the arrival of the railway and China's first modern iron and steel plants in 1891. Wuhan itself was formed in 1950, by the merger of Hankow, Hanyang, and Wuchang. It is now the industrial and commercial hub of central China. Despite being 970km (600mi) from the sea, the port handles many ocean-going vessels. Industries: cotton and textiles, iron, steel, heavy machinery, cement, soap. Pop. (1998) 7,317,900.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Wuhan." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Wuhan." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Wuhan.html "Wuhan." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Wuhan.html |
|