South China

Geographical and cultural region

Dark red: 3 southernmost provinces of China, usually considered to be South China
Medium Red: South China according to the 1945–1949 definition
Light Red: Southern China (a much broader area)

South China (pinyin: Huá'nán) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not native speakers of Standard Chinese. Cantonese is the most common language in the region while the Guangxi region contains the largest concentration of China's ethnic minorities.

Administrative divisions

Cities with urban area over one million in population

Provincial capitals in bold.

Namesake

• South China tiger (southern China)
• South China Morning Post (Hong Kong, South China)
• Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market (Wuhan, Central China)
• South China Normal University, a university in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
• South China Athletic Association (Hong Kong SR, China)

See also

• Lingnan
• List of regions of China
  • Southern China
    • South Central China — includes South China and "Central China" provincial-level subdivisions.

References

1. GB/T 2260 codes for the provinces of China
2. ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)
3. 国务院人口普查办公室; 国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司, eds. (2012). 中国2010年人口普查分县资料. Beijing: 中国统计出版社 [China Statistics Press]. ISBN 978-7-5037-6659-6.
4. Census and Statistics Department, ed. (2012). 香港2011年人口普查 – 主要報告. Hong Kong: Government Logistics Department.
5. Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos, Macau (2012). 15th Macau Census (2011). Macau: Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos.