Interesting Facts about Beijing

With the Olympic Opening Ceremonies tomorrow, I thought to share some interesting facts about Beijing. Here's a short profile:

"Beijing"
The name means "Northern Capital." (Nanjing is the "Southern Capital.")

City Names
King Wu first declared what is now Beijing the capital of China in 1057 B.C. The city has gone by the names of Ji, Zhongdu, Dadu, and finally Beijing when Ming Dynasty Emperor Cheng Zu selected the name in 1421. Before 1949, Beijing was known in the West as Peking.

Location
Beijing is situated in the northeastern part of the North China Plain, west of the Yellow Sea and southeast of Mongolia. About 143 feet above sea level, the alluvial plain between the Yongding and the Chaobai rivers forms Beijing. The city occupies 6,500 square miles. It is surrounded by the Yanshan Mountains on the west, north and east while the Yongding River plain lies to its southeast. Beijing faces the Bohai Sea, also called Beijing Bay.

Founded
Modern Beijing began to take shape during the Shang Dynasty (1766-1100 B.C.), first as a frontier trading town for the Mongols, Koreans and tribes from Shandong and Central China. This year, Beijing celebrates its 3,053rd anniversary. Beijing includes 18 districts and counties.

Borders
China shares borders with Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

Population
15.244 million, it is China's second-largest city after Shanghai (20.2 million). It was ruled by numerous "dynasties" until 1949, when the People's Republic of China was established.

Climate
Beijing's climate is classified as "continental monsoon," featuring cold, dry winters and summers that are hot, owing to humid monsoon winds from the southeast that bring Beijing most of its annual precipitation. January is the coldest month and July the warmest.

Monetary unit
Yuan (about 8.27 per U.S. dollar).

Government
Communist state.

Major Industries
Mining and ore processing, machine building, armaments, textiles, apparel, petroleum, cement, chemicals, consumer products, food processing, transportation equipment, telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles and satellites.

Beijing is famous for: Beijing roast duck, Carpets, Cloisonné, Forbidden City, Glassware, Great Wall, Ivory sculptures, Ming Tombs, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square. Its top sports include: Soccer, Table tennis, Basketball, Soccer (football), Gymnastics, Badminton and Swimming.