Overview

Tongling is in the south of Anhui Province and lies on the southern bank of Yangtze River. 117"42'00"-118"10'6" E. Longitude, 30 "45'12"- 31"07'56" N. Latitude. The longest length from south to north is 42.5 km, and the widest length from east to west is 40.6 km. The total area is 1,113 km² . By the end of 2004, the total population of the city is 716,300.

The city is rich in natural resources. The bronze culture can be dated back to ancient times. Tongling is known as "a place with 8 blessings". The city has already identified thirty minerals, among which, copper reserves occupy more than 70% of Anhui Province, pyrite reserves rank first in East China and second in China, the reserves of limestone, gold and silver all stand first in Anhui. Tongling is a city with mild climate and abundant rainfall, so it has rich flora. Fengdan is the representative of south peony. Danpi is a precious herb. Ginger products are sold well in domestic and international markets. Ginger and Fengdan are both famous provincial agricultural products. There are many rare aquatic animals, such as the white dolphin, finless porpoise, Yangtze alligator, and so on. Tongling, an origin of Chinese bronze culture, is known as "Chinese Ancient Bronze Capital".

The geography of the city is favorable for. Tongling lies in the central position between Shanghai and Wuhan, Nanjing and Jiujiang (200 km to Nanjing and 450 km to Shanghai). It is also the northern gate of the national famous scenery resorts --Yellow Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain (120 km to Yellow Mountain and 80 km to Jiuhua Mountain). Meanwhile, Tongling is the key area for opening up and development in Anhui. The golden waterway of Yangtze River flows through Tongling for 60 km. Water conditions of the city are unique with a grocery terminal for 5,000-ton freighters. The railway system is linking with Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway and Huainan Railway. The key section along the River -- Tongling-Jiujiang Railway -- is under construction. Highways radiate in all directions. Tongling Yangtze River Highway Bridge is the first of this kind in Anhui Province. The expressway along the Yangtze River makes Tongling connect closely with Shanghai on the east and Wuhan on the west. The north-south Hefei-Tongling-Huangshan Expressway and the east-west Expressway along the River are under active construction. Hefei-Tongling Expressway has already been completed. Tongling is one of the transport hubs and central cities in central and south Anhui.

Tongling County, under direct jurisdiction of Tongling Municipality, has a good investment environment. Various economic zones attract much foreign investment. The area of provincial-level economic and technological development zone is 50 km². The city economic and technological development zones are non-charging.

With comprehensive reform and opening up, the economy and social causes of the city are developing fast. The city has five companies listed at stock market. The number of the listed companies and the financing volume accounts for 13.2% and 10% of the provincial total respectively. The foreign trade, economic and technological cooperation, as well as friendly exchanges have expanded continuously. In 2004, the citys import and export volume amounted to $752 million with 45.5% export. Tongling has set the economic and technological cooperation with more than forty countries and regions in the world, and becomes a friendly city with twelve domestic and foreign cities. The city's major economic indicators per capita are among the top of the Province with GDP 14,591 yuan per capita -- the second place in the province. The level of urbanization is 52.3%. Urban construction and social undertakings have developed rapidly. The city has been awarded National Health City, National Civilized Advanced City, the nation's science and technology advanced city, the state Double Support model city, an outstanding city of National Comprehensive Management of Public Security, first Garden City of Anhui Province. Tongling is also a nominee of "2004 CCTV China's Charm City".

The economic characteristics of Tongling are obvious, the comparative advantages of which have been established gradually. Tongling is the country��s major industrial base of copper -- the first industry of the city. China's first large-scale copper smelting enterprises were established in Tongling. Until now, the system of mining, choosing, smelting and processing of copper has been formed and become a comparatively complete industrial chain. In 2003, the output of copper and its processed products accounted for 48% of the citys industrial output value. The output of copper is 243,000 tons, ranking first in China. The city has registered two brands in London Metal Exchange.