Dongfang, Hainan


Dongfang is one of the seven county-level cities of Hainan province, China. Although called a "city", Dongfang refers to a large land area in Hainan - an area which was once a county. Within this area is the main city, Dongfang City. It is located on the western coast of Hainan Island facing Vietnam across the Gulf of Tonkin, and in 2004 had a population of 435,000.
As all county-level units, Dongfang is administratively divided into township-level units. The main urban area of Dongfang is the town of Basuo.
The former county of Ganen is now part of the city.

Geography and climate

Dongfang has a tropical wet and dry climate. Monsoonal influences are strong, and the two seasons are the wet season and the dry season, when very little rainfall occurs. Rainfall is heaviest and most frequent from August to October, when typhoons may strike, and averages an annual total of, far lower than much of the island. January through March features the highest relative humidity levels of the year, while May through August is very sunny, consistently averaging above 60% of possible sunshine. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 46% in February to 67% in May, the city receives 2,558 hours of sunshine annually, a level not seen in the southern half of China outside of Tibet. The average low temperature remains above from June to August.

Administrative divisions

Dongfang administers eight towns and two townships:
Towns:
Townships: