Yunnan, which means 'clouds in the south', is one of China's most culturally varied and beautiful provinces. It has the greatest number of ethnic groups of all the provinces and autonomous regions in China. Yunnan has a diverse topography that ranges from alpine mountain ranges to tropical rainforests and the greatest number of plant species in China. As such it is a major tourism hub and receives the largest number of visitors in western China.
Administration Type | Province |
Area | 394,100 km² (4.1% of China's total area ) -almost five times Scotland |
Capital City | Kunming |
Population (2004) | 44 million (12th) 1 -nine times Scotland's population |
GDP (2004) - per capita | US $36 billion(19th) - a quarter of Scotland's output US $815 (29th) |
Consumption per capita (2004) | US $518 (26th) |
Foreign Direct Investment (2003) | US $84 million (25th) |
Exports Imports | US $2.0 billion (0.3% of China's total exports) US $1.7 billion (0.3% of China's total imports) |
Number of Universities (2004) Number of higher education graduates (2004) | 43 35,000 |
Source: China Statistical Yearbook 2005 | Regional rankings within China, 1st = highest, 31st = lowest |
Scottish Links
Government Links
In July 2001 the Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, Mr Liang Gongqing, visited Scotland.
Commercial Links
Arup (Scotland) is working on a project at Kunming International Airport.
Educational/Science Links
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh (RBGE) have a special relationship with Yunnan. In 2002, RBGE in partnership with 3 Chinese governmental organisations lay the foundations for a new botanic garden and research station in Yunnan. In addition RBGE have a memorandum of understanding with Kunming Institute of Botany.
The University of Aberdeen have research focused memoranda of understanding with Yunnan Normal University and Kunming Institute of Technology
There is link between a school in Yunnan and one in Edinburgh.
Cultural/Sports Links
The Executive is developing its database of Scottish links with each of China's regions. Do you know of any Sino-Scottish regional link that we have not included above or that is in need of updating? If so, please let us know by completing the regional links form.