Story of Nantong (Volume XII) – Natural advantages
Advantageous Location
Nantong in East China boasts unique geographical advantages. The city stands on the estuary of the Yangtze River, borders the Huanghai Sea and belongs to the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The city is home to 166 kilometers of Yangtze River banks, including 30 km suitable for the building of berths of 100,000 metric tons or more and 65 km of dykes.
Nantong Port is a Shanghai International Shipping Center cluster port and ranks among the top 10 ports along the Yangtze River.
Nantong houses 206 km of coastline, including 40 km fit for building 50,000-ton-or-above berths.
With the development of the Yaosha and Lengjiasha sandbars in Tongzhou Bay, Nantong Port can grow into an integrated modern deep-sea seaport with 150 km of deep-water coastline, several hundred 50,000-ton-to-300,000-ton berths, and an annual throughout capacity of over 1 billion tons.
Pleasant climate
Nantong is located in the mid-latitude region and belongs to a north subtropical and warm temperate monsoon climate characterized by distinct seasons and abundant sunlight and rainfall. It also features an oceanic climate with fewer droughts and floods.
The city also has a long frost-free period and an annual average temperature of 15.8 degrees Celsius.
Among Yangtze River Delta cities, Nantong ranks at the forefront in urban climatic environment, rate of natural disasters occurrence, and urban environmental comfort index.
Nantong ranks first among Yangtze River Delta cities in terms of freshwater abundance. Its precipitation is abundant, with an average annual rainfall of 1,060 mm, equivalent to 2,560 million cubic meters.
Flat terrain
Nantong is a flat, low-lying city. Apart from a small portion that belongs to the Lixiahe Plain and the East China coastal plain, the majority of the city belongs to the vast Yangtze River Delta Plain.
The city's difference in land elevation is generally between 2 and 6.5 m, which is a typical plain. The city tilts toward the southeast and has numerous rivers and waterways.
According to the second national soil survey from 1979 to 1985, Nantong's soil fell under four categories, namely, moisture soil, saline soil, paddy soil, and yellow brown soil and brown calcareous soil. The total area of moisture and paddy soils suitable for growing crops accounted for 96.29 percent of the total cultivated land in the city.
Ample produce
Nantong is a land of milk and honey. The city is suitable for a variety of crops, mainly grain, cotton and special cash crops. A total of 2.7 million mu of rice and 2.85 million mu of wheat are grown in the city year-round.
Nantong is renowned for producing cocoon silk and aquatic products and it produces the most cocoon and aquatic products of any city in Jiangsu province. The Lyusi fishing port is one of the four largest in the country and one of the nine largest in the world.
Nantong is also home to a variety of wildlife, and in 2022 3,508 species were recorded in the city.
Editor-in-chief: Yu Lei
Editor: Wang Yun
Photo by Gu Yao
Translated by Wang Haifei from the Shanghai Waiyuan Translation Agency
- Story of Nantong (Volume XI) – The revolutionary base area
- Story of Nantong (Volume X) – A Pioneering City in Modern China
- Story of Nantong (Volume IX) – Fighting against Japanese Invaders
- Story of Nantong (Volume VIII) – Flourishing arts and culture
- Story of Nantong (Volume VII) – Flourishing cotton and textile industries