Lancang Lahu Autonomous County

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Lancang County
澜沧县
Autonomous county
澜沧拉祜族自治县
Lancang Lahu Autonomous County
Location of Lancang County (pink) in Pu'er City (yellow) and Yunnan
Location of Lancang County (pink) in Pu'er City (yellow) and Yunnan
Lancang is located in Yunnan
Lancang
Lancang
Location of the seat in Yunnan
Coordinates: 22°32′N 99°56′E / 22.533°N 99.933°E / 22.533; 99.933
Country People's Republic of China
Province Yunnan
Prefecture-level city Pu'er
GB/T 2260 CODE[1] 530828
Area
 • Total 8,807 km2 (3,400 sq mi)
Elevation[2] 1,054 m (3,458 ft)
Highest elevation 2,516 m (8,255 ft)
Lowest elevation 578 m (1,896 ft)
Population (2004)
 • Total 460,976
 • Density 52/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code 665600[3]
Area code(s) 0879[3]
Website lczw.gov.cn
1Yunnan Statistics Bureau [1]
2Puer Gov. [2]
3Yunnan Portal [3]

Lancang Lahu Autonomous County (simplified Chinese: 澜沧拉祜族自治县; traditional Chinese: 瀾滄拉祜族自治縣; pinyin: Láncāng lāhùzú Zìzhìxiàn) is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er City, in southwestern Yunnan province, China. Lancang is the same as Lan Xang, and refers to the Mekong River (known in Chinese as the Lancang) on its eastern borders and adopted by modern Laos, a Tai word meaning Million Elephants.

Demography[edit]

A large portion of the population are of Lahu ethnicity, and Lahu language is one of the official languages in the county.

Geography and climate[edit]

Lancang County is located in southwestern Yunnan below the Tropic of Cancer, spanning latitude 22°01'−23°16' N and longitude 99°29'−100°35' E and an area of 8,807 km2 (3,400 sq mi), making it the second-largest county in the province in terms of area. It has an international border with Burma's Shan State totaling 80.563 km (50.060 mi) in length. It is heavily mountainous and situated among the Hengduan Mountains, with the elevation ranging from 2,516 m (8,255 ft) at Mount Malihei (麻栗黑山) in Xincheng Township (新城乡) to 578 m (1,896 ft) in Yakou Township (雅口乡).[2]

Lancang County contains elements of both a tropical wet and dry climate and a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Aw and Cwa, respectively), and is generally humid. Summer is long and there is virtually no "winter" as such; instead, there is a dry season (December thru April) and wet season (May thru October). A drier heat prevails from February thru early May before the onset of the monsoon from the Indian Ocean. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 15.0 °C (59.0 °F) in January to 24.6 °C (76.3 °F) in June, while the annual mean is 20.86 °C (69.5 °F). Rainfall totals about 1,580 mm (62 in) annually, with nearly 70% of it occurring from June to September, when relative humidity averages above 85%. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 24% in July to 70% in February, the county receives 2,116 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Climate data for Lancang County (1971−2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 27.9
(82.2)
33.2
(91.8)
33.8
(92.8)
36.3
(97.3)
36.8
(98.2)
35.1
(95.2)
33.6
(92.5)
33.4
(92.1)
33.0
(91.4)
33.0
(91.4)
30.4
(86.7)
29.3
(84.7)
36.8
(98.2)
Average high °C (°F) 23.8
(74.8)
25.9
(78.6)
29.1
(84.4)
30.7
(87.3)
30.4
(86.7)
28.9
(84)
27.7
(81.9)
28.5
(83.3)
28.4
(83.1)
27.2
(81)
24.6
(76.3)
22.9
(73.2)
27.3
(81.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 15.0
(59)
16.5
(61.7)
19.4
(66.9)
22.2
(72)
24.1
(75.4)
24.6
(76.3)
24.0
(75.2)
24.3
(75.7)
23.8
(74.8)
22.0
(71.6)
18.7
(65.7)
15.7
(60.3)
20.9
(69.6)
Average low °C (°F) 6.3
(43.3)
7.2
(45)
9.8
(49.6)
13.7
(56.7)
17.8
(64)
20.3
(68.5)
20.4
(68.7)
20.2
(68.4)
19.2
(66.6)
16.9
(62.4)
12.9
(55.2)
8.5
(47.3)
14.4
(57.9)
Record low °C (°F) −1.0
(30.2)
1.9
(35.4)
2.6
(36.7)
6.6
(43.9)
12.0
(53.6)
16.3
(61.3)
15.6
(60.1)
15.3
(59.5)
11.2
(52.2)
7.8
(46)
2.9
(37.2)
−1.4
(29.5)
−1.4
(29.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 11.8
(0.465)
16.0
(0.63)
20.1
(0.791)
44.8
(1.764)
161.4
(6.354)
273.6
(10.772)
329.2
(12.961)
293.0
(11.535)
191.2
(7.528)
135.6
(5.339)
79.4
(3.126)
20.7
(0.815)
1,576.8
(62.08)
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 2.8 3.7 4.7 10.6 17.5 25.0 27.8 25.7 20.9 15.6 9.6 4.4 168.3
Avg. relative humidity (%) 75 68 63 65 74 84 87 86 85 84 83 81 77.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 216.6 225.7 257.7 231.0 205.3 126.7 97.9 123.3 142.9 157.6 153.1 178.1 2,115.9
Percent possible sunshine 64 70 69 61 50 31 24 31 39 44 46 53 48
Source #1: China Meteorological Administration
Source #2: Weather China

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