Henan

Province in China

Henan 河南
Province
Province of Henan
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	河南省 (Hénán shěng)
• Abbreviation	HA / HEN / 豫 (Yù)
Clockwise: Mount Song, Kaifeng, Fawang Temple in Dengfeng, Spring Temple Buddha in Lushan, Fawang Temple pagoda, Longmen Grottoes
Map showing the location of Henan Province
Coordinates: 33°54′N 113°30′E / 33.9°N 113.5°E / 33.9; 113.5
Country	China
Named for	河 hé – Yellow River 南 nán – south "south of the Yellow River"
Capital (and largest city)	Zhengzhou
Divisions	17 prefectures, 159 counties, 2,455 townships
Government
• Type	Province
• Body	Henan Provincial People's Congress
• CCP Secretary	Lou Yangsheng
• Congress chairman	Lou Yangsheng
• Governor	Wang Kai
• CPPCC chairman	Kong Changsheng
Area [1]
• Total	167,000 km2 (64,000 sq mi)
• Rank	17th
Highest elevation (Laoyachanao)	2,413.8 m (7,919.3 ft)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	99,365,519
• Rank	3rd
• Density	600/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
• Rank	7th
Demographics
• Ethnic composition	Han: 98.6% Others: 1.4%
• Languages and dialects	Zhongyuan Mandarin, Jin
GDP[3]
• Total	CN¥5.888 trillion (US$926.0 billion)
• Per capita	CN¥59,410 (US$9,206)
ISO 3166 code	CN-HA
HDI (2019)	0.742[4] (high) (18th)
Website	henan.gov.cn

Henan
"Henan" in Chinese characters
Chinese	河南
Postal	Honan
Literal meaning	South of the Yellow River
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hénán Bopomofo ㄏㄜˊ   ㄋㄢˊ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Hernan Wade–Giles Ho2-nan2 IPA [xɤ̌.nǎn] Wu Suzhounese Ghôu-nóe Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hòh-nàahm Jyutping Ho4-naam4 IPA [hɔː˩.naːm˩] Southern Min Tâi-lô Hô-lâm
Abbreviation
Chinese	豫
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yù

Henan^[a] is an inland province of China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including the ruins of Shang dynasty capital city Yin and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luoyang, Anyang, Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, are in Henan.^[8]

Although the name of the province means "south of the river",^[9] approximately a quarter of the province lies north of the Yellow River, also known as the Huang He. With an area of 167,000 km² (64,479 sq mi), Henan covers a large part of the fertile and densely populated North China Plain. Its neighboring provinces are Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Hubei.

Henan is China's third-most populous province with a population of over 99 million as of 2020. It is also the world's seventh-most populous subnational entity, and, if it were a country by itself, Henan would be the 14th-most populous country in the world, ahead of Egypt and Vietnam. People from Henan often suffer from regional discrimination.^[10][11]

Henan is the 5th-largest provincial economy of China, the second largest in South Central China after Guangdong, and the largest among inland provinces, with a nominal GDP of 5.88 trillion RMB (US$926 billion) as of 2021, ahead of the GDP of Turkey of 815 billion.^[12][13] If it were a country, it would be the 18th-largest economy as well as the 14th most populous as of 2021.^[14] However, per capita GDP is low compared to other eastern and central provinces.^[15] The economy continues to grow based on aluminum and coal prices, as well as agriculture, heavy industry, tourism and retail. High-tech industries and the service sector are concentrated around Zhengzhou and Luoyang.

Henan hosts more than 150 higher education institutions, ranking first in the Central China region.^[16] As of 2023, three major cities in the province ranked in the top 200 cities in the world (Zhengzhou 76th, Kaifeng 154th and Xinxiang 195th) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.^[17]

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