BEIJING lies in the north of the North China Plain, at 39°56′N and 116°20′E. it
neighbors the Tianjin Municipality in the east, and borders Hebei Province on
three sides-the north, west and south. The terrain of the Beijing area slopes
from the northwest to the southeast. Mountains snake round the city's north,
west and northeast, while the southeast part of the city is a plain that slopes
gently toward the coast of the Bohai Sea. The Yongding, Chaobai and Juma rivers
and the north section of the Grand Cannel crisscross the area under Beijing's
jurisdiction. Most of the rivers originate from mountainous areas in the
northwest, cut through mountains and zigzag through the plain in the southeast
before emptying into Bohai Sea.

Beijing belongs to the warm temperate
zone with a semi-humid climate. It has four distinctive seasons, with short
springs and autumns while summers and winters are always long. Annual
temperatures average 12.8℃. January is the coldest month with an average
temperature of -6.4℃,and July, the hottest with an average temperature of 29.6℃.
The annual precipitation s measured at 371.1mm, and the frost-free period is 196
days.

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It
covers 16,807.8 square kilometers. Mountainous areas occupy 10,417.5 square
kilometers, accounting for 62% of the city's landmass. The rest, 6390.3 square
kilometers or 38% of the total, are flatland. The municipality governs 14 urban
districts and 4 rural counties.