Position

   Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is located in the frontier area of South China. Situated between north latitudes 20.54-26.23 and east longtitudes 104.28-112.64, the region borders the North Bay in the south and looks on Hainan Province across the sea. Bounded by provinces of Hunan, Guizhou, and Yunnan as well as the country of Vietnam, the region covers an area of 236,000 square kilometers.

Topography

The region is located in the southeastern edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Gigantic mountains roll from northwest to southeast and surround the region called Guangxi Basin.

Mountain

The ranges in the region are divided into 2 categories: the edge ranges and the interior basin ranges. The former include Phoenix Mountain, Damiao Mountain, Dananshan Mountain, and Tianping Mountain in the north (Maoer Mountain, 2,141m above sea level, is the highest peak in the region); Yuecheng Ridge, Ocean Mountain, and Mengzhu Ridge in the northeast; Yunkai Mountain in the southeast; Darong Mountain, Liuwan Mountain and Shiwan Mountain in the south; and Cenwang Lao Mountain in the northwest. The ranges within the basin are Jiaqiao Ridge, Dayao Mountain, Duyang Mountain, and Daming Mountain. They form a complete curve. Inside the curve ranges is Middle Guangxi Basin with Liuhou City at the core. Outside the curve ranges are Baishe Basin, Nanning Basin, Yujiang Plain, and Xunjiang Plain.

Landforms

Mountains and hills account for 70.8 per cent of the the total area. Of the total area, mountains with elevation of 8,000m or above cover 56,000 sq.km; mountains with elevation of 4,000 - 8,000m cover 39,000 sq.km; hills with elevation between 200m and 400m cover 25,000 sq.km; areas which are 200m below the sea level cover 15,000 sq.km; plains cover 49,000 sq. km; and rock hills cover 47,000 sq. km.

Rivers                         

Rivers in the region have a total length of 34000 km.  They belong to 5 water systems in 4 river valleys. The drainage areas of the rivers total 4700 sq.km, accounting for 2 per cent of the land area. Rivers of Hongshui, Liujiang, Qianjiang, Yujiang, and Xunjiang belong to the Pearl River Valley's Xijiang River System. Their drainage areas account for 86 per cent of the regional total land area. The upper reaches of the Xiangjiang River belongs to the Changjiang River Valley's Lake Dongtin Water System. The Bainan River, belonging to the Honghe River Valley, flows through Vietnam into the North Bay. The drainage areas of coastal rivers account for 10 per cent of the regional land area. The rivers in the region area are characterised by high drops, aboundant water resources, low sand content, tremendous rapids, high river rocks, and so on.

Coast and Island

The coastline begins from the stream outlet of the Ximi River in the east and ends at the Beilun River mouth in the west, with a total length of 1,500 kilometers. Ports along the coastline are Fangheng Port, Beihai Port, Longmen Port, Qisha Port, Tieshan Port, and Pearl Port. There are tremendous isles along the coastline.

  Beach

The 1,000 - square - kilometer beach is under comprehensive development. The 6,000 - square - kilometer shallow waters along the coast are an ideal fishery and fishfarming base.

The Superiorities of Guangxi

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has a coastline of 1595 kilometers. 21 ports are being constructed along the coastline. Berths of 10,000 - 100,000 tonnage are being developed in the ports of Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Tieshan, and Pearl. 4 berths of 10,000 tonnage have been constructed  in Beihai port, which increase the port's annual handling capacity to 2 million tons. 13 berths were built in Fangchenggang port.

The annual handling capacity of the port attained 8 million tons in 1995. 18 berths have been constructed or are under construction at Qinzhou port. Upon completion, the handling capacity of the 21 ports can reach 100 million tons. 30 berths will be completed within 10 years. At the year 2000, the handling capacity of the ports reaches over 30 million tons.

The Xijiang River system runs through the region. 9 inland river ports have been developed in the region including ports of Liuzhou, Guilin, Baishe, and Nanning. Wuzhou - Hongkong Water Course (436km) is a golden water course forpeople in southwestern provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan to Guangdong Province, Hongkong, Macao, and other Southeastern countries. The Xijiang river water course after rectification is open to cargo ships of 1,000 tonnage.

   7 counties in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are bounded by Vietnam. There are 11 frontier ports in the region. Pingxiang, Dongxing, and Shuikou are national grade 1 ports. Besides, there are 25 border trade spots which are accessible by highway and railway. The Friendship Pass is 180 kilometers away from the capital of Vietnam. Hunan - Guangxi Railway is linked by Vietnamese railway. The frontier areas in the region endow merchants in Southwestern provinces with good opportunities to conduct border trade and transfer trade.