Administrative divisions of Hainan
Hainan is located off the southern coast of the People’s Republic of China, with an area of 13,200 sq mi (34,300 sq km).
Hainan Island was called the Pearl Cliffs, Fine Jade Cliffs (琼崖), and the Fine Jade Land (琼州). The latter two gave rise to the province’s abbreviation〝Qiong〞, referring to the greenery cover on the island.
Administrative divisions
Hainan Province uses a slightly different administrative system from the other provinces of China. Most other provinces are divided entirely into prefecture-level divisions, each of which is then divided entirely into county-level divisions. County-level divisions generally do not come directly under the province. In Hainan, nearly all county-level divisions (the four districts excepted) come directly under the province. This method of division is due to Hainan’s relatively sparse population.
There is Office of West, South, and Central Sands Archipelagos, which oversees the South China Sea Islands: the Xisha (Paracel Islands), Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank), and Nansha (Spratly Islands
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