湛江，广东省地级市，旧称“广州湾”，别称“港城”，位于中国大陆南端、广东省西南部，属于热带北缘季风气候，冬无严寒，夏无酷暑，亚热带作物及海产资源丰富。
Zhanjiang, a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, formerly known as "Guangzhou Bay", also known as "Port City", is located in the southern tip of Chinese mainland and southwest of Guangdong Province, and belongs to the monsoon climate in the tropical northern margin,
with no severe cold in winter and no hot summer, and rich subtropical crops and seafood resources.
湛江市总面积13263平方公里，下辖4个市辖区、3个县级市、2个县。
Zhanjiang has a total area of 13,263 square kilometers, and has jurisdiction over 4 municipal districts, 3 county-level cities and 2 counties.
区划沿革
1949年12月初，南路地区辖湛江市、北海市和钦县、防城、合浦、灵山、海康、遂溪、廉江、化县、吴川、梅茂、电白、茂名、信宜县。
1950年8月，南路专员公署改为高雷专员公署，遂溪、廉江、化县、茂名、信宜、电白、梅茂、吴川县。
1951年11月，市郊通平区和海滨区分别划归遂溪县和吴川县。
1952年11月，市郊的东海岛、硇洲岛、东头山岛等地划出，成立东海县，隶广东省粤西区行政公署。是年12月，改名为雷东县。
Zhanjiang locates in the southern most part of China’s mainland, with a total land area of 12471 square kilometers and a population of more than 7 million. It is the nearest foreign trade seaport to Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania from China’s Mainland and enjoys important strategic status.
1. General Survey of Economic Development
Its comprehensive economic strength is continuously enhancing and its foreign trade force is increasing strongly. In 2003, the total import and export value reached 1.94 billion, 62.1% over 2002, among which the total export value was 900 million, increased by 65.1%. The contractual attraction of foreign capital was USD 257 million, up by 30.8%. And the actual utilization of foreign investment was USD 180 million, up by 63.3%.
2. Unique Advantages and Development Characteristics
(1) Owing special regional advantage. It locates in the crossing of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan and becomes the transportation center of Southwest China, South China and Hainan. It is an important pivot to the import and export economy of Southwest China, and is also the important routeway from China’s mainland to Hainan. It is the nearest foreign trade seaport to Africa, East Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia and Oceania from China’s Mainland and enjoys important strategic status.
(2) Owing rich resource. There are lots of seaports, and the port area can afford the construction of deep-water wharf with the coastline of 97 kilometers. Zhanjiang has been developed as one of the 4 major sugar bases, the biggest eucalypts, sisals and red woods production base. The area’s output and output value of the out-sale oriented vegetables ranks the first in the top five areas of southern area’s vegetables to northern area. There are 520 kinds of fish, 547 kinds of testacean and 28 kinds of shrimps. The output of Zhanjiang’s aquatic products has been ranking first for many years in the province.
(3) Owing characteristic industry. With its advantages of adjoining to sea and port, Zhangjiang is step-by-step constructing eight pivotal industries: petrochemical industry, exploration of offshore oil gas, electricity, paper making, processing of agricultural and aquatic products, feeds, textile and costume, electric appliances and machineries. It also has four major industrial base including Nangfang petrochemical base, agricultural seafood processing export base, high-quality paper making base and small home appliances manufacturing base.
