Leizhou Peninsula

The Leizhou Peninsula, also called the Luichow Peninsula, is located in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China. It is a large land area that sticks out into the sea, making it an important part of the country's southern coast.

As of 2015, about 5,694,245 people lived on the Leizhou Peninsula. The biggest city there is Zhanjiang, which is important for trade and transportation in the region. The peninsula’s location helps connect China to other parts of Southeast Asia by sea.

History

The Leizhou Peninsula was a place where people often traded goods. In the 1800s, the area was known for pirates, and many famous pirates, like Zheng Yi, lived there.

Geography

The Leizhou Peninsula is the third largest peninsula in China, covering about 8,500 square kilometers (3,300 sq mi). It is located at the southwestern end of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province. To the west lies the Gulf of Tonkin, and to the south is the 30 km wide Qiongzhou Strait, which separates the peninsula from Hainan Island.

The land here is mostly made up of basalt terraces, which cover 43% of the area. Other landforms include marine terraces (27%) and alluvial plains (17%). The peninsula has a few quiet volcanoes, beautiful beaches, and low-lying areas. It also features two volcanic areas, one near the northern end west of Zhanjiang and another that stretches into northern Hainan. These volcanoes formed due to movements in the Earth's crust linked to the creation of the South China Sea.

Wildlife

A special area called the Hepu National Sanctuary of Dugongs was made west of the Leizhou Peninsula to help protect animals in danger, especially sea creatures. Near the peninsula, Leizhou Bay is part of a safe place for Chinese white dolphins, which has the second biggest group of these dolphins in the country. There are still a few dugongs, a type of sea cow, living there.

Some other sea animals like Bryde's whales, minke whales, and whale sharks can sometimes be seen in the waters close by, including near Hainan Island and the Gulf of Tonkin, close to places like Tieshangang District and the islands of Weizhou and Xieyang.

Climate

The Leizhou Peninsula has a humid subtropical climate. It feels the effects of monsoons from both the northeast continent and the southeastern and southwestern seas. Sometimes, typhoons come from the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. The area gets between 1,400 and 1,700 millimeters of rain each year.

Settlements

There is a place called Kouang Tchéou Wan, which used to be a French colony. Today, it is part of the city of Zhanjiang, which is a port city.