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Yunnan

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Yunnan is a large province in southwest China.

It sits near the countries of Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos. The land changes a lot from one side to the other. The northwest has very high mountains. The southeast is much lower.

Erhai lake, Yunnan, China
Erhai lake, Yunnan, China

Most people live in the eastern part of the province.

Nature is very special in Yunnan. It has the most plant life in China. Out of 30,000 plant types in China, about 17,000 are here. The land is also rich in metals. It has large amounts of tin, lead, and zinc.

Terrace field yunnan china
Terrace field yunnan china

It is also known as the birthplace of tea.

Many different groups of people live here. About 34 percent of the people are ethnic minorities. These groups include the Yi, Bai, and Hani.

Ethnolinguistic groups in Yunnan Province (1971)
Ethnolinguistic groups in Yunnan Province (1971)

This makes Yunnan one of the most diverse places in China. Long ago, the Dian Kingdom lived here. Later, the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms ruled the land.

Dalisanta
Dalisanta

Many people moved to the area over many years. This helped make the province so diverse today.

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🖼️ Images & Media (38)
File:DianScuplture1.jpg
DianScuplture1.jpg
File:大理崇圣寺千寻塔出土-银背光金阿嵯耶观音立像-大理国-云南省博物馆 2025-09-18.jpg
大理崇圣寺千寻塔出土-银背光金阿嵯耶观音立像-大理国-云南省博物馆 2025-09-18.jpg
File:Dalisanta.jpg
Dalisanta.jpg
File:Attack on the rebel nest Beiqing and Balin.jpg
Attack on the rebel nest Beiqing and Balin.jpg
File:Kunming Street 4.jpg
Kunming Street 4.jpg
File:Lijiang-noria-l01.jpg
Lijiang-noria-l01.jpg
File:Terrace field yunnan china.jpg
Terrace field yunnan china.jpg
File:Luoping Yunnan.jpg
Luoping Yunnan.jpg
File:Diqing, Yunnan, China.jpg
Diqing, Yunnan, China.jpg
File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Yunnan 1991–2020.svg
Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Yunnan 1991–2020.svg
File:梅里雪山.jpg
梅里雪山.jpg
File:LuguLake.jpg
LuguLake.jpg

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