On the map of China Guizhou province could be likened to lotus leaf flourishing on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwest of the nation.

The province, with its capital Guiyang, covers an area of over 176,000 sq km and has a total population of more than 35.2 million.

It adjoins Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality to the north, Yunnan province to the west, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to the south and Hunan Province to the east.

Mountains and hills cover 92.5 percent of the province, with karst landscape comprising 61.9 percent of the total area.

In fact, Guizhou is China's only province without plains.

It is among the provinces with the most ethnic groups. Of China's 56 ethnic groups, 49 live in the province.

Minority groups account for about 40 percent of the province's total population and 55.5 percent of the province's area is designated as their autonomous regions.

Peoples that have lived in the province since ancient times include the Han, Yao, Miao, Buyi, Dong, Tujia, Yi, Gelao, Shui, Hui, Bai, Zhuang, She, Maonan, Mongols, Mulao, Manchu and Qiang.

History and resources

Far from the nation's political center, the province was historically China's frontier. It became one of China's 13 provinces in 1413, the 11th year of the rein of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Known human habitation in Guizhou dates back 240,000 years.

Archaeologists have found numerous prehistoric cultural sites in the province, including the famous stone age Guanyin Cave Culture and Big Cave Culture.

Today the province remains unfamiliar to many travelers and tourists.

Yet it is blessed with striking natural scenery, culture and customs, a long history and a pleasant climate, all of which are beginning to attract more tourists, both domestic and international.

Wang Fuyu, deputy Secretary of CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, described the province as "a colossal treasure house, a giant air-conditioner and an immense park".

It has 76 varieties of minerals with verified reserves. Among them, 28 rank in the top five of their kind in China.

Guizhou has one of China's three major bauxite deposits and is the largest coal producer in southern China.

It also boasts an abundant and extremely diverse ecology. It has more than 4,900 kinds of herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, the second-most in the country.

With forest coverage of 34.9 percent, the province has over 1,000 species of wild animals, including the golden monkey, clouded leopard and South China tiger.

At an average altitude of 1,100 m, most of the province is cool in summer and warm in winter.

Its beautiful limestone landscape has the most karst caves in the world. It has 948 rivers longer than 10 km and more than 10,000 waterfalls.

Francesco Frangialli, secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, praised Guizhou as a province of "colorful scenery, good wine, profound culture and charming singing and dancing".

Huangguoshu Falls

Huangguoshu Falls 137 km southwest of the provincial capital is the largest waterfall in Asia. It is 77.8 m high and 101 m wide and a 5-A national scenic spot.

Its Water Curtain Cave - Shuiliandong in Chinese - is a 134-m-deep naturally formed cave in back of the falls.

It allows visitors not only to view, but also to hear and touch the waterfalls. Huangguoshu is one of few waterfalls that can be seen from front and back - and all other angles.