Hubei Province is located in the central part of the People’s Republic of China and abbreviated to “E”. The province’s total land area is 185,900 square kilometers, accounting for 1.94% of China’s total area. Of the total area of the province, mountainous areas account for 56%, hilly areas account for 24%, and plain and lakes account for 20%. The eastern extension of the Qinling Mountains is called the Wudang Mountains, the ridges of which are generally above 1,000 meters in altitude, with Tianzhu Peak, 1612.1 meters above sea level, as the highest point. Known as the “highest peak in central China” , Shennongding Mountain stands at the top of Shennongjia, with an elevation of 3105.4 meters. Hubei is usually known as the “Province of A Thousand Lakes”. There are 755 natural lakes covering a total area of 2,706.851 square kilometers. Hubei Province is located in the subtropical zone and in a typical monsoon zone. Except for the high mountain areas, most areas of the province have a humid subtropical monsoon climate, with sufficient light energy, abundant heat, long frost-free period, and abundant rainfall, with rainy season and hot season in the same period. The annual average temperature of the whole province is 15°C~17°C. Most areas are cold in winter and hot in summer, with temperature changeable in spring and dropping rapidly in autumn. January is the coldest in a year, with an average temperature of 2°C to 4°C in most areas; July is the hottest, with an average temperature of 27°C to 29°C and an extreme maximum temperature above 40°C except the high mountain areas. The frost-free period of the province lasts for 230 to 300 days, and the average precipitation is between 800 and 1600 mm. From mid-June to mid-July, the rain is the heaviest and strongest, which is the Meiyu period in Hubei.
As of the end of 2019, Hubei Province has a total of 13 prefecture-level administrative regions, including 12 prefecture-level cities, 1 autonomous prefecture, and 4 county-level administrative units directly under the jurisdiction of the province. There are 26 county-level cities, 35 counties, 2 autonomous counties, and 1 forestry district. It has a permanent population of 59.27 million and a regional GDP of RMB 4,582,831 million yuan, of which the primary industry completed an added value of RMB 380,909 million yuan, the secondary industry completed an added value of RMB 1,909,862 million yuan, and the tertiary industry completed an added value of RMB 2,292,060 million yuan.