Tale of three towns

Modern urban Wuhan has three main geographic components that were before the ancient towns of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang. With a total land area of 8,494 sq km and a population of 8.58 million, the city has 13 districts and three State-level development areas.

With average annual rainfall of some 1,200 mm, Wuhan boasts rich water resources and has 165 rivers and 166 lakes.

Its total surface of water features is in excess of 2,000 sq km, including 779 sq km lakes. Chief among these is the Donghu Lake, the largest urban lake in the country.