Hainan

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Island province of south China, in the South China Sea, off the southwest coast of Guangdong province; area 34,000 sq km/13,000 sq mi; population (2000 est) 7,870,000. The capital is Haikou; major towns are Wenchang, Xincun, Tongzha, and Sanya. Hainan is China's second-largest island. Tourism and food-processing are the main industries, while the most important agricultural activities are the cultivation of rice, sugar cane, rubber, pineapples, and betel nuts, and animal husbandry, including pigs, cattle, and poultry.

History
Haikou, on the north coast, was formerly a treaty port. It was seized by Japanese forces in 1939 but was returned to China in 1945. It was designated a special economic zone in 1987, offering incentives for foreign trade and investment. In 1988 the island was separated from Guangdong and made into a new province.

It is said that berries were used to dye the flag. Red represents the blood shed in the past and the willingness to offer it again. White stands for right, truth, the honour of free citizens, and trustworthiness. Effective date: 27 February 1990. >>