County in Hunan, People's Republic of China
Hengyang County (simplified Chinese: 衡阳县; traditional Chinese: 衡陽縣; pinyin: Héngyáng Xiàn; lit. 'south of Mount Heng') is a county and the 5th most populous county-level division in the Province of Hunan, China; it is under the administration of Hengyang prefecture-level city. Located in the north of Hengyang City and the south east of Hunan province, the county is bordered to the north by Shuangfeng County, to the west by Shaodong County, to the south by the counties of Qidong and Hengdong and the districts of Zhengxiang, Shigu and Zhuhui, to the east by Nanyue District and Hengshan County. Hengyang County covers 2,558.61 km2 (987.88 sq mi) with a population of 1,235,100 (as of 2015). The county has 17 towns under its jurisdiction, the county seat is Xidu Town (西渡镇).[1]
History
The county was the first time named after Hengyang in history that Hengyang County was formed through the amalgamation of the three counties of Linzheng (临蒸), Xincheng (新城) and Chong'an (重安) in 589 AD (Sui dynasty). After that the county was once again divided into three counties of Linzheng, Xincheng and Chong'an, the two counties of Xincheng and Chong'an were merged to the county of Linzheng, the county of Linzheng was turned back to the name of Hengyang in 732 AD.
The provincial city of Hengyang was established from three townships and urban area of Hengyang County in January 1931. Hengnan County was formed from the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 9th districts in the south eastern portion of the county in April 1952, the county seat was transferred to Xidu Town in July 1952.[2]
Geography
The county of Hengyang is located in the northwest of Hengyang City and the middle reaches of the Xiang River. It borders Nanyue District and Hengshan County to the east, and is adjacent to Zhengxiang District, Shigu District and Hengnan County in the south, Qidong County and Shaodong County in the west, and Shuangfeng County in the north. It is 74 kilometers from east to west and 55 kilometers from north to south.[3]
The mountainous part of the county is the extension of the Hengshan range, rolling up and down. Its terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, with hills and plains staggered. There are many plains on both sides of the rivers. The Zheng River runs through the county and merges to the river of Xiang at Shiguzui. It is convenient for water transportation with the Xiang River and Zheng River as the main channel. Mineral deposits in the county are placer gold, ceramic mud, coal, kaolin, limestone, barite, lead and zinc.[4]
Terrain
Hengyang County is located in the transitional zone between the rise of Wuling Mountains and the subsidence of Dongting Lake, which is the northern edge of Hengyang Basin. The layers of tertiary red rock is deposited in the center of the basin and is about 3,000 meters thick. A series of tenia fornicis on the east, north and west sides are centered around the central-south red basin with different types of structures.[3]
Climate
Hengyang has a subtropical monsoon climate with cool summers and warm winters, it is mainly warm and humid. The annual precipitation is 1,452 mm (57.2 in), the annual average temperature is about 17.9 °C (64.2 °F), the average temperature in January is 4.6 °C (40.3 °F) and in July is 30.3 °C (86.5 °F).[3]
| Climate data for Hengyang County (1991–2020 normals)
|
| Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
9.3
(48.7)
|
12.2
(54.0)
|
16.4
(61.5)
|
23.1
(73.6)
|
27.8
(82.0)
|
30.9
(87.6)
|
34.4
(93.9)
|
33.7
(92.7)
|
29.9
(85.8)
|
24.4
(75.9)
|
18.4
(65.1)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
22.7
(72.9)
|
| Daily mean °C (°F)
|
6.0
(42.8)
|
8.5
(47.3)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
18.4
(65.1)
|
23.1
(73.6)
|
26.6
(79.9)
|
29.7
(85.5)
|
28.8
(83.8)
|
24.9
(76.8)
|
19.6
(67.3)
|
13.9
(57.0)
|
8.2
(46.8)
|
18.3
(65.0)
|
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
3.6
(38.5)
|
5.8
(42.4)
|
9.4
(48.9)
|
15
(59)
|
19.7
(67.5)
|
23.5
(74.3)
|
26.1
(79.0)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
21.5
(70.7)
|
16.3
(61.3)
|
10.6
(51.1)
|
5.3
(41.5)
|
15.2
(59.3)
|
| Average precipitation mm (inches)
|
68.3
(2.69)
|
76.5
(3.01)
|
145.2
(5.72)
|
143.7
(5.66)
|
181.7
(7.15)
|
163.2
(6.43)
|
123.8
(4.87)
|
96.5
(3.80)
|
56.1
(2.21)
|
60.8
(2.39)
|
74.2
(2.92)
|
52.9
(2.08)
|
1,242.9
(48.93)
|
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)
|
14.4
|
13.9
|
18.4
|
17.2
|
15.7
|
14.0
|
10.1
|
10.5
|
8.1
|
8.7
|
10.1
|
9.9
|
151
|
| Average snowy days
|
3.6
|
2.0
|
0.4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0.1
|
1.0
|
7.1
|
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
79
|
79
|
82
|
80
|
80
|
81
|
73
|
75
|
76
|
75
|
76
|
75
|
78
|
| Mean monthly sunshine hours
|
53.5
|
52.4
|
63.5
|
92.1
|
121.1
|
128.6
|
219.8
|
190.7
|
144.2
|
119.4
|
107.4
|
91.2
|
1,383.9
|
| Percent possible sunshine
|
16
|
16
|
17
|
24
|
29
|
31
|
52
|
48
|
39
|
34
|
33
|
28
|
31
|
| Source: China Meteorological Administration[5][6]
|
Economy
According to preliminary accounting of the statistical authority, the gross domestic product of Hengyang County in 2017 was 35,493 million yuan (5,257 million US dollars), up by 8.5 percent over the previous year. Of this total, the value added of the primary industry was 7,108 million yuan (1,053 million US dollars), up by 3.5 percent, that of the secondary industry was 12,656 million yuan (1,874 million US dollars), up by 7.4 percent and that of the tertiary industry was 15,729 million yuan (2,330 million US dollars), up by 12.2 percent. The value added of the primary industry accounted for 20.03 percent of the GDP; that of the secondary industry accounted for 35.66 percent; and that of the tertiary industry accounted for 44.32 percent. The per capita GDP in 2017 was 33,115 yuan (4,905 US dollars).[7]
