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Linfen
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Traditional	臨汾
- Simplified	临汾
- Pinyin	Línfén
Location in Shanxi
Linfen Location in China
Coordinates: 36°5′N 111°31′E / 36.083°N 111.517°E / 36.083; 111.517
Country	China
Province	Shanxi
City seat	Yaodu District (尧都区)
Area
- Total	20,275 km2 (7,828.2 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total	4,172,000
- Density	205.8/km2 (532.9/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	041000
Area code(s)	0357
Website	http://www.linfen.gov.cn/

Linfen (simplified Chinese: 临汾; traditional Chinese: 臨汾; pinyin: Línfén) is a prefecture-level city in southern Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It is situated along the banks of the Fen River. It was known as Pingyang (平阳) during the Spring and Autumn Period. It has an area of 20,275 square kilometers^[1] and a population of 4,172,000 as of the end of 2007.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Administrative divisions 3 Economy 4 Pollution 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

According to legend, the site of present-day Linfen was the capital of Yao, a legendary ruler more than 4000 years ago. In the 1980s, Linfen was nicknamed "The Modern Fruit and Flower Town". However, because of the proliferation of coal-burning power plants, the city has become smoggy and dust-covered.

[edit] Administrative divisions

• Yaodu District (尧都区)
• Houma City (侯马市)
• Huozhou City (霍州市)
• Quwo County (曲沃县)
• Yicheng County (翼城县)
• Xiangfen County (襄汾县)
• Hongtong County (洪洞县)
• Gu County (古县)
• Anze County (安泽县)
• Fushan County (浮山县)
• Ji County (吉县)
• Xiangning County (乡宁县)
• Pu County (蒲县)
• Daning County (大宁县)
• Yonghe County (永和县)
• Xi County (隰县)
• Fenxi County (汾西县)

[edit] Economy

Notable industries of the Linfen area include coal mining and food processing.

[edit] Pollution

A study by the Blacksmith Institute found Linfen to be the most polluted city in the world^[3]. It has also been chosen as one of the world's ten dirtiest cities by the Popular Science website^[4].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website of Linfen Government
• LinFen Photo Essay
• A canary in the Chinese coal mine (published 2007-03-02; accessed 2007-04-01)
• BBC article Blacksmith Institute list

v • d • e Shanxi Province History • Politics • Economy Prefecture-level cities Changzhi • Datong • Jincheng • Jinzhong • Linfen • Lüliang • Shuozhou • Taiyuan • Xinzhou • Yangquan • Yuncheng See also: List of Shanxi County-level divisions