Altitude: 6 - 15 feet
Area: 2,383 square miles (including the city itself, the suburbs, and an agricultural hinterland)
Coastline: 80 miles
Population: 12.3 million

Climate: Shanghai has a fairly extreme climatic range, with four distinct seasons. Winters can be bone-chillingly cold with occasional snow, while summers are very hot. Humidity levels are high almost year round. It can rain for days on end, though the official rainy season lasts from mid June to mid July. The best weather tends to occur in September and October.
Average temperature: 2-3.5 degrees [translate to Fahrenheit] in January, 27-38 degrees [translate to Fahrenheit] in July.
Average annual rainfall: 1000 mm [translate to inches]

Time zone: The whole of China operates as one time zone, eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. There is no daylight savings time adjustment in the summer.

Formerly an unimportant fishing village, Shanghai (translated literally, "on the sea") is one of the world's largest seaports and a major industrial and commercial center of China. It is located on the coast of the East China Sea, between the mouth of the Yangtze River to the north and the bays of Hangzhou to the south.

Since first opening to the outside world in the 19th century (a result of the expansion of foreign nations abroad) and, more recently, reopening to the outside world (after the period of upheaval of the Cultural Revolution), Shanghai has become China's most energetic and cosmopolitan city. It has attracted immigrants from within China as well as abroad. Its residents are known for their business talents, quick wit, and sophistication. It is the site of China's first and foremost stock exchange, the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Its industrial products rank the best in quality in China. It is one of China's leading centers of higher education and scientific research, including the famous Fudan and Jiao Tong universities. In 1993, with the strong support of the central government, Shanghai established the Pudong New Area Administration to oversee the development of the Pudong New Area into a special economic zone, including a modern financial center, a high technology development park, and an export processing and free trade zone.

A tourist city, Shanghai attracts travelers from both home and abroad because of its commercial activity rather than for its scenic beauty.