Xiangyang, formerly known as Xiangfan, is a prefecture-level city, a new industrial base and a central city in northwest Hubei approved by the State Council. Xiangyang * * * governs 3 municipal districts, 3 counties and 3 county-level cities, with a total area of 1.97 million square kilometers. By the end of 20021,the permanent population of Xiangyang was 527 1 10,000. Xiangyang is located in the middle of China, the northwest of Hubei, and the middle reaches of Hanjiang River. It is a sub-central city in the province, a central city in the Hanjiang River basin and an important member of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. In 20021year, Xiangyang achieved a regional GDP of 530.943 billion yuan.