Chongqing (simplified Chinese: 重庆), formerly transliterated as Chungking, is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China.
The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the sub-provincial city administration that was part of Sichuan Province. In 2007, the municipality of Chongqing had a population of 31.4 million.[1] It has jurisdiction over 19 districts, 17 counties, and four autonomous counties. With an area of 82,300 km² (31,800 mi²), it is the largest direct-controlled municipality, larger even than one province and an autonomous region, as well as Taiwan.[2] It is possibly the world's largest municipality by population and one of the largest by area.
The municipal abbreviation, 渝 (Yú), was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997. Chongqing was also a municipality of the Republic of China administration, serving as its wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). Its abbreviated name is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds the Yangtze River.
The city is one of the cities notable for history and culture in China (历史文化名城), and notably, serves as the economic centre of the Upstream Yangtze area, a modern manufacturing centre and a transportation hub for Southwest China.