# Gaozhou

Gaozhou is a county-level city in southwestern Guangdong Province, China. Formerly the primary city in the area, it is now administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Maoming. As of the 2020 census, Gaozhou had a population of 1,328,658 living in its 3,270.86 km$^2$ (1,262.89 sq mi) territory, nevertheless its built-up (or metro) area is much smaller. The locals speak a variation of the Gaozhou dialect. It is best known in China for being the ancestral home of Leo Ku.

## History

Gaozhou is a historically important city in Guangdong. Under the Qing, it was the seat of Gaozhou Commandery, overseeing Dianbai, Huazhou, Maoming, "Sih-ching", Wuchuan, and Xinyi Counties. After the Chinese Civil War, it was placed under the administration of Maoming as Gaozhou County and then promoted to county-level city status in 1993.

## Administration

Administratively, Gaozhou is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of the provincial-level city Maoming in Guangdong Province. The city of Gaozhou consists of five districts (Panzhou, Shanmei, Baoguang, Shizailing, and Jinshan); the county includes another 23 towns.

## Geography

Gaozhou is located 420 km (260 mi) away from Shenzhen and Guangzhou, 450 km (280 mi) away from Hong Kong.

## Transportation

* China National Highway 207
* China National expressway G65
* China National expressway S14

## Climate

Climate data for Gaozhou, elevation 77 m (253 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.9 (84.0) | 31.8 (89.2) | 33.3 (91.9) | 34.4 (93.9) | 36.1 (97.0) | 37.0 (98.6) | 38.7 (101.7) | 37.8 (100.0) | 37.1 (98.8) | 35.0 (95.0) | 33.5 (92.3) | 29.8 (85.6) | 38.7 (101.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 24.5 (76.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 31.0 (87.8) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32.9 (91.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.3 (90.1) | 30.4 (86.7) | 27.1 (80.8) | 23.0 (73.4) | 28.1 (82.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) | 17.2 (63.0) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 26.7 (80.1) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.5 (83.3) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 24.8 (76.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 23.2 (73.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) | 13.9 (57.0) | 17.3 (63.1) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.1 (77.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 20.8 (69.4) | 16.9 (62.4) | 12.9 (55.2) | 19.8 (67.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.2 (37.8) | 4.4 (39.9) | 10.2 (50.4) | 15.2 (59.4) | 18.9 (66.0) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.0 (71.6) | 15.8 (60.4) | 10.9 (51.6) | 4.3 (39.7) | 0.6 (33.1) | 0.6 (33.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44.4 (1.75) | 45.0 (1.77) | 65.6 (2.58) | 143.8 (5.66) | 245.3 (9.66) | 338.0 (13.31) | 270.5 (10.65) | 303.7 (11.96) | 175.7 (6.92) | 70.3 (2.77) | 37.3 (1.47) | 35.8 (1.41) | 1,775.4 (69.91) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.0 | 8.7 | 11.1 | 12.6 | 16.1 | 19.5 | 18.7 | 19.6 | 13.9 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 145 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 78 | 80 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 84 | 85 | 82 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 81 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 111.1 | 85.0 | 69.5 | 96.3 | 150.2 | 152.3 | 195.0 | 185.7 | 181.5 | 196.2 | 165.4 | 145.9 | 1,734.1 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 33 | 26 | 19 | 25 | 37 | 38 | 48 | 47 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 44 | 39 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||