Wharves that can handle oceangoing ships line the banks of the Yangtze River, which borders Nanjing on the west. The tomb of Sun Yat-sen, who helped establish the Republic of China in 1912, lies on the mountain. Nanjing's educational institutions include Nanjing University, engineering colleges, and a medical school. Nanjing has hundreds of manufacturing plants. Leading products include cement, fertilizers, iron and steel, porcelain, textiles, and trucks.
Nearby mines provide iron ore for the iron and steel plants.
The farmers raise cotton, rice, wheat, vegetables, and other crops. Railroads connect Nanjing to Beijing, the capital of China, in the north and to Shanghai in the east. Numerous ships dock at the wharves of the city. B.C. Early settlers chose the site because of its location near a river and some roads. The Ming dynasty gained control of most of China in 1368.