Most of the city is located along and to the north of the Pearl River, but urban growth has spread across the river to the south and southwest of the old city core. The only high ground consists of some hills that rise a few hundred feet to the north and northeast of the city. The most famous of these, Baiyun Shan, or White Cloud Mountain, provides a fine view of the city and surrounding countryside. Located at the same latitude as Havana, Cuba, Canton has a humid, subtropical climate. Summer is hot and wet.
Winter is mild, with autumn essentially extending into spring.
The Modern City Dating back more than 2,000 years, Canton reflects its long history as well as the development problems of China, especially overpopulation. The overall impression is drabness and congestion, enlivened in part by numerous public parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets. The city, typical of urban centers throughout most of China, is shabby but relatively clean. The buildings are mostly low, though increasingly high-rise construction of recent years is altering this. These newer buildings include a variety of hotels to serve the large numbers of tourists and business people who now flock to China, many of them traveling to Canton by train from Hong Kong.