page_title: Hunan
section_title: Demographics
hierarchical_section_title: Hunan / Demographics
caption_attribution_description: English: Ethnic minorities areas in Hunan
context_page_description: Hunan is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, Guizhou to the west and Chongqing to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Changsha, which also abuts the Xiang River. With a population of just over 67 million as of 2014 residing in an area of approximately 210,000 km², it is China's 7th most populous province by population and the 10th most extensive province by area. Its 2018 nominal GDP was more than 500 billion USD, which is among the top 30th largest sub-national economy in the world with its PPP GDP over 1 trillion USD.
  The name Hunan literally means "south of the lake". The lake that is referred to is Dongting Lake, a lake in the northeast of the province; Vehicle license plates from Hunan are marked Xiāng, after the Xiang River, which runs from south to north through Hunan and forms part of the largest drainage system for the province.
context_section_description: As of the 2000 census, the population of Hunan is 64,400,700 consisting of forty-one ethnic groups. Its population grew 6.17% (3,742,700) from its 1990 levels. According to the census, 89.79% (57,540,000) identified themselves as Han Chinese and 10.21% (6,575,300) as minority groups. The minority groups are Tujia, Miao, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hui, Zhuang, Uyghurs and so on.
  In Hunan, ethnic minority languages are spoken in the following prefectures.
  Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture: Qo Xiong language, Tujia language
  Huaihua: Qo Xiong language, Dong language, Hm Nai language, Hmu language
  Shaoyang: Maojia language, Hm Nai language, Pa-Hng language
  Yongzhou: Mien language, Biao Min language
  Chenzhou: Dzao Min language
caption: Ethnic minority-inhabited areas in Hunan
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