or Hu-nan
Province (pop., 2000 est.: 64,400,000), central China.
It lies south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and is bordered by Guizhou , Sichuan , Hubei , Jiangxi , and Guangdong provinces, Chongqing municipality, and Guangxi autonomous region. It has an area of 81,300 sq mi (210,500 sq km), and its capital is Changsha . Part of the 3rd-century-BC kingdom of Chu , it passed to the Qin dynasty and became part of the Chinese empire during the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). Hubei and Hunan were one province until split in the mid 17th century. Hunan was invaded in 1852 by Taiping rebels, and in 1934 Mao Zedong led the Long March from Hunan. The scene of bitter fighting during the Sino-Japanese War (1937–45), it became part of communist China in 1949. Much of the terrain is mountainous; Mount Heng, one of China's sacred mountains, is located there. The economy is basically agricultural. Hunan is one of China's great rice-producing regions.