Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China (PRC). However, it is the largest special zone in China and also the second largest island in China with a coastline of 1584.8 kilometers.

Hainan Island is located in the South China Sea, separated from Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula to the north by a shallow and narrow strait. It has an area of 33,920 square kilometers in this southernmost province of China which, with a total land mass of about 35,000 square kilometers, is also the smallest. For centuries Hainan was part of Guangdong province, but in 1988 this resource-rich tropical island became a separate province. The capital is Haikou. The Island is home to a new strategic naval harbor that has been dug through the mountainside.

Hainan has a tropical moist monsoonal climate. Its annual temperature change is less than 15 degrees Celsius. The coldest months are January and February when the temperatures drop to 16 to 21 degrees Celsius; the hottest months are July and August, and the temperatures are 25 to 29 degrees Celsius.

Hainan has commercially exploitable reserves of more than 30 minerals. Iron, first mined by the Japanese during their occupation of the island in World War II, is the most important. Also important are titanium, manganese, tungsten, bauxite, molybdenum, cobalt, copper, gold, and silver. There are large deposits of lignite and oil shale on the island, and significant offshore finds of oil and natural gas have been discovered. Virgin forests in the interior mountains contain more than 20 commercially valuable species, including teak and sandalwood.

Sanya is a busy port and tourist resort on the southern tip of Hainan Island. It has an area of 1,887 square kilometers, and a population of 3.8 million.

The northern part of Sanya are mountains, the southern part are plains. It has a tropical monsoon climate with an annual average temperature of 25.4oC. Annual rainfall averages 1,450 millimeters.

Sanya is rich in forest and water resources. Mineral deposits include quartz, limestone, iron, and phosphorus.Industries include sugar refining, salt making, shipbuilding, and electronics. The chief farm products are rice, sugarcane, rubber, piper, and timber. Sanya also has many seafood, including sharks fins, abalone, and sea cucumbers.

Sanya is a hub of transportation in the southern area of Hainan Island.Sanya Port connects Sanya with Guangzhou, Beihai, and Shenzhen.Sanya lies on a peninsula with beautiful beaches and charming scenery. The regions premier tourist attractions include Dadonghai, Tianya Haijiao, and the yalong Gulf. The famous products are mackerel , red snapper, sea cucumbers, sea horses, pearls, sharks fins, abalone, edible birds nests, and agalloch eaglewood.

Hainan cuisine is said to be "lighter, with mild seasonings." A lot of local taste is mixed with the Han Chinese taste. Seafood predominates the menu, as shrimp, crab, fish and other sea life are widely available.Wenchang Chicken is a dish known throughout the province of Hainan. Although there are many varieties of this dish, the name is usually used to define a type of large, free-range chicken from Wenchang county, located on the east coast of the province. As opposed to battery chickens, its meat has more texture and is somewhat drier.

Hainan chicken rice, a famous dish in Southeast Asia bearing the region's name. In the province of Hainan, however, this dish is almost entirely unknown.