SichuanislocatedintheUpperYangtzeValleyinthesouthwesternpartofthecountry.ThesecondlargestoftheChineseprovinces,itcoversanareaof220,100squaremiles(570,000squarekilometres).SzechwanisborderedbytheprovincesofKansuandShensitothenorth,HupehandHunantotheeast,andKweichowandYunnantothesouthandbytheTibetAutonomousRegiontothewestandtheprovinceofTsinghaitothenorthwest.ItisthemostpopulousprovinceinChina.ThenameSzechwanmeans“FourStreams”andreferstothefourmaintributariesoftheYangtzeRiver,whichflowsthroughtheprovince.Thecapital,Ch'eng-tu,islocatedinthecentreoftheprovince.

　　Fromeconomic,political,geographical,andhistoricalpointsofview,theheartandnervecentreofSzechwanisintheeasternbasinarea,commonlyknownastheSichuan,orRed,Basin.Itsmildandhumidclimate,fertilesoil,andabundantmineralandforestryresourcesmakeitoneofthemostprosperousandeconomicallyself-sufficientregionsofChina.TheareahasbeenseenbysomeasChinainamicrocosmandisoftenviewedasacountrywithinacountry.TheChinesecallthebasinTienFuChihKuo,whichliterallymeans“HeavenonEarth.”